The Truth of Things
Your mother lied to you. That's the truth. She didn't mean any harm, but the truth was evident to you when you arrived at school the first day in the ripped jeans.
Everyone did notice and began whispering. You sat in the back of the room trying to blend in but everyone stared and you sunk deeper in your chair. Her kind assurance in your ear that people wouldn't care went out the window like the flies buzzing around the apartment. It was all she could afford since Dad walked out. Mom worked cleaning the local business. Her being a single mom was miserable.
It wasn't so much that I had been blind to the truth. It was just that I had seen the truth differently. The local kids all avoided my brother and sister and I when we came outdoors to play.
She'd said it was because their parents hadn't met us yet. But you noticed their shiny new bikes and their perfect haircuts and tried to believe that she was telling the truth. This was the third move that we had made since Dad left. Each time to you moved to a lower grade of apartment and neighborhood.
When Mom started the car to go to her job, the neighbor next door shook his head at the loud exhaust. Mom could not fix the car until next month when the welfare payment would show up. When dinner was usually hot dogs and bread and maybe some applesauce you just ate it fast. Your lunch was in a plastic bag. Everybody else had a cool lunch box with pictures of various superheroes. You hid your bag under your seat down by your worn sneakers and hit your face behind mousy brown hair and tucked the one used notebook and pencil underneath the new book. You were there to learn. You tried to remind yourself that things were going to change.
The time Fred went to the car wash and never came back changed our lives completely.
I called my father Fred, because I couldn't bring myself to call him dad. My mom never talked about it, but one day I came home and they got into a huge fight. The other kids were outside doing the chores and didn't hear most of the fight. I came in and dad had some bags packed with a scowl on his face and told our mother she was worthless and just pulling him down further. Mom was crying in her bedroom and he shouted to her to get up and take care of the brats.
My baby sister sat on the floor looking at Fred and he reached down and patted her hair and told her he'd be back. He never came back. We lost the house, he had stopped paying the mortgage months ago.
Maybe my classmates wouldn't understand all of this, and it didn't really matter, I was here to learn and help my mother out. I looked up the teacher and tried to smile. Maybe I just had a pair of old jeans on today, but one day I would show Fred a thing or two. You learn sometimes the people, even your parents, tell little white lies to make you feel better.
This ends my Weekend Freewrite hosted by @mariannewest. (some edits were made for cohesion) Try your hand at freewriting and join a fast growing amazing community!
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/the-weekend-freewrite-1-20-2018-part-3-the-dramatic-twist
The Make a Minnow project is an initiative designed to reward those who are exceptional in the minnowsupport community, the prize is a 5k delegation for a month!
the right sense of humor may you success in your dreams
Thank You for the visit and comment.
A deeply touching story.
Thank you dear friend.
I think that the drive to learn, the desire help her mother, and the determination to "show" Fred, will be inspiration enough to tolerate with being ignored and for her to make a great life for herself! This is a great story @wandrnrose7! (Boo for uppity and judgemental neighbors!!)
Today I am hopping through the town of Freewrite on my brand new pogo-stick! It's super-powered by my desire read your awesome stories and deliver the prompt of the Goddess Marianne!
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-93-5-minute-freewrite-sunday-prompt-fourth
I bet a number of people can relate to some of this here.
Good work for under 1000 words. <3
Thank you... It's actually the weekend prompt so it's three 5-minute prompts <3 Hugs!
Wow, I actually "felt" the story. Memories of torn jeans, using bags for lunches. Hard to believe torn jeans are a style now. You have a new follower :-)
Thank you so much for reading. This was such a mash up, but littered with bits of truth. I was teased a bit in school and often we were broke. Thanks for following! I followed you, too.
Thanks for follow :-) .It seems the past makes it easy to write stories about. Part fiction and part real. I could do one on bullies too... But, look at us now. We are on an awesome site. And we are meeting great people.
Yes we are and how awesome it is! <3
@wandrnrose7.. You came with another storming and stunning stuff again. I must #hats off to you Gorgeous girl. You are pretty but your stories and words show Us your inner beauty.. #stay blessed. Moms are great.
Your encouragement brings such a smile to my heart! Thank you!
Beautiful! Deep rich truth! Well done.
Thank you very much for reading and commenting.
Your words felt true to me. I honor that very much
That means so much to me. Thank you.
There is your singular genius. In that space. Not the narrative necessarily but that place of honest strength you have made. Anything from there will be wonderful.
Nice story once again and wish you have a wonderful sunday.
Thank you @birjudanak! I'm glad you liked it. I hope you are well!
@orginalworks