Motherless

A Glimmer of Hope

Flashback

" Hello, daddy's little one," my father says, lifting me up. "I'm not little," I reply, and Daddy pouts, looking at me. "You're not Daddy's little munchkin?" he asks, and I shake my head no. "Oh really? How about now?" Daddy starts tickling me everywhere, and I can't help but giggle, filling the room with laughter.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Daddy stops to look at Mommy. "Hey baby, just having fun with our little one," he replies. "I'm not a munchkin, Daddy," I protest, but he starts tickling again until Mommy intervenes. She takes me, giving me a kiss. "That's enough, hon, she has to go to school," she says, pecking me again, making me giggle.

"How could I forget our baby is all grown up?" Daddy moves to kiss Mommy, but I playfully stop him, causing him to look surprised as Mommy giggles. "You can't kiss Mommy," I shake my head, stopping him again.

After I stop him, Daddy points in a direction, and I follow, hearing a smooching noise behind me. I quickly look back, catching Daddy kissing Mommy. I push him away playfully, saying, "No, no, Daddy," with a giggle.

"Come on, baby girl, let's leave Daddy so we're not late, okay?" Mommy says, picking up some bags while holding me. We walk to the car, Mommy puts the bags away, then places me in the car seat, buckling me in. "Are you good, baby? If so, give Mommy a thumbs up," she asks, and I give her two thumbs up. She smiles, kissing my head before closing the door and getting into the driver's seat. "Daddy loves you, okay? Have fun at school today," he says.

Daddy says he'll see us later, and Mommy drives us to our destination.

End of Flashback

I gazed at an aged picture of my parents and me, pondering where things took a turn for the worse. With a sigh, I folded the photo and tucked it into my treasure chest, along with other remnants of the past, then slid it under my bed.

Moving to my dresser, I reached behind the mirror and found a plastic container. Inside was a single pill left from my last supply. Without second thoughts, I swallowed it; I knew I'd need it to ease the lingering soreness.

Instead of hanging around, I practically dash out of there. If I tick them off again, I'll be in for it big time. School isn't exactly a breeze, but dealing with the mean girls is a walk in the park compared to the constant abuse from my mom and stepdad.

Finally, I make it inside, and guess who's there? Becca and her sidekicks, dumb and dumber. "Hey, freak, long time no see," Becca says, acting all high and mighty while she checks her nails. I try to walk by, ignoring her, but she blocks my path. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" she shoves me. "Seriously, Becca, can you just go be annoying somewhere else?" I snap back, but before she can respond, a teacher steps in.

"Didn't you girls hear the bell? Get to class," he says, pointing to the doors. "This isn't over, fatty," Becca mutters as she struts away, followed by her little posse, hurling insults at me. I roll my eyes and head to class.

Thankfully, I won't have to deal with them for a while. I head to my first class, dreading what's to come. Math class with Mr. Fowler is the worst. Instead of helping me understand, he just insults me in front of everyone. And then they all call me stupid and a retard. It's humiliating.

Entering the classroom, I make a beeline for the back, hoping to avoid any attention."There's no seat back there," I lift my head, realizing it's not Mr. Fowler talking. The voice sounds familiar. I turn around and see her. It's Melody.

"Why don't you sit up here in front of my desk?" she suggests. I nod and take the seat. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, but I just focus on my desk. "Alright, everyone, I see we have some new faces today. I'm Ms. Winslow, your new math teacher."

She gives off more of a librarian vibe than a math teacher. Language or literature, sure. But math? No way. "Okay, open your notebooks. We're doing Probability today," she announces, getting started on the board.

After taking notes, she calls some students up to the board for practice. I struggle to keep up, feeling more and more lost with each passing minute. Why can't I understand any of this? Maybe they're right. Maybe I really am stupid. I pretend to write notes so I won't get called on. Then she gives us some questions to answer. I hold my head because I just can't get it.

Lost in frustration, I barely notice when Melody comes over to check on me. "Are you okay?" she asks softly, and I nod, not wanting to admit how much I'm struggling. "Then why haven't you started working yet?" she presses, but I just fidget with my fingers, unable to answer.

"Come on, bring your chair up here next to mine and bring your stuff," she says. I follow her to her desk and sit down. "If you didn't understand, you should've asked," she says. "I do understand," I reply, even though I don't.

She opens my notebook and points to the first question. "Answer this one," she says. I pick up my pen, but it's like my brain's frozen. When the bell finally rings, I start to get up, but Melody stops me.

"You haven't answered the question yet," she reminds me. I know I should admit that I need help, but I can't bring myself to say it. "What class do you have next?" she asks. "P.E.," I mumble. "Talia, look at me," Melody says firmly, and I finally meet her eyes. "Good girl." "You're not going to P.E. yet. You need help," she says firmly. "Don't worry about your next teacher; I'll let them know you were with me."

She patiently goes over the questions with me, and even though I still don't get it, I appreciate her trying to help.

We go over the questions again, and she actually helps me understand. I'm really grateful for her patience. "How do you usually get to and from school?" "I walk," I reply.

"I'll take you home after school. Just come back to my class, okay?" she offers. I agree to come back to her class after school. As I leave, I can't help but smile, thankful for Melody's kindness in a world that can be so cruel.

The mere thought of seeing Melody later was the only thing that got me through the day; Becca's antics couldn't even dampen my spirits. As soon as the clock struck three, I was among the first to bolt out of the classroom, eager to reach Melody's classroom.

I burst through the door with such force that it startled Melody, causing her to drop the papers she was holding, scattering them like confetti. "Jesus, Talia, you scared the life out of me," she exclaimed, clutching her chest. Apologizing profusely, I helped her pick up the scattered papers.

"Why were you in such a rush? It's only 3:05," she asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I was afraid you might forget, so I hurried over. I really didn't feel like walking," I lied, masking my true excitement to be with her. She seemed skeptical but didn't press further.

"Alright, do me a favor and pack my stuff in that bag. I need to use the restroom, so please do that for me. I'll be right back," she instructed before rushing past me. I complied, tidying up her belongings, and she returned shortly after, thanking me for my help.

"Alright, I'm back. Thank you so much," she said, grabbing her bag and purse. "I think that's everything. Let's go." We exited the classroom and headed to her car, where she graciously opened the door for me and stowed our bags in the backseat before driving out of the parking lot.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, but I initially declined. However, my stomach betrayed me with a loud growl, prompting laughter from both of us. "Looks like your tummy has spoken loud and clear," she teased. We agreed on McDonald's, where she treated me to my own meal, insisting that I didn't need to repay her.

After our stop, she drove me home, and despite my reluctance to leave her company, I bid her farewell and expressed my gratitude. She waited until I was safely inside before driving off, leaving me with the impression that she genuinely cared about me. Returning to my apartment, I made sure to dispose of the McDonald's bags and wipe away any traces of happiness, bracing myself for the harsh reality that awaited me.