Miss Clean South
two.
Wednesdays had to be Demetria’s favorite day of the week. Every Wednesday her teacher Mrs. Boone would let them have a free hour to play games and read. They never knew what she was doing during that hour but she would always go to the bathroom and come back smelling funny and would eat her lunch, she also liked to color with the kids and laugh at their jokes; totally different from normal, strict Mrs. Boone.
This Wednesday was different, this Wednesday they had a new student named Bobby, Bobby was black. Mrs. Boone had ordered Will to give up his seat for the kid, so Will now sat at the front instead of all the way in the back, right next to Demetria. Demetria eyes had widened when he sat next to her. He dug around in his back pack and pulled out a torn and dirty book, it sparked the little girl’s interest.
“Bobby,” Mrs. Boone called out, “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Scared, the new kid stood up. He was the only black kid in the entire class. “Hello,” he said quietly, “My name’s Bobby and I’m good at readin’.”
“My daddy said that the only thing your folk is good at is pickin’ cotton.” Spoke a small red haired girl. The class all laughed, all except for Demetria. She watched with curious eyes as Bobby rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and quickly sat back down in his seat. She gasped when she spotted tears in his eyes. The class had gone back to their activities almost as if nothing happened.
Demetria took a deep breath and reached into her back pack, she pulled out a handkerchief and set it neatly on Bobby’s hand. “Momma says that a smile a day keeps the Doctor away.” She then smiled brightly at the kid, “Ain’t seen the Doctor in months, hadn’t had a fever or a sore throat.”
Bobby looked down at the handkerchief and hastily wiped at his eyes. “I’m Demetria Rose Whitaker,” she said with a large smile, “You’re Bobby, right? I got a cousin named Bobby, he works on cars.”
“My poppa works on cars,” he said in a small voice.
She reached into her back pack again and pulled out some colored pencils, “Wanna color with me Bobby? I love to color, my sister colors with me all the time. Sometimes I color bugs ever though they gross me out.”
It was a lot to take in, Demetria continued to ramble on and on about this and that as the two colored. She talked about her daddy, her sister, her tire swing, and how she wanted a dog. Sadly she couldn’t get a puppy, her momma hated them. “She likes nothin’ more then to spray the strays.”
Bobby had nodded his head the entire time, he wasn’t one for talking much. He didn’t know what to call this little girl, his friend? Were they friends? She sure was nice, shared her colored pencils with him. Friends did that.
Too soon the bell had rang, Demetria gathered her stuff together and sent Bobby another charming smile, “See you tomorrow, Bobby!” On that lonely walk home Bobby had an extra skip to his step.
This Wednesday was different, this Wednesday they had a new student named Bobby, Bobby was black. Mrs. Boone had ordered Will to give up his seat for the kid, so Will now sat at the front instead of all the way in the back, right next to Demetria. Demetria eyes had widened when he sat next to her. He dug around in his back pack and pulled out a torn and dirty book, it sparked the little girl’s interest.
“Bobby,” Mrs. Boone called out, “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Scared, the new kid stood up. He was the only black kid in the entire class. “Hello,” he said quietly, “My name’s Bobby and I’m good at readin’.”
“My daddy said that the only thing your folk is good at is pickin’ cotton.” Spoke a small red haired girl. The class all laughed, all except for Demetria. She watched with curious eyes as Bobby rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and quickly sat back down in his seat. She gasped when she spotted tears in his eyes. The class had gone back to their activities almost as if nothing happened.
Demetria took a deep breath and reached into her back pack, she pulled out a handkerchief and set it neatly on Bobby’s hand. “Momma says that a smile a day keeps the Doctor away.” She then smiled brightly at the kid, “Ain’t seen the Doctor in months, hadn’t had a fever or a sore throat.”
Bobby looked down at the handkerchief and hastily wiped at his eyes. “I’m Demetria Rose Whitaker,” she said with a large smile, “You’re Bobby, right? I got a cousin named Bobby, he works on cars.”
“My poppa works on cars,” he said in a small voice.
She reached into her back pack again and pulled out some colored pencils, “Wanna color with me Bobby? I love to color, my sister colors with me all the time. Sometimes I color bugs ever though they gross me out.”
It was a lot to take in, Demetria continued to ramble on and on about this and that as the two colored. She talked about her daddy, her sister, her tire swing, and how she wanted a dog. Sadly she couldn’t get a puppy, her momma hated them. “She likes nothin’ more then to spray the strays.”
Bobby had nodded his head the entire time, he wasn’t one for talking much. He didn’t know what to call this little girl, his friend? Were they friends? She sure was nice, shared her colored pencils with him. Friends did that.
Too soon the bell had rang, Demetria gathered her stuff together and sent Bobby another charming smile, “See you tomorrow, Bobby!” On that lonely walk home Bobby had an extra skip to his step.