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By Ninna
I can’t stop
fidgeting in my seat. I feel hot inside and I know that beads of sweat are
forming on my forehead. I can feel it inside me, trying to work itself up my
throat. I’m concentrating very hard on trying to keep my composure. So far, I’m
not succeeding. People are already staring at me. I have to get out of
here…I can feel it coming…I can’t watch this presentation anymore…I can’t hold
it any longer. I’m practically running out of the room, not even bothering
to excuse myself. Before I can even reach the restroom to fully relieve myself
of the feeling that’s swelling inside me or even cover my mouth to keep it from
coming out, the inevitable has come. I burst into peals of laughter in the
hallway. My eyes are moist and my sides are aching from laughing too much. I
know some heads are bobbing out of the rooms to see who’s laughing like a
hyena. Just the thought is making me laugh all the more. I can hear footsteps
coming near me…it’s a good thing that my laughter is already starting to
subside. Oh my! Take a deep breath. You’ve got to stand up now…I can’t
believe you’re already sitting on the floor. Someone’s com—then I see two
feet in three-and-a-half-(four?)-inch stiletto heels…attached to very thin,
wood-like legs—how can she stand, much more walk in those?—right
in front of me. Uh-oh. Just my luck! No one else but Ms. Sullivan (the
principal, aka Ms. Sulkivan) wore those kind of heels…and she is one who no one
likes crossing paths with…stand up now! “Uh, umm…h-hi, Ms. Sullivan. I-I
was just on my way back to my room. Bye!” I said, rushing off to my room.
“Not so fast,
young lady. You simply don’t get away laughing like a lunatic and disturbing
the classes without serving detention after school. I never thought that the
sound of laughter could be annoying!” Ms. Sullivan says in a disgusted tone
(and a shudder to match), handing me a detention slip. She then walks away, her
heels clicking on the tiled floor.
Well, that
isn’t so bad…I
half expected her to have me whisked off to the mental ward. I have to admit,
my laughter was kind of out of line and it isn’t exactly pleasant to the
ears…it’s like a donkey braying and a hyena laughing at the same time.
I go back to my
room and I feel everyone looking (some even strangely) at me as I take my seat.
That’s because I’ve never been known to smile a lot, much more laugh like that.
They must think I ate human brains for breakfast this morning. I
suddenly feel oddly alone. I know I should get used to this feeling by now…but
I guess I never have, maybe I never will. In every place I’ve been to, I’ve
always been known to be a loner and, unfortunately, a snob. My family moves a
lot, and I could never bring myself to make any friends because I know that I
won’t be staying long. I think it’ll just make leaving a place harder. I don’t
think I can handle goodbyes that well. That’s why I don’t make any friends. I
know that’s a pretty weird (not to mention, pathetic) philosophy to live by but
I never entertained the thought of changing it, ‘coz I knew the sad
consequences that may occur. I’ve never complained about my family’s situation,
I liked seeing a lot of places…but I sometimes just get too lonely, and I know
I am to blame for that--I almost jump out of my seat when I felt someone
tapping my shoulder. I look up and I see a pair of pretty brown eyes looking at
me. Her eyes seem to be full of inquiry…it was Hazel, the girl who was doing a
pantomime when I ran out of the room. Uh-oh, she must think that I am a very
rude person and she’s here to give me a piece of her mind.
Hazel starts to speak. “Hi. I just want to
let you know that the class is over. You’ve got that faraway look ever since
you got back. Are you fine now? I thought a while back that you were gonna die
of laughing,”
Uh, is she
really just concerned or is she a just a tad sarcastic? Maybe she is just concerned and I’m
the one who’s sarcastic. So I guess it won’t hurt to answer her. “Well, I must admit, I couldn’t help
myself from laughing because your pantomime reminded me a lot of the one I saw
in France which made me laugh a lot. The one I saw there had a lot of bloopers
and the mime just improvised his act and that made it more memorable. Besides,
your performance was really funny, and I couldn’t believe how good you were.
Really good comedies are never wasted on me, I guess. It’s just too bad I went
out of the room before you were done…I really had to go, I felt like I was
about to burst! I didn’t want to laugh while you were performing ‘coz I knew my
laughter can be kind of…distracting, but it escaped from me anyway. But yeah,
I’m okay. I really have to thank you ‘coz it’s really been quite some time
since I laughed like that,” I explained. Please just don’t stare at me like
that…say something!
Hazel finally
breaks her silence and shakes her head as if in disbelief. “You won’t believe
how great that makes me feel! It’s a
good thing you told me that, because at first I thought you went out ‘coz you
got sick of my pantomime or something. And I then I thought you were laughing
your head off ‘coz you found my performance absurd. I couldn’t have believed I
was that funny if I didn’t hear you say so with my own ears! I mean, sure, the
others laughed, but your laughter sort of drowned everyone else’s, you know?
Let’s have a sundae after school…my treat. No one has made me feel this good in
a long time either,” I then tell her that I have to take a rain check because
of my detention. Hazel apologizes for getting me in trouble. I say it’s no big
deal.
We were having lunch together a little later and we
start to talk about moving and stuff. Hazel tells me that moving around
wouldn’t be so lonely if I made friends on the way. She says I shouldn’t worry
about goodbyes, because friends will remain friends even if they were miles
apart, as long as they keep in touch. She says that friends are a lot like
love…better to have and be a friend than not at all.
I go to
detention with a smile on my lips, because instead of spending the time
wallowing in self-pity and letting sad thoughts enter my mind, I’m going to
spend it looking at the bright side…my lonely days are over… my perspective was
changed…simply because of a mime who made me laugh again.
I know that most of the stories are a bit long, but I
hope they were worth reading. Writing them was fun for me, and as I wrote the
above stories, I couldn’t help but hope that the readers will see the subtext
planted within them. As I put my ideas into writing, I have always bore in mind
what kind of lessons I would like to share with others and how I’d tell it to
them without being boring. I will not hesitate to say that I am proud of these
stories. Part of me is in every story because each one has a thought that I
have often pondered upon. My ideas about selfishness, responsibility,
escapades, parting ways, friends, change, and other experiences in life...they
build me as a person and with them, I hope, that others may learn from them, if
not, even just give these ideas some thought.
May I please ask a favor? Please, please, e-mail me
your feedback to my stories? I’d really appreciate that...regardless if my
stories are good enough for your book or not. I just want to know your
reaction, and also just so I know you read my stories. And, I guess it won’t
hurt to read how much you liked (or-- *blush* but I hope not—-disliked) my
stories. You know, constructive criticism and all that—-so I know what (or more
of), what kind of stories I’ll send next time. I won’t stop writing stories
(and sending them to you)! I’m really looking
forward to your reply! God bless you and till next time—-ciao!
Ninna
S. Palmario