Chapter 3: The Bad Note
I felt worse than ever in the morning, so I decided I would sing louder than ever on the city bus. I sang my heart out. I went from seat to seat, asking everyone if I could sing them a song. Most people said yes, and almost everyone knew my name after that. It felt good to be heard, good to be known.
When I got to school, I ran around the schoolyard as fast as I could with my brown hair flying behind me. When the bell rang, I ran inside as fast as I could. Running felt good. As I sat down at my desk, a little winded, the colored boy next to me leaned over and said, “What’s your name?”
I looked at him in surprise. I was just about to ask him the same question.
“Myra. What’s yours?”
“Robbie,” he said.
“Do you want to play with me at recess, Robbie?” I asked.
Robbie smiled big as he nodded.
Teacher broke up our conversation with her loud, clapping hands. She sent copies of our spelling lists down each row.
When my list finally reached me, I caught sight of the first word:
Father.
A shiver trickled down my spine. Why did Teacher have to remind me about him at school?
Just then, a folded paper landed on my desk. I looked over at Robbie. He was looking at Teacher, but I knew he had tossed it.
Slowly I opened it up and read:
Smile. It’s going to be a good day. We can get married at recess again.
My lips curled up a bit, then I wrote on the line below:
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