writing day 5

who knew i could keep this up?

an excerpt (it's not titled):

Though I hated it then, the best thing my sister could have done for me was assume her elderly sister’s role and pick on me. She took advantage of every opportunity – once I lost both bottom baby teeth while trying to pull a too-small thermal shirt over my head so we could play in the once-a-winter South Carolina snow. They were already loose, but in keeping with my tradition of holding onto things for too long – way longer than they should be held – I refused to let anyone pull them. I have a constant reminder of this truth every time I offer a wide-mouthed smile: one tooth is exceptionally higher than the others because it refused to wait for the dead tooth to dislodge itself from my gums. I remember specifically during those times of no-bottom-front-teeth that my sister would sit at the dinner table and laugh as she watched me negotiate an ear of corn my mother had prepared.

Too, around the same time, I was her maid. We inherited an elaborate kitchen set, complete with stove, silver (not plastic) pots and pans. We were playing house one day and it was tea time. I was to set the table, including getting water for the tea. I approached the bathroom and noticed the missing footstool I used in the mornings to wash my hands. The sink was too high for me to reach then. Perhaps I could have tried the bathtub. Instead, I reached into the toilet bowl with the silver kettle and returned. She took a sip. Maybe it was because the water tasted weird, or because she had not heard any water running at all yet I had come bearing the thing she sent me after, but she asked me where I got the water. Because I still had not mastered the art of lying with a straight face, I had mastered the art of delaying consequences. I told her simply: the bathroom. She asked if it was from the sink and I said no, I couldn’t reach it. The tub? No. Not the tub. House was over. She loves to tell this story as an example of how evil I am, but I defend myself and say resourceful. I was using what I had to get what I was supposed to get.