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Mama is always telling us to shut up. She won't allow us to use those words but that's all she ever tells us to do. One time I was in a fit of anger and I tried to be clever.
"Shut the door up!" I hollered at my sister. I didn't see my mother standing behind me, but I sure did feel the thump on the head.
"Don't you use such hateful words! And don't think you are smart for being sneaky.!"
Holler, holler, that's all she ever does. It doesn't matter what we do or where we are.
In the car: "All of ya'll shut up so I can drive! Do you want me to get into an accident? I DON"T CARE WHO HAD IT FIRST! The Indians were here first and look what happened to them, so unless someone is bleeding don't say another word! I'm wasting gas to drive ya'll to the pool, I don't need to go to the pool, and unless you all shut up, I'm turning this van around!
In the yard: "Who left this bike in the driveway for me to trip over?! How many times have I told you to put away your toys? What do you think will happen if I trip over these? Do you think I will be happy if I break my legs tripping over your bikes? Who's gonna cook for you then? Believe me, if I break my legs over your toys, no one, NO ONE will ever eat again!
I think Mama is getting old and crazy. "Kneel in that corner for 10 minutes, and don't you dare take your eyes out of that corner. When the 10 minutes are up, and if you are good and sorry for what you did, then you may get up."
Mama's not the type that would let you sit on a chair and face a wall. She calls that sitting quiet with a cup of tea. She thinks that punishment should be true punishment. She says, "Kneeling on hardwood floor will help you feel your sin." In her way of thinking, she believes that the devil's flames are only at my feet yet, so I just have to do my time, and repent, and salvation will soon be mine, like the sweet release from hell's corner."
I was in that corner for a long time and she still hadn't released me. My knees, legs, back, neck, head all ached.
"Mama" I called from the corner.
She didn't answer and so I called louder: "Mama"
When she didn't answer that second time, I dared to turn my head around. She had fallen asleep on the couch. I slowly got to my feet and marched up to that mean ol' woman and shouted: MAMA WAKE UP! WAKE UP!
She woke up and asked me why I was out of the corner.
She's just that mean. She's forever saying, "Times are hard." I just don't get it. We always have money for paint to paint the house, money for visits to the doctors - and those ain't cheap. If we can afford to spend hundreds of dollar to fix a hole in my sister's tooth then why can't we buy ice cream?
When I ask for ice cream, she gives me a sad look and gently asks if I wouldn't like some watermelons instead. Sure I like watermelons, but I like ice cream better. I tell her that. But she looks at me in the same sad, gentle way and says, "Times are hard." I don't know what that means but whenever she says that, it means no. I don't get, I just don't get it. Ice cream costs just as much as a watermelon. She will buy all the watermelons I want, but not ice cream. She is just that mean.
Life is so disappointing. I am stuck with a mean mom who's always telling me she loves me but won't buy me ice cream. I ask for ice cream and get watermelons instead.
This past week I finally lost my two front teeth, and that was disappointing too. I had spent weeks wiggling them. I thought it was double luck that both teeth were loose at the same time. But on Wednesday the left one fell out but the right one was still stuck fast. I had no money and could sure use some money, so I stuck the tooth under my pillow.
I woke up Thursday morning disappointed to find the tooth still under the pillow. I told Dad that the tooth fairy didn't come. As I left the room, he called for me to come back in.
"Savannah, there's something shining in that corner," he told me.
I picked up the two coins and gave them to him.
"Savannah, did you loose any money?" he asked.
"No, Dad."
"I think the Tooth Fairy must have dropped these by accident. What do you think?"
"Thanks Dad."
He is nice to do that. I was glad to have the two quarters but it doesn't feel the same. I went to tell Mama. She sighed and tried to make me feel better by making excuses for the Tooth Fairy.
Friday evening, my other tooth finally came out. Dad was playing balls with us and my sister's elbow bumped my mouth. She started to cry because my mouth was all bloody, but that was just blood. Dad sent me in to have Mama clean me up. Mama is never afraid of blood. She just made me spit out the blood, rinse my mouth once, and then sent me back to play so she can cook in peace.
That night I didn't bother to leave my new tooth under the pillow. I didn't believe in the tooth fairy anymore. Tooth fairies are for babies. I didn't even want to sleep in my bed. I crawled in bed next to Mama and slept.
Saturday morning I missed out on some of the cartoons because Mama sent me to my room to cool off my hothead. I would have slammed the door but a little blue thing on my bed caught my eyes. It was the most beautiful, shiny, blue, vinyl purse with a note attached. My heart knew it was from the tooth fairy because the note was in the shape of a tooth. I read the note and the tooth fairy was very sorry. This is what her note said:
Dear Savannah,
I am so sorry to be visiting so late. Gas prices are so high these days even fairies are affected. Fairies drive real cars. The reason I am so late is because I took a day job to make extra money. I am behind in my duties, and I hope that you and all the kids can understand - times are hard. I don't have money to give right now, but I hope these small gifts will be okay. I do apologize that your purse is so small. As you know, everything is smaller now, from the portions served at restaurants to the ice cream cartons that your mom buys. Two months ago, your purse would have been twice as big.
Love you toothfully,
The Tooth Fairy
The Tooth Fairy is the nicest person in the whole wide world. I don't care if the purse is small because it was the most perfect thing in the whole wide world. Inside the purse, she left me a pack of Trident, berry flavored, sugar-free gum, and there's still room for the two quarters that Dad gave me. The Tooth Fairy is so nice, I wish she could be my mom.
"Shut the door up!" I hollered at my sister. I didn't see my mother standing behind me, but I sure did feel the thump on the head.
"Don't you use such hateful words! And don't think you are smart for being sneaky.!"
Holler, holler, that's all she ever does. It doesn't matter what we do or where we are.
In the car: "All of ya'll shut up so I can drive! Do you want me to get into an accident? I DON"T CARE WHO HAD IT FIRST! The Indians were here first and look what happened to them, so unless someone is bleeding don't say another word! I'm wasting gas to drive ya'll to the pool, I don't need to go to the pool, and unless you all shut up, I'm turning this van around!
In the yard: "Who left this bike in the driveway for me to trip over?! How many times have I told you to put away your toys? What do you think will happen if I trip over these? Do you think I will be happy if I break my legs tripping over your bikes? Who's gonna cook for you then? Believe me, if I break my legs over your toys, no one, NO ONE will ever eat again!
I think Mama is getting old and crazy. "Kneel in that corner for 10 minutes, and don't you dare take your eyes out of that corner. When the 10 minutes are up, and if you are good and sorry for what you did, then you may get up."
Mama's not the type that would let you sit on a chair and face a wall. She calls that sitting quiet with a cup of tea. She thinks that punishment should be true punishment. She says, "Kneeling on hardwood floor will help you feel your sin." In her way of thinking, she believes that the devil's flames are only at my feet yet, so I just have to do my time, and repent, and salvation will soon be mine, like the sweet release from hell's corner."
I was in that corner for a long time and she still hadn't released me. My knees, legs, back, neck, head all ached.
"Mama" I called from the corner.
She didn't answer and so I called louder: "Mama"
When she didn't answer that second time, I dared to turn my head around. She had fallen asleep on the couch. I slowly got to my feet and marched up to that mean ol' woman and shouted: MAMA WAKE UP! WAKE UP!
She woke up and asked me why I was out of the corner.
She's just that mean. She's forever saying, "Times are hard." I just don't get it. We always have money for paint to paint the house, money for visits to the doctors - and those ain't cheap. If we can afford to spend hundreds of dollar to fix a hole in my sister's tooth then why can't we buy ice cream?
When I ask for ice cream, she gives me a sad look and gently asks if I wouldn't like some watermelons instead. Sure I like watermelons, but I like ice cream better. I tell her that. But she looks at me in the same sad, gentle way and says, "Times are hard." I don't know what that means but whenever she says that, it means no. I don't get, I just don't get it. Ice cream costs just as much as a watermelon. She will buy all the watermelons I want, but not ice cream. She is just that mean.
Life is so disappointing. I am stuck with a mean mom who's always telling me she loves me but won't buy me ice cream. I ask for ice cream and get watermelons instead.
This past week I finally lost my two front teeth, and that was disappointing too. I had spent weeks wiggling them. I thought it was double luck that both teeth were loose at the same time. But on Wednesday the left one fell out but the right one was still stuck fast. I had no money and could sure use some money, so I stuck the tooth under my pillow.
I woke up Thursday morning disappointed to find the tooth still under the pillow. I told Dad that the tooth fairy didn't come. As I left the room, he called for me to come back in.
"Savannah, there's something shining in that corner," he told me.
I picked up the two coins and gave them to him.
"Savannah, did you loose any money?" he asked.
"No, Dad."
"I think the Tooth Fairy must have dropped these by accident. What do you think?"
"Thanks Dad."
He is nice to do that. I was glad to have the two quarters but it doesn't feel the same. I went to tell Mama. She sighed and tried to make me feel better by making excuses for the Tooth Fairy.
Friday evening, my other tooth finally came out. Dad was playing balls with us and my sister's elbow bumped my mouth. She started to cry because my mouth was all bloody, but that was just blood. Dad sent me in to have Mama clean me up. Mama is never afraid of blood. She just made me spit out the blood, rinse my mouth once, and then sent me back to play so she can cook in peace.
That night I didn't bother to leave my new tooth under the pillow. I didn't believe in the tooth fairy anymore. Tooth fairies are for babies. I didn't even want to sleep in my bed. I crawled in bed next to Mama and slept.
Saturday morning I missed out on some of the cartoons because Mama sent me to my room to cool off my hothead. I would have slammed the door but a little blue thing on my bed caught my eyes. It was the most beautiful, shiny, blue, vinyl purse with a note attached. My heart knew it was from the tooth fairy because the note was in the shape of a tooth. I read the note and the tooth fairy was very sorry. This is what her note said:
Dear Savannah,
I am so sorry to be visiting so late. Gas prices are so high these days even fairies are affected. Fairies drive real cars. The reason I am so late is because I took a day job to make extra money. I am behind in my duties, and I hope that you and all the kids can understand - times are hard. I don't have money to give right now, but I hope these small gifts will be okay. I do apologize that your purse is so small. As you know, everything is smaller now, from the portions served at restaurants to the ice cream cartons that your mom buys. Two months ago, your purse would have been twice as big.
Love you toothfully,
The Tooth Fairy
The Tooth Fairy is the nicest person in the whole wide world. I don't care if the purse is small because it was the most perfect thing in the whole wide world. Inside the purse, she left me a pack of Trident, berry flavored, sugar-free gum, and there's still room for the two quarters that Dad gave me. The Tooth Fairy is so nice, I wish she could be my mom.
