46
Winnie
“You’regrounded,Birdie.I’m not kidding. I am so mad at you right now. What were you thinking? You could’ve hurt her!”
Birdie wasn’t backing down now that we were alone in Big Ham. “She hurt you first! She was so mean to you, Mom! I hate her. I hate her and I hope she gets warts and falls off a bunk bed!”
I let out a frustrated cry when my phone started ringing. I couldn’t handle anything else. I was hurting and horrified by my own behavior. I’d ruined a child’s party with my anger and left everyone so uncomfortable they couldn’t even speak. “Don’t wish ill on people, Birdie! Grandma would never approve of that!”
“She would put a curse on Principal Stand!”
“Your grandma is not a witch, Birdie! She doesn’t curse people!”
“Yes, she does! She curses people, and she’s going to curse that mean woman!”
I realized I was in a shouting match with my child, and that I was already losing because I’d entered it at all. But when I tried to calm down, I couldn’t. I was panicking. “Birdie, stop saying your grandma curses people!”
“I’mgoing to curse her, then! I’m going to do a spell or a crystal or something. I’m going to curse her so her hair falls out and she always smells like a skunk!”
My phone stopped ringing, only to start again. I fumbled for it in the seat and tossed it on the dash. “That’s a terrible curse. You’re better than that!”
“It’s all I could think of! What would you do that’s so much better?”
I groaned. “No, that’s not what I meant, Birdie. I meant you’re better than cursing—”
My phone started ringing again, vibrating across the dash.
“I curse her to have a tiny head and a huge nose! I curse her to stump her toe and have to get shots every day! I curse her all over the place and everywhere! I curse her now and tomorrow and forever!” Birdie took a big breath and crossed her arms. “Was that better?”
I pulled over on the side of the highway and put the truck in park before turning to my daughter. “No. You can’t just curse people you don’t like, Bird.”
“Sure, you can.”
“No, you can’t! Sometimes you have to be around them and deal with them. You have to pick your battles and only curse people when—” I rubbed my forehead. “You have to pick your battles and only fight when it’s necessary.”
“She was so mean to you. Why didn’t you fight back, Mom?” Her disappointment and confusion cut deeper than anything Stacey ever could’ve said.
I thought about my answer for a few seconds and then took her hand in mine. “I’m not always as brave as you are, Birdie. Sometimes I let people do and say things that aren’t nice because I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I don’t want you to take after me in that way, though. I love that you fight for what you believe in. I love your courage and your spirit. You’re a beautiful person, and I know that you’re going to change the world when you’re older. To do that, though, you just have to learn that you can’t hurt people just because you’re mad. There’s a difference between fighting for what’s right and being mean yourself.”
“You’re brave, too, Mom.”
I glared at my phone as it started ringing again. “I’m trying to be braver, Birdie. You inspire me.”
“Can you answer that before I curse that phone?”
I sighed and grabbed it. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered it anyway. “Hello?”
“Oh, goodness. Winnifred Lane?” The harried woman on the other line didn’t even wait for me to confirm my identity. “I am so sorry to call you on the weekend and back-to-back like a nut. I’m the vice-principal at Gregson Elementary. We have an emergency spot to fill, and you sent us your resume a month or so ago. Are you still looking for a job? Please say yes.”
I glanced at Birdie and then turned away, not wanting her to hear anything just yet. “Yes, I am.”
“Oh, thank god! Our art teacher met a nice man while on vacation in Spain and just informed us that she isn’t coming back. How soon can you interview? Which is just a formality at this point. Your resume is perfect.”
“I... I could be there Monday.”
“At nine? The principal told me not to encourage Ms. Fern to go to Spain because she had a feeling the woman wouldn’t want to come back once she saw the art there. Now it’s suddenly my fault, and I have to fix it. You’re literally saving my butt.”
“You have no idea.” I grabbed my purse and started digging through it to find a pen and paper. “Gregson Elementary. That’s just about an hour from me. I’ll be there bright and early. Oh! What’s your name?”