she didn't want to do it, but there was no other go. when the order comes from higher up, you have to listen, prepare and hope for the best.
the problem weighed on her mind when she headed home. all the way in the bus, it gnawed at her, making her normally bright eyes look troubled and withdrawn. everyone who saw her could see something was clearly wrong - the bus driver said a cheery 'hello', a man stood up to offer his seat, a lady gave her a special smile.
she tried to smile back, made an effort to say 'thank you', but her lips seemed frozen. she was scared she could only squeak if she tried to string a few words together. she wanted to burst into tears.
she finally reached home. sliding down on the comfortable couch felt good. having her mum coming over with a place of french fries felt better. mum always knew what to do to make even the worst day seem not-so-bad.
she talked about her problem to her mother. not that her mum didn't know - but it felt good to talk about it. when she finished, her mum reached over and took her hand.
"i know you will do much better than you think. you are the best there can ever be. this is just fear and panic - put it out of your mind and you will be fine."
"i wish you could be there, with me."
"just close your eyes and imagine me holding your hand. that should help."
she smiled and nodded. it was worth a try.
so it was the next morning. she fiddled with her pencil until it was time to stand up and walk over to the front. and as she covered the steps, she tried to feel her mum with her, right there, holding her hand.
it was time to begin. she looked around the room. the rest of the class - a bunch of five-year-olds - looked back at her. some blinking, some curious.
here goes. she raised her voice slightly and began.
"for my show-and-tell today, i have brought a photograph of my pet..."
No comments:
Post a Comment