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La Sabia
La Sabia
By Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
Chapter 1
I called her La Sabia because she was the wisest woman I knew. My beautiful grandmother helped my parents raise me. They lived all together, they and my grandfather and I, in a small, happy home. We were not wealthy, but I never went without.
Love surrounded me as a child. It filled our home. My sweet grandmother taught me to play the piano, and she told me stories every day of the days of her childhood. I hoped to be like her someday. I respected her and valued her insight.
One day, I was at my friend's house. Things were so different there. Mindy just lived with her mom. And her mom was always stressed out about work and life. It made things kind of difficult for Mindy.
Sometimes I would get so mad at Mindy's mom. She was always asking Mindy to do her homework or do her chores instead of hanging out with me.
We were in the fourth grade, so maybe I should have been more understanding. But she always cut our visits short.
One day, Mindy and I were braiding each other's hair in her room.
And her mom shouted from across the apartment, "Minnnn-dy!!!"
Mindy looked up at me, blushing a little, and laughed. "Oh brother," she said. "What does she want now?!"
Mindy got up and went to her mother. She had been braiding my hair. One braid was done and looked perfect, but the other braid was half-done and unraveling. I was hoping that she could at least finish braiding my hair.
Shortly, Mindy returned. "Sorry," she said, "but Mom says I need to go have supper early today. Then she needs me to do dishes so we can go grocery shopping. I'm sorry, but she's asking you to please go home for now."
I played it off, but I couldn't get over the frustration. My hair would have looked so amazing, but now it was just going to frizz out. I was angry and hurt. Mindy was so on the verge of becoming my best friend, but I could never spend enough time with her to tell her.
"No problem," I said. I was getting pretty good at hiding my emotions. "I'll see you at school!'
I gathered my things and walked home alone, since she lived only four houses away from me.
Chapter 2
When I got home, my parents were working together to make dinner. Yum! We were having enchiladas for dinner. I loved enchilada night.
La Sabia was sitting at the piano, playing the most beautiful song I had ever heard. She played eloquently, and every time she played a lone high note, her right hand rose into the air to highlight that one note. That was so cool.
I waited until the song came to a delightful end, and I applauded her.
"Encore! Encore! La Sabia," I said, "you have outdone yourself again!"
Sitting on the piano bench, she smiled, bowed and thanked me. "How are you, mi abuelita?" she asked.
I sat down and played a song I had written from memory. La Sabia listened intently, to every note, every emotion.
"It's amazing!" she declared. "A stroke of genius!"
I smiled but was trying to hide angry tears.
"I hear anger," she continued. "Frustration. Impatience and remorse. The work is perfect," she said. "But the emotion behind the work speaks for itself. Would you like to talk about it?"
I looked at her ~ astonished. How did she read me ~ and my music ~ so well?
"You read me like a book," I said. "How'd you know all that?"
"A grandmother knows these things," she said simply.
She put her arm around me. The tears just started flowing.
"La Sabia," I said. "I visited my friend. But her mother always takes her from me. She takes away the time we should have together. Like today, for example. We were braiding each other's hair. I curled Mindy's hair, and it looked ~ so pretty! Her hair looked like ribbons on a perfectly wrapped package. But she didn't get to finish my hair. See?"
I lifted the unraveling braid. "The one braid looks perfect. But this one! She never got to finish. It's a frizzy mess! All because her mother said it was time for dinner."
"Mija," said La Sabia. "Mindy's mother is a single mom. She struggles to put food on the table. She needs Mindy to help around the house.
She is not asking for too much."
I looked into La Sabia's eyes. "But this happens every time!" I stammered. "It's not fair!"
La Sabia returned my gaze. I had never noticed it before, but her eyes looked just like mine. Dark brown, almost like black marbles. But her eyes contained so much more knowledge than I could ever hope to possess. And patience. So much ~ patience.
"My child," she said. "Your friend enjoys spending time with you. But her mother does not have help. You see ~ how your parents have help from your grandparents. They have few worries because they feel supported."
"But Mindy's mother," she continued, "has no one to help her. So she asks Mindy to help."
It all made sense now. I felt sad for Mindy's mom, trying frantically to provide for Mindy… and to do all the things it took four adults to do in our home.
I was no longer angry. A wave of emotion came over me. I felt so sad for Mindy's mom, and I wanted to help.
"So your anger," said La Sabia, "and your frustrations are a good thing. They can lead to change."
I thought about that. And I knew what I would do.
Chapter 3
The following Friday, Mindy had asked me to spend the night at her house.
Her mom made the most delicious lasagna. The cheese always melted in my mouth. So I asked if I could help by making the salad.
"Of course!" said Mindy's mom. She looked at me through her little glasses. "Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate your willingness to help."
Mindy was already setting the table, so it was like a small, three-person team working together for a common purpose: dinner!
"Thanks," said Mindy. "It's so hard to get everything done, even with two of us!"
"No problem," I said. "That's what friends are for!"
Chapter 4
Later that evening, Mindy and I sat on the living room floor. Her mom was reading a book, and we were watching movies and doing each other's hair.
Mindy was French braiding my hair, but this time she made three braids.
"This one is you," she said. "This one is me. And the one in the middle? That's my mom! She's the glue that keeps everything together!"
~ End ~
copyright 2021
by Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
written August 8, 2021
By Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
Chapter 1
I called her La Sabia because she was the wisest woman I knew. My beautiful grandmother helped my parents raise me. They lived all together, they and my grandfather and I, in a small, happy home. We were not wealthy, but I never went without.
Love surrounded me as a child. It filled our home. My sweet grandmother taught me to play the piano, and she told me stories every day of the days of her childhood. I hoped to be like her someday. I respected her and valued her insight.
One day, I was at my friend's house. Things were so different there. Mindy just lived with her mom. And her mom was always stressed out about work and life. It made things kind of difficult for Mindy.
Sometimes I would get so mad at Mindy's mom. She was always asking Mindy to do her homework or do her chores instead of hanging out with me.
We were in the fourth grade, so maybe I should have been more understanding. But she always cut our visits short.
One day, Mindy and I were braiding each other's hair in her room.
And her mom shouted from across the apartment, "Minnnn-dy!!!"
Mindy looked up at me, blushing a little, and laughed. "Oh brother," she said. "What does she want now?!"
Mindy got up and went to her mother. She had been braiding my hair. One braid was done and looked perfect, but the other braid was half-done and unraveling. I was hoping that she could at least finish braiding my hair.
Shortly, Mindy returned. "Sorry," she said, "but Mom says I need to go have supper early today. Then she needs me to do dishes so we can go grocery shopping. I'm sorry, but she's asking you to please go home for now."
I played it off, but I couldn't get over the frustration. My hair would have looked so amazing, but now it was just going to frizz out. I was angry and hurt. Mindy was so on the verge of becoming my best friend, but I could never spend enough time with her to tell her.
"No problem," I said. I was getting pretty good at hiding my emotions. "I'll see you at school!'
I gathered my things and walked home alone, since she lived only four houses away from me.
Chapter 2
When I got home, my parents were working together to make dinner. Yum! We were having enchiladas for dinner. I loved enchilada night.
La Sabia was sitting at the piano, playing the most beautiful song I had ever heard. She played eloquently, and every time she played a lone high note, her right hand rose into the air to highlight that one note. That was so cool.
I waited until the song came to a delightful end, and I applauded her.
"Encore! Encore! La Sabia," I said, "you have outdone yourself again!"
Sitting on the piano bench, she smiled, bowed and thanked me. "How are you, mi abuelita?" she asked.
I sat down and played a song I had written from memory. La Sabia listened intently, to every note, every emotion.
"It's amazing!" she declared. "A stroke of genius!"
I smiled but was trying to hide angry tears.
"I hear anger," she continued. "Frustration. Impatience and remorse. The work is perfect," she said. "But the emotion behind the work speaks for itself. Would you like to talk about it?"
I looked at her ~ astonished. How did she read me ~ and my music ~ so well?
"You read me like a book," I said. "How'd you know all that?"
"A grandmother knows these things," she said simply.
She put her arm around me. The tears just started flowing.
"La Sabia," I said. "I visited my friend. But her mother always takes her from me. She takes away the time we should have together. Like today, for example. We were braiding each other's hair. I curled Mindy's hair, and it looked ~ so pretty! Her hair looked like ribbons on a perfectly wrapped package. But she didn't get to finish my hair. See?"
I lifted the unraveling braid. "The one braid looks perfect. But this one! She never got to finish. It's a frizzy mess! All because her mother said it was time for dinner."
"Mija," said La Sabia. "Mindy's mother is a single mom. She struggles to put food on the table. She needs Mindy to help around the house.
She is not asking for too much."
I looked into La Sabia's eyes. "But this happens every time!" I stammered. "It's not fair!"
La Sabia returned my gaze. I had never noticed it before, but her eyes looked just like mine. Dark brown, almost like black marbles. But her eyes contained so much more knowledge than I could ever hope to possess. And patience. So much ~ patience.
"My child," she said. "Your friend enjoys spending time with you. But her mother does not have help. You see ~ how your parents have help from your grandparents. They have few worries because they feel supported."
"But Mindy's mother," she continued, "has no one to help her. So she asks Mindy to help."
It all made sense now. I felt sad for Mindy's mom, trying frantically to provide for Mindy… and to do all the things it took four adults to do in our home.
I was no longer angry. A wave of emotion came over me. I felt so sad for Mindy's mom, and I wanted to help.
"So your anger," said La Sabia, "and your frustrations are a good thing. They can lead to change."
I thought about that. And I knew what I would do.
Chapter 3
The following Friday, Mindy had asked me to spend the night at her house.
Her mom made the most delicious lasagna. The cheese always melted in my mouth. So I asked if I could help by making the salad.
"Of course!" said Mindy's mom. She looked at me through her little glasses. "Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate your willingness to help."
Mindy was already setting the table, so it was like a small, three-person team working together for a common purpose: dinner!
"Thanks," said Mindy. "It's so hard to get everything done, even with two of us!"
"No problem," I said. "That's what friends are for!"
Chapter 4
Later that evening, Mindy and I sat on the living room floor. Her mom was reading a book, and we were watching movies and doing each other's hair.
Mindy was French braiding my hair, but this time she made three braids.
"This one is you," she said. "This one is me. And the one in the middle? That's my mom! She's the glue that keeps everything together!"
~ End ~
copyright 2021
by Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
written August 8, 2021
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La Sabia
La Sabia
