Yaya opened her school locker and reached for the 'Merchant of Venice' textbook for her literature class. "Hey Yaya," cheered Myra, hugging her from behind. Yaya have a slight smile and faced her friend.
"I see you have a lot to say," she spoke.
"You wouldn't believe what I did this weekend," she grinned. "My uncle from California paid a visit. We took him to Liberty Island and ate pizza."
"Sounds fun," Yaya chuckled, as she reminisced her time in Liberty Island with her sister. Her nose watered as she squeezed it with her fingers, wiping her snot onto her sweater.
"Are you okay?" frowned Myra.
"I'm fine," Yaya nodded. "I'm almost late for Miss Jade's class."
She placed towards her classroom, leaving Myra alone with the locker open. She shut Yaya's locker and caught up with her friend at their classroom.
As she sat down, a golden haired woman entered the classroom, clad in a beige petticoat and sharp black heels. The students in the classroom sat still as the teacher scribbled the lesson in chalk.
"Have you finished the assignment you were given last week?" demanded Miss Jade.
Yaya raise her hands. "I did, Miss Jade."
Miss Jade's face melted into a smile. "Could you tell me what 'Merchant of Venice' is about?"
"Merchant of Venice is about Antonio who borrowed money for his best friend Bassanio to impress his crush, Portia. She was a rich woman..."
"Who did Antonio borrowed the money from?" Miss Jade enquired.
"Shylock."
"What did he say to Antonio?"
"He said if Antonio couldn't pay back, Shylock could cut off a pound of flesh from him, without blood."
Miss Jade gleamed.
"Thank you, Yaya," she beamed. "You've explained enough."
"Okay class, now who can explain me about the 'Merchant of Venice?" she asked.
"Shylock isn't the villain of the story," exclaimed Ezekiel. The whole classroom was taken aback.
"But Shylock demanded a pound of flesh from Antonio if he couldn't pay back the loan," Alex argued.
"True, but only because Antonio and his friends picked on him. The Christians in Venice looked down on the Jews and forced them into isolation. When Shylock lost against Portia, he was forced to give up his Jewish heritage and all his properties were taken away, which is something he worked for."
Yaya raised her eyebrow as she jotted down Ezekiel's point of view towards the play. "He has some good points, Miss Jade," Yaya countered. "I can't deny that Antonio did spat on Shylock and mocked him, however Shylock wasn't thinking rationally when he wanted a pound of flesh without a single drop of blood, which Portia managed to spot this loophole deal."
"True, but Shylock suffered a lot. His daughter took his diamonds and his precious ring his wife gifted him for a Christian lover."
Besides, Shakespeare is an anti-Semite," said Ezekiel.
"Maybe. But he's still one of the best playwright in human history. He's a master of word, and a good lady-charmer," described Susannah.
The whole classroom erupted in laughter. Miss Jade handed out worksheet for each student as a homework. "I've given you assignments to complete at home," explained Miss Jade. "Make sure you handed over next week."
The whole classroom groaned in frustration. "Homework sucks," complained Rocky, sitting in the back of the classroom. "I'll see you next week with your 'boring' homework done," she dismissee the class.
Yaya got up from her seat and left the classroom, with her face covered. Myra tailed her from behind towards the cafeteria.
She stared at her pad thai her mother cooked this morning. Myra joined her and brought out her Indonesian fried rice.
"Did you slept well last night?" Myra expressed her concern. "Your eyebags look heavy."
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Myra. I just didn't moisturize my face again."
"I know what happened to your sister," Myra spoke.
Yaya coughed. "What?"
"Look, I'm really sorry you lost Boongsri," Myra sympathized. "It must be tough for you and your family to handle everything."
Yaya breathed and closed the lid of her lunchbox. She stood up and walked away from Myra, frantically wiping her tears from her eyes.
Myra sat there, dumbfounded. Ezekiel passed by her and paused, spotting Myra eating her fried rice. "Where's Yaya?" he asked.
She glanced at Ezekiel and replied, "She needs time for herself."
"I can talk to her for you," he favours.
Myra giggled and placed both hands on her mouth. "She'll kick your ass."
Ezekiel sighed. "I'll meet her parents and give them something."
"Better idea," she nodded. "Just don't anger them, especially her dad."
He showed both palms, mid-air. "I swear by the Torah, and God."
Ezekiel left the table and headed straight towards his next class.
YOU ARE READING
Yaya And Ezekiel
Romance"I thought I'd go insane from missing you," said Yaya. "Why? Do you miss me, hot buns?" teased Ezekiel. Yaya looked at Ezekiel's sky-blue eyes. For the first time, her cheeks turned red and her palms began to sweat. She yanked his shirt collar as sh...
