Behind the Pulpit

The first day of school after Christmas break, all the kids would wear new outfits they got as gifts.  I never had new clothes, so I always tried to be creative with what I had.  Momma made most of our clothes and the rest were second hand.   Whenever we would see something that we liked, she would say, “I can make that.”

As I approached the bus stop, I could hear Marsha, the neighborhood bully, giggling and pointing.  She was always picking on someone.  Carla and I were on the top of her list.  Sometimes my Daddy would come to the bus stop with us and make all the kids stand in a single file line, until the bus came.  He also let them know that he was a preacher and did not allow his children to fight.  ‘Turn the other cheek’ was Daddy’s motto.  He told all the kids to let him know if they ever saw us fighting, and that gave Marsha ultimate power over us.  She would torture us, and had made a game out of thumping us in the head.   Today I had made up my mind that if she did it to me, I was going to bust her in the mouth and take my punishment from Daddy.   I thought my latest creation of two outfits mixed was cute and I wanted to know what she was snickering about.   A quick glance behind me answered the question.   There,  on our front porch, was Momma putting Mya’s coat on.  Her hair was all over her head.   She had on a nightgown and boy tube socks with stripes on them.  She saw me looking and waved.  Even though everyone knew who she was, I continued to the bus stop without returning the wave.   The one good thing about Momma being on the porch was that Marsha would not be thumping anybody’s head.

The ride to school seemed longer than normal today.  Our school was in the next town.  It was about a 30-minute ride.  I was in the 4^th grade and  Carla was in the 5^th.   We were only 10 months apart.  Every year we stayed the same age for two months. Mya was in the 2^nd grade and Carlos Jr. was in the 1^st.  Jason had not started school yet because his birthday was too late in the year.  We always sat together on the bus and played tic tac toe.  Mya and Carlos always went back to sleep.  Marsha spent the entire ride running her mouth about all the cool things she got.  As the bus pulled in the parking lot, I could see all the new outfits, coats, hats, lunchboxes, and bookbags.  I did get some new pencils that came in a beautiful box, so I proudly put it on top of my schoolbooks and walked into Kernersville Elementary School.

Mrs. White’s 4^th grade class was full of chatter this morning.  Everyone was discussing what he or she got for Christmas.  I went to my assigned seat and began putting my books away.  My shiny new pencil box was proudly left on top of my desk.   No one really talked to me, and my friends were few.  I was a good student and always made the honor roll.  Mrs. White must have known what I was going through and always made sure that she said a kind word or praised me for something.

“That is a fancy pencil box you have there Ms. Porter,” she said.

She was a great teacher, and lifted my spirits many days.

I gave her a big smile and said, “My Daddy bought it for me for Christmas.”

“No he didn’t!” I heard from across the room.    Everyone turned around in the direction from which this voice came from.

Up against the wall, all decked out in a new outfit and hairdo, was Francis Rock.  She was my first cousin.  My Daddy and her Mom were brother and sister.  Her Dad had a really good job and they always had the best of everything.  We got along O.K., but I knew she thought she was better than my sisters and I.  She got that attitude from her Mom. With the entire class giving her their full attention, she continued.

“Her Daddy came to our house Christmas morning. He asked my Mother for some of our unwanted, small gifts, because they didn’t have anything for Christmas.”

“That is enough Ms. Rock,” Mrs. White interrupted.

“Well it’s true, we gave him all the stuff we didn’t want,” Francis blurted out shamelessly.

That is why the gifts were half wrapped and some were not wrapped at all.  It never crossed my mind where the gifts came from.  We were just happy to get them.  At that moment the entire class seemed to be laughing at me.  Mrs. White tried to calm everyone down.

“You are no longer my cousin,” I said and ran out of the class.

I was horrified, and could not believe Francis had done that to me.  My heart sank to my knees.

How could my Daddy go to those uppity people and ask them for anything.  I would have rather had nothing for Christmas.  It is amazing that we were so happy with our gifts and they were all things the Rock kids did not want.  Francis made me feel really low.