My mother frowned at me when I asked her again. I remember
her exact words vividly: “you’re no longer an infant, Pietro.” I was no longer
an infant. That punched me hard on the center of my brain; those words finally
woke me up.
It was already the 3rd grade and all the kids in
my class had them in different models, colors, and sizes. Jordan and Mitch
would ask me why I didn’t have one of my own. By then I had already made up
over 15 excuses. I considered myself a master at convincing people by telling them
that mine were “lost” somewhere inside my house… They were such fools.
In reality, I was the fool.
I didn’t own what seemed to be the number one fad in school
simply because I hadn’t learned how to operate one. Among these fads included
Yu-Gi-Oh cards and rolling backpacks, but owning each of those wasn’t enough to
hide the humiliation for my inability to conform correctly.
This was all my fault.
My parents tried teaching me for years how to adopt this one
practice but I was stubborn. I wanted to remain an infant because it was easy.
After numerous weeks of trying to teach me and receiving in return my disreputable
obnoxiousness, they told me I wouldn’t get one until the fourth grade.
I was stuck with Velcro shoes for another whole year.
Jordan and Mitch constantly talked about their green-laced
Nike’s and how great it felt to be “grown up.” I was left out; I paid the
price.
When the year finally came to an end, I obtained my very own
pair of shoes with laces. No more Velcro; no more shame in P.E. class, no more
being left out. But one thing was missing.
I walked up to her and asked if she could tie them for me-
what my parents had been trying to teach me for years. My mother frowned at me
when I asked her again. “You’re no longer an infant,” she said.
I kneeled down, grabbed both ends of the lace, and tied
them.
Looking back, I was still, unquestionably, the fool.
This is a beautiful story. It is interesting how certain words and phrases can be remembered so vividly. Why do you suppose these specific words from your mother stuck with you all of these years?
ReplyDeletewow. this was really good!
ReplyDeleteVelcro shoes! What a time... Nothing enchanted me more though, than the shoes with little red lights which blazed across the sole every time you took a step. A personal fave for sure. Yet, the 'Wheelies' make for an honourable mention as well. I never had those, but boy did they attract my attention. Why run when you could glide? Why walk when you could "WHEEEEEELY!?"
ReplyDeleteAs for the question of conformity.. Well, either you do or you don't. There is no in between. If you conform, you do not notice it. To stray away from the mold requires consciousness. It is an active effort. But being original does not always make you better off. If you take pride in being non-conformist than you are as much a fool as you claim the conformers to be. If you are intent on being your own self, to become separate from the rest, then you must be prepared to be alone. If you can manage to do that, then you will discover the reason for being yourself in the first place.
Loved it. I still think velcro shoes are cool! The techniques you used to convey your story were very effective. I kept trying to guess what it was. I thought it was a bike at first, but the suspense of trying to figure out what it was you didn't have was what drove the piece. But hey, I would try to bring back velcro if I were you. Maybe you'll start a trend.
ReplyDeleteThis was great! As Mac said above; the suspense made this story really interesting to read. My curiosity really kept me involved with the story. Also, I liked the 'fool' repetition throughout the story. It really kept everything tied together. Good idea for a story by the way. I feel like this is something everyone can relate to since conformity (whether you fight it or go along with it) is a choice that everyone has to make.
ReplyDelete