Page 9 - By Any Other Name Fall 2019

Fall 2019 Page 8

Mom come home’s just as much as I missed the let’s go home’s.
One was something that was thrown over the phone when I
stayed up too late in my dormitory. The other was reserved
By Alex Sinelli, Grade 11
for those moments where I scraped my ankle and teared
My bare feet stung against the floor, scraped raw up, smearing my childish attempt at eyeliner. God, I missed
from the concrete I’d just trundled along. I felt filthy, bare it.
feet in a telephone booth, but the whole night was filthy, and “Why?” I asked, clearing my brain from those
I was tired. I got strange looks from my reflection as I looked thoughts. I heard the door buckle and quickly leaned for-
through the rubbery glass, seeing shadows pass me by with ward, realizing how tense my arms were.
not much of a glance. To them, I was the girl standing in the “Please. Just one more time.” My mom coughed out,
telephone booth with no shoes on. There was a man walk- the lighting of a cigarette evident in the background.
ing his mutt; I sighed,
there were my impeccable
two girls stum- straight hair frizz-
bling towards ing from my other
an apartment hand. “Fine.”
door. So much “I love you,
for perspec- Annie-Clair.”
tive. I picked “I’ll see
my least inter- you there, mom.”
esting quarter *****
from my hand There are
and slid it into few sights one
the booth, gin- can truly erase
gerly from their heads.
leaning against And try as I might,
the door of the I never forget
booth that nev- the steps on my
er quite folded porch. It’s where
flat properly I dropped my doll
unless you did. into the mud. It’s
The metal of where my father
the keys felt packed his suit-
dirty, and I re- (Above) Lyonesse, Isabel Mestey-Colon, Grade 9, Pen and ink and watercolor. case. My first kiss.
alized I was My first loss. As I
pressing the keys too hard, leaving little red gingerly stepped up the pale green wood, I heard it creak. I
marks on my small hands. Why was I doing this? I was should’ve expected it, but I nearly lost my balance. I heard
thinking about setting down the set and saving myself the a chuckle from the screened in porch.
trouble, but I already put the quarter in. And I missed her, “Been a few years, hasn’t it?” The sickly old woman
somehow. I jumped a bit when the call started, not used to I saw in the doorway could not have been further from my
the absence of some lethargic operator. mother: grayed hair, veins in her neck, but the smoke in her
“Hello? Who is this?” the voice asked impatiently hand clued me off. “You’re not my little girl anymore. You’re
after I didn’t immediately speak. grown.”
“Hey, it’s me. It’s Annie, mom.” I leaned heavily As I stepped up to the porch, I got what she meant.
against the door, setting my heels on the edge of the dial She may have been a bit hunched, but I looked down at my
box and took the opportunity to stretch my feet. mother and convinced myself it wasn’t the same woman. But
Never one to pass up the moment, the woman on as she put her hand on my back and held the door for me I
the other end scoffed, “Still remember my number after all knew no one could replace that feeling.
these years?” I rolled my eyes. “After you never sent back The house, my house, was the same as I remem-
a letter?” bered. Save some dust and a new chair, there was every-
“Good to see you’re still the same terrible woman.” thing. The old music box on the end table that I was never
I confirmed, breathing out my anger. allowed to touch reared its mysterious head, and I reached
“Nevermind.” I fumbled with the set, about to hang out to greet it, only to have my hand slapped away.
up. “Not yet, Annie-Clair. Still my house.” She chuckled,
“Annie-Clair, wait just a moment. Annie-Clair... and I found myself smirking. It was definitely my mother. I
Anne...I need to talk to you. At home.”
Home. That was a word I missed. I missed the Mom, Continued on Page 10...