tapeworms

"Girl, you must have a tapeworm or something. How are you able to eat so much and keep that figure?", Mrs. Robinson said as she made another plate for the half starved white girl. The girl looked to be about 15 years of age from Mrs. Robinson's estimates. Only hours earlier, she had knocked on her door, sopping wet. She seemed harmless enough and, Mrs. Robinson, being a devout Christian could not turn her away.

The girl sat at the kitchen table, along with four of Mrs. Robinson's grandchildren. They ranged in age from 5 to 12. Tonya being the eldest. She seemed fascinated with the white girl that ate as if she had never eaten. "What's your name?", Tonya asked as Mrs. Robinson served another plate to the teen.

"My name? My name is Heather."

"Please to meet you Heather, my name is Tonya. What neighborhood are you from?" Tonya talked as she would to someone who did not know English. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

Focused intently on eating the contents of her second plate, all Heather could do was shake her head, indicating that she was not from their area.

"You must be hungry." Tonya said.

Heather nodded and resumed eating.

"What are you doing in this part of town?", despite being 12 years in age, Tonya was streetwise and not for one second did she trust the white girl that sat before her in her grandmother's house. But being twelve, she lacked the tact nor patience.

"Tonya shut your mouth! Stop harassing the poor white girl. Can't you see she is hungry? Let her eat in peace, and then, if she wants, you all can talk afterwards.", Mrs. Robinson was from a different era than her grand-daughter. In her time people were more polite. Not like the kids today, with their hip-hop.

Heather stopped eaten after the grandmother's outburst and said, "Its ok Mrs. Robinson, I appreciate all that you all have done for me thus far, and you all deserve some answers. I was just on my way to my friend's house and got caught in that rain storm. Thats it."

Mrs. Robinson might have been a gullible woman at times, but one thing she did know after raising six kids without a father was a when she was lied to. "Who is your friend Heather? Maybe we know them. We could call them and they could come get you. Better yet, maybe I could call your parents."

"No, you can't call my parents."

"Tonya, take your brothers and sisters and go to your room.", obediantly Tonya took her three siblings and went to the room that they all shared. "Heather, obviously you are in some trouble."

"No trouble, I was on my way to visit my friend."

"Girl, you don't know anybody in this neighborhood. Unless you are a crackhead. And you don't look like no crackhead. I've seen many a hopeless person come and go, and you ain't one of them. How old are you?"

"15"

"15. A pretty white girl fifteen years of age, going to throw her future away over nothing. Don't you think that your parents miss you? I bet they are worried sick and are looking everywhere for you."

"No," Heather began to cry, "its was not over nothing. You don't understand. And besides, you can't call them."

"Why not, you can't go on li-"

"Because they are dead.", she said it without emotion. As if they meant nothing to her. Mrs. Robinson unconsciously grabbed her gold crucifix that dangled from a necklace and began rubbing it.

Heather broke the silence by saying, "I have to go to the bathroom, where is it?" Mrs Robinson pointed in the direction. Heather said thanks and took off.

A few minutes later, Tonya came into the kitchen.

"Tonya what did I tell you? Go back to your room."

"But grandma, that white girl sounds like she is sick or something. She has been throwing up in there for five minutes." As soon as Tonya finished her sentence, Heather came walking into the kitchen.

"Are you ok?" Mrs Robinson asked as Tonya went back to her room.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Tonya said you were throwing up. Were you throwing up?"

A faint smile appeared on Heather's face. "Yeah."

"Are you sick?"

"No."

"Then why were you throwing up?"

"Mrs. Robinson, how else do you think a pretty white girl like me maintains this figure?"

"Heather, I am going to have to ask you to leave. I've tried my best,.... Lord knows, I've tried my best. But I can't help you. I definitely can't have you around my grandkids. So please leave." Mrs. Robinson gestured towards the door and held it.

"Mrs. Robinson, I thank you for everything that you have done. taking me in your home for the last couple of hours until the rain subsided. But finally, I see the rain outside has stopped, and it is time for me to go on my way." With a wave of the hand the white girl gently let herself out of the house. Making sure that the door did not slam on the way out. Mrs. Robinson watched her dissappear down the street into the darkness through her window.

"Crazy ass white girls." she muttered to herself. "Tonya! Get in here and vacuum the living room. Its a mess! And don't ask me no questions about that crazy ass white girl."

A few blocks down the road, Heather was approached by a small group of kids.

"Hey foxy mama, what are you doing here in our hood? Are you here to buy some weed? Some cocaine?"

Heather, afraid as would any teenaged white girl would be in the situation, looked up from the ground and into the eyes of the dealer and asked, "Do you have any tapeworms?"