Not Crying (A very short story)
© ByVijaya Sundaram
Dec. 11th, 2009
“Why didn’t you do your homework on time?” screamed the teacher at the girl, who stood before her, fighting back her tears, and staring woodenly at the teacher.
“Well? Why don’t you answer me? Why are you standing around, not telling me anything?” yelled the teacher.
The girl refused to speak, for fear that she might cry. She stared at the ground, swallowing her tears.
The teacher, livid with rage, said, “That’s it. Insubordination! You will spend an hour in detention with me!”
The girl went back to her place. The other students tried to look at their books, trying not to embarrass her with their sympathy.
The teacher went home that day. She kicked the dog, yelled at the cat, burned the roast beef for dinner, and made her husband sleep on the couch.
The girl went home, cleaned up the house, made dinner for her family, helped her little brother with his homework, fixed his food, tucked him into bed, and kissed him goodnight. Then, she tidied up the kitchen, and took a shower.
When her mother came home, after a long night’s work at the local bar, smelling of alcohol and cheap cigars, the girl reheated dinner for her mother, set the table, and sat quietly while her mother spoke, using foul language about every person who’d come to the bar.
She looked at her daughter. “What are you staring at me for? And why do you look so dull? You could smile! Why should I work so hard, just to come home and have you stare at me? Hanh?”
She took her first forkful of food. She spat it out in rage. “What do you call this mess? Looks like something the cat dragged in.” She threw the food on the floor, and hit the girl, who stood there, not crying.
Later, after her mother had dragged herself off to bed, the girl cleaned up the mess, wiped the floor, picked up the shards of china from the broken plate, and wiped the window, where some food had spattered.
Looking back at her in the glass of the window, she saw herself, a young girl, face wooden, not crying.
She went back, got out her book bag, and started her homework. Her assignment was, “Write about yourself.”
She picked up the pencil, and froze.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~