Ending Amanda

2

February 8th 1998, a young and scared woman is waiting for her first child to arrive. Father is already imagining his son and himself playing baseball in the yard. Contractions become closer together and before they know it the child is almost here. The doctor lifts the baby and announces.
"It's a girl!"

"A.... girl? " the father said obviously disappointed.

"Mhm, she's beautiful, congratulations" he said while the nurses cleaned her up.

I sit eating the sweet bread in peace when a man a bit older than me begins to speak.

"Uh, miss are you okay?" he asks with a slight southern accent.

"Huh?" I realize tears are streaming down my face ".....Oh.... uh yeah my um dog.. just died, but I'm fine just a bit emotional"

I wait for his reaction hoping he buys it. His brushes my very long hair to the side and sets his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear about that... I'll be back"

He darts off and I continue my pity party.

"Amanda Rose Díaz what did I tell you?" Mother yells at her four year old daughter with son on hip.
"That dress is new don't you dare ruin it, inside now."

Child sulks and drops the mud she had in hand. Church was dreaded because church meant dresses and sitting "like a lady". Daddy doesn't wear dresses or cross his legs, why should she? After a lot of thought it was decided that it's because her hair is long. Excited to free herself from femininity, she sprints to her room.

"Mama how long until church?" she asks barely able to contain her smile.

"You've never been excited for church before" she glances at the clock while the baby on her hip yanks her hair "In about an hour."

"Where are the scissors?" she asked. She panics as a suspicious look forms on her mother's face.

"Why?" she says making the baby release a fist full of hair "Jacob I swear if you don't stop I'll chop all my hair off"

Father walks by and adds "It's certainly worked for me" winking at his daughter.

"Um I want to do some arts and crafts 'stead of ruining my dress outside" she says.

"Well honey, I don't know why you asked me use your safety scissors, you don't need the big ones"

She had forgotten all about her safety scissors. She runs to her room and pulls the scissors out of her drawer. She gets a small mirror from the bathroom and locks her door. She decides ear length would look nice and begins.

"Amanda!" her mother exclaims "time for church"

She proudly runs out to her mother and says "Ok, but I can't wear this dress my hair is short like daddy's"

Father laughs while mother gasps.

I snap back and notice the man is back with a cupcake from a near by coffee shop.

"I know this doesn't really help much but the coffee shop over there has really good cupcakes and I thought I'd......." he rambles before I cut him off.

"Thank you" I say accepting the cupcake. I set it next to me. I didn't plan on eating it, but he stayed so it seems I have no choice.

"What is your name?" he asks.

"Amanda" I accidentally grumble a bit.

"Ahhh Amanda" he says "So tell me about Amanda"

I have two options: lie to this very nice stranger or let out a desperate cry for help.

"I don't have a dog" I accidentally yell a bit. He looks a bit shocked and then starts to laugh.

"Ok..... Amanda without a dog, care to tell me the actual reason you were crying?" He said moving his hand slightly closer to mine.

"Not really" I said very obviously moving my hand away.

"That's fair" he said pulling today's paper out of his over the shoulder bag. I looked over at the paper. February 8th 2016 was printed right next to the title The Daily Press.

"What a shame, poor guy died on his birthday" he said referring to the obituary he was reading.

"I always thought there was an appeal to dying on your birthday" I said avoiding eye contact.

"Mama if daddy doesn't have to wear a dress why do I?" the child whined.

"Daddy is a boy, sweetie. If you hate the dress so much we'll find something else, ok? But for now this is what you have" Mother said a bit annoyed.

"Well, I'm a boy too" Amanda said sure she had won this argument.

"No baby, you're not" She says patting her child's head.

The child storms off and goes to the backyard. Peacefully playing in mud not even thinking about the dress.

"Uh how come you're wearin' a dress" a boy around the same age from the house next door asks.

"My mama made me" she said not even looking up from the mud.

"You're a boy aren't ya" he asked looking her up and down.

"Yep"

"My mommy doesn't make me wear dresses" He said proudly. "Hey I got an idea how 'bout I go get some of my clothes so you don't have to wear this dumb dress"

She finally looks up from the mud and jumps up and hugs the boy.