Puppet
Lesson #1: Don't Make Assumptions
The school bell rang and I slid my back pack over my shoulder, making my way into the hot sun. I spotted Momma’s car only feet from the door and yanked on the handle, getting into the passenger’s seat.
“How was your day, Puppet?”
I shrugged. “Good. How was your’s?”
She sighed. “I just went to work.”
I didn’t say anything else. For being six years old, not much excited me. I didn’t have a project to tell Momma about, I didn’t have a friend to bring along with us. I didn’t really have much of anything when I was six years old. I was just a six year old girl. I sighed and glanced out the window at all the kids playing in the school yard, waiting for their parents to come pick them up. And as we drove down the street, there were even more children walking down the sidewalk, laughing and chasing one another to their houses. I had never done that. Momma had always picked me up right after school. I didn’t have time to play with other kids from school.
As Momma rounded the corner and drove past our house, I realized that we weren’t going home yet. I looked over at her in question, but she didn’t say anything. And I didn’t ask. It bothered Momma when I talked while she was driving. She wasn’t very good at doing two things at once. But she wouldn’t tell you that. She would just tell you to shut up.
“Ms. Sanders told me that you’re doing better in class.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“She said that you have been getting along better with all the other kids. You’ve stopped isolating yourself from them.”
I didn’t know what isolating myself meant. I merely nodded up at her and did my best to smile. “I guess they aren’t that bad.”
“You just need to learn to give people chances, Puppet.”
“I know, Momma.”
We pulled up just outside the Toys R Us parking lot and I looked over at Momma. She smiled down at me and got out of the car without saying anything. I met her on the other side of the car and we walked inside together.
“Alright, Puppet. I want you to go pick out a toy.”
“What kind of toy?”
“Any toy. Something you really would like to have.”
I nodded and ran off in the direction of the Barbies. Every six year old girl loves Barbies. As I looked up at the looming shelf, I realized that my eyes weren’t big enough to look at all of the Barbies. I realized that I had to start at one end and make my way back down to the other. And so I started.
There were mermaids, Mary Kate and Ashleys, black ones, white ones, popstar ones, there were so many that I just couldn’t decide which one. But finally, I settled on my favorite one.
She was white with long blonde hair and bangs straight across her forehead. She had big, huge, blue eyes and she was wearing a purple dress and white high heels. She came with an extra pair of jeans and a yellow shirt. I clutched the plastic with my hands so tightly that when Momma took it to be paid for, I had indents on my palms.
As we walked to the car, I held the plastic bag tightly in my hand and swung it from side to side. And as Momma drove home, I admired the Barbie. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was so excited to go home and play with her. Momma must have bought her for me because Ms. Sanders had told her that I was doing better in school.
I was fiddling with the plastic when Momma reached over and put her hand on mine. “Stop that, Puppet.”
I immediately stopped trying to open the Barbie and sat quietly in my seat as Momma pulled up into the driveway. I had my hand poised on the handle, ready to bolt into the house and open my new Barbie. But Momma stopped me.
She looked over at me. “When we get in the house, I want you to get out the blue wrapping paper. The one that has the yellow writing on it, so I can wrap that.”
“Wrap it for what?”
“For Sarah’s birthday.”
“But I thought—“
“What? Did you think that was your’s, Puppet? You know that I don’t have money to be buying you presents like that.” She paused. “I have to buy Sarah a present because it’s her sixth birthday.”
I thought about the hand me down dress Momma had bought me for my sixth birthday and got out of the car trying not to cry.
As we came up to the front door, Momma glanced down at my tear filled eyes. “Stop your crying.”
“I’m sorry, Momma."
“How was your day, Puppet?”
I shrugged. “Good. How was your’s?”
She sighed. “I just went to work.”
I didn’t say anything else. For being six years old, not much excited me. I didn’t have a project to tell Momma about, I didn’t have a friend to bring along with us. I didn’t really have much of anything when I was six years old. I was just a six year old girl. I sighed and glanced out the window at all the kids playing in the school yard, waiting for their parents to come pick them up. And as we drove down the street, there were even more children walking down the sidewalk, laughing and chasing one another to their houses. I had never done that. Momma had always picked me up right after school. I didn’t have time to play with other kids from school.
As Momma rounded the corner and drove past our house, I realized that we weren’t going home yet. I looked over at her in question, but she didn’t say anything. And I didn’t ask. It bothered Momma when I talked while she was driving. She wasn’t very good at doing two things at once. But she wouldn’t tell you that. She would just tell you to shut up.
“Ms. Sanders told me that you’re doing better in class.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“She said that you have been getting along better with all the other kids. You’ve stopped isolating yourself from them.”
I didn’t know what isolating myself meant. I merely nodded up at her and did my best to smile. “I guess they aren’t that bad.”
“You just need to learn to give people chances, Puppet.”
“I know, Momma.”
We pulled up just outside the Toys R Us parking lot and I looked over at Momma. She smiled down at me and got out of the car without saying anything. I met her on the other side of the car and we walked inside together.
“Alright, Puppet. I want you to go pick out a toy.”
“What kind of toy?”
“Any toy. Something you really would like to have.”
I nodded and ran off in the direction of the Barbies. Every six year old girl loves Barbies. As I looked up at the looming shelf, I realized that my eyes weren’t big enough to look at all of the Barbies. I realized that I had to start at one end and make my way back down to the other. And so I started.
There were mermaids, Mary Kate and Ashleys, black ones, white ones, popstar ones, there were so many that I just couldn’t decide which one. But finally, I settled on my favorite one.
She was white with long blonde hair and bangs straight across her forehead. She had big, huge, blue eyes and she was wearing a purple dress and white high heels. She came with an extra pair of jeans and a yellow shirt. I clutched the plastic with my hands so tightly that when Momma took it to be paid for, I had indents on my palms.
As we walked to the car, I held the plastic bag tightly in my hand and swung it from side to side. And as Momma drove home, I admired the Barbie. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was so excited to go home and play with her. Momma must have bought her for me because Ms. Sanders had told her that I was doing better in school.
I was fiddling with the plastic when Momma reached over and put her hand on mine. “Stop that, Puppet.”
I immediately stopped trying to open the Barbie and sat quietly in my seat as Momma pulled up into the driveway. I had my hand poised on the handle, ready to bolt into the house and open my new Barbie. But Momma stopped me.
She looked over at me. “When we get in the house, I want you to get out the blue wrapping paper. The one that has the yellow writing on it, so I can wrap that.”
“Wrap it for what?”
“For Sarah’s birthday.”
“But I thought—“
“What? Did you think that was your’s, Puppet? You know that I don’t have money to be buying you presents like that.” She paused. “I have to buy Sarah a present because it’s her sixth birthday.”
I thought about the hand me down dress Momma had bought me for my sixth birthday and got out of the car trying not to cry.
As we came up to the front door, Momma glanced down at my tear filled eyes. “Stop your crying.”
“I’m sorry, Momma."
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<3i'm rewriting this.