I switched schools in second grade and had to ride a school bus which scared me because I thought buses would flip over when they turned corners especially on narrow streets but eventually I got use to it and enjoyed looking out the windows and playing hand clap games.

Maureenie was quiet and sat by herself at the back of the bus and on the playground. She ate smushed together peanut butter sandwiches on white bread for lunch that looked like someone sat on them with ho-hoes for treats and sugar koolaid for drinks all the things my mom would never let us have. I don’t know why she didn’t talk much and never answered in class and  if the teacher called on her she would almost whisper and she never turned in her homework just kind of shrugged when the teacher asked where was her homework. Our French teacher  Madame  Bernard super didn’t like her because her voice was so low and didn’t even try the accent  and said no thank you to the chocolate covered orange peels on french food day because she couldn’t eat this and couldn’t eat that which didn’t make sense to me because the food she ate was poison my mom said sugar poison so how could she be allergic to fancy french food unless she was addicted to junk sugar food.

Maureenie was so quiet she just froze like a popsicle in French class when Madame Bernard would call on her.

Qulle est la date a’jourd’hui. What is the date today?

 Madame Bernard would lean forward at her desk and pause to make the silence more awkward until we were all frozen in our seats and the still room would send shivers down our spines. She would smack her lips, nod her head, rub the back of her arms caressing the skin that hung from her frail frame and then she would speak.

We have a list yeaaaaaaaaa long Madame Bernard would say extending her arms apart as much as she could and then continue with the speech we all knew by heart. Of kids just waiting..just waiting..

Madame always stood up by the second time she said waiting and let the word linger through the air  w-a-i-t-i-n-g . Her heels clicks could accompany the syllables like a musical on cue  as she marched over to whichever student she was lecturing allowing them to see her fluffy eyebrows up close that framed her face for emphasis.

Madame would tap the desk of the student and say to get in this school.

So if you don’t want a slot here at Edison Comprehensive Gifted Center-someone will gladly take it for you.

I was certain Maureenie would get kicked out of the school and I couldn’t understand why she didn’t try to do her homework on the bus since we had over an hour bus ride and she just stared out the window so one day I asked her.

Hey Maureenie do you want to do our homework on the bus?

Maureenie nodded yes and then told me how she has to help her mom with the day care they have in their house and how she goes to bible study club on certain nights.

Doesn’t  your mom make you do your homework and check it? I always have to do my homework before bible study and before I have to set the table for dinner.

 Maureenie shook her head no and said her mom never checks her homework and doesn’t even make dinner they eat frozen meals and kids get to their house as early as 6 am and some stay late and she is the youngest of seven kids and her mom is as old as my grandma and so she is tired by the time Maureenie gets home.

Well we can do our homework on the bus I announced.

Maureenie wasn’t as quiet as I thought she liked to talk a lot and a lot and then wanted to eat lunch with me and hang out in the playground except she didn’t like to run or play sports just sit there and talk about her older siblings that were almost as old as my parents.

What’s your phone number Maureenie asked. Well I can give it to you but my dad only let’s us talk on the phone on non-bible study nights and the ringer is off at dinner time and two hours before bed time. 

Well then you better call me in case I can’t call you, Maureenie said.

I called Maureenie a few times and could only talk for ten minutes which I was glad for because she wasn’t my only friend and it seemed I was her only school friend and she got real quiet and frozen like a popsicle when other people would try to hang out with us on the playground or ask us if we wanted to play kickball.

One day while getting off the bus Maureenie said: are you going to call me tonight?

Sure I shrugged.

Then she grabbed my hand and dug her long pointy nails into my hand making an imprint with her thumb and pointer finger. Ow I pulled my hand away.

That’s so you won’t forget she said.

At first I thought it was kind of funny because she acted all frail and quiet and said she didn’t like sports but she was actually not quiet and she was strong and she was bossy and mean.

In sixth grade Maureenie told me about periods and how blood came out of your vagina and how she already ad breasts and I didn’t so she would get hers first and i said well that is just fine with me.

In eighth grade she told me how her sister was so mad at the family and how her brother had sexually abused her and no one did anything and he was married now and had kids and she was stirring up trouble and causing the family lots of problems.

I wondered if her brother had taught her the pinching game or if she pinched him if he tried to touch her or if she just made that up on her home because she was lonely with older parents and siblings too old to play with.