Age:
Middle School
Reading Level: 4.6
Chapter 1
The report Talia had done on her summer reading book, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," was due today, and the worst part was that she needed to give an oral presentation. She hated anything to do with public speaking and avoided it at all costs. But there was no way of getting out of this one. All her mental health days had been used up.
On mental health days, Talia's mom allowed her to stay home from school and do whatever she wanted, just because. Her mom believed that everyone, children and adults, should be able to take days off once in awhile without having to lie and say they are "sick." She thought that lying could actually manifest into reality. So, pretending to be sick to miss a day of school may lead to actual sickness.
"No," her mom would say. "If you're going to miss school, call it a well day and do something that you normally wouldn't do on a school day. Go to the beach or have a movie marathon."
Unfortunately, Talia's once-a-month quota had already been met.
Talia's mom was a kind woman who was far from the mainstream. In fact, Talia's whole family was kind of different, and people often commented on their blend of nationalities. Her father was from New Zealand, and her mother was from Mexico.
For the most part, growing up in an unconventional family was great. Most of Talia's friends thought it was cool that she didn't have a television or a microwave and that she lived in the oldest house on the block. While other families used heaters to warm up their homes in the winter, Talia's family would heat up the house with their fireplace. Even the light switches were unique. They were old push buttons made from mother-of-pearl.
Her mom had chosen the house but her Dad also had his own quirkiness. For example, he would come home from work and immediately change into a sarong. A sarong is like a skirt, It's a square piece of fabric that wraps around the waist. After changing, he'd make himself a cup of hot black tea.
He also had an accent that everyone loved and would use terms like "bush," in place of "outback." Instead of saying "bathing suit" he'd say "costume."
Lately, Talia had been growing a bit self-conscious about these differences. Why couldn't they have a TV, live in a modern house, and drink soda? Why couldn't she blend in, just a bit more?
Chapter 2
Talia sat up and glanced around her bedroom walls. They were covered in artwork. Most of it was hers, except for the picture her dad had sketched of her when she was at a beach in New Zealand visiting his family. That had been a really great summer vacation. Her ukelele also hung on the wall, along with a poem that her mom had written to her in Spanish. It was a Haiku about her:
Talia
Flor divina que,
Salpica, abriedo con
Roco celestial
Oh, divine blossom,
Sprinkle and open the world,
With heavenly dew
Talia's mom was a writer. She'd tell stories to anyone who'd listen and she was good. One time...
Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound of her alarm put an abrupt end to Talia's reminiscing.
She got out of bed and put on her favorite Star Wars t-shirt, a jean skirt, and her favorite boots. She'd never worn boots with a skirt before, but today was going to be special. She checked herself out in the mirror and liked what she saw.
After breakfast, she went outside to gather guavas. She needed the guavas because at the end of her report, everyone would be given one. Talia loved guavas and was an expert on anything having to do with them. There were pink guavas, yellow guavas, and red guavas. All sorts of amazing things could be made from them, from jam, to smoothies, and even medicinal tea. That's why she had chosen to call her report The Symbolism of Guavas in How the Garca Girls Lost Their Accents.
Guavas were strewn all over the garden floor. Talia had to be careful because if she stepped on one, she could slip. She placed the guavas delicately into a bag. If they got bruised, their fragrance would become too strong.
Then she grabbed her backpack, said goodbye to her mom, and began walking to school.
It wasn't a long walk, but she had to be extra careful with her belongings. Lisa, her best friend, met her in front of their school. While they sat on a stoop waiting for the bell to ring, they shared a guava.
"I'm so nervous, Lisa," Talia told her.
"Why?"
"Because I hate it when everyone's watching me."
Lisa frowned, "Yeah, that's uncomfortable. It's going to be fine though, and over before you know it."
Chapter 3
The bell rang and the girls made their way to English class. The sound of chattering students filled the room. Talia felt an oncoming wave of anxiety. Her stomach knotted up, swallowing became difficult, and her palms turned sweaty. She tried to take a deep breath, but her heart would not stop pounding.
Boom boom. Boom boom. Boom boom.
"Talia. Talia." Talia looked up at Mrs. Cohen. "Talia, you're up first. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Mrs. Cohen."
She stood up and made her way to the front of the classroom. Everything was moving in slow motion. Her feet felt heavy. Every time she took a step it sounded like Godzilla. Boom. Boom. She made her way to the front of the classroom. She took a breath and swallowed. She looked out at her classmates, and saw him. Chris Wood.
Chris Wood was not your typical teenage boy. He was lean, mean, and a self-esteem destroying machine. He gave her a cold, hard stare.
She took a breath, but her voice cracked the moment she began talking. She cleared her throat and started over.
"Today my report will be on How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. I'm going to discuss the symbolism of guavas in the book. Guavas represent a loss of identity. This is especially apparent in the main characters's happiness when she goes back to the Dominican Republic. She eats guavas there and explains how they were her one antojo, which means craving in English. Do any of you ever crave things?"
Maggie raised her hand.
"Maggie?"
"I crave skittles."
A few people giggled.
"Maggie, I don't really mean cravings for candy. I mean a craving for something that brings back memories. For example, my mom makes really good quesadillas with corn tortillas. I often crave corn tortillas because they remind me of Mexico and my mom."
Suzi raised her hand. She was a Korean exchange student. "I cra..." Suzi struggled to say the word.
"Crave?" said Talia.
"Yes, craaaaave..." said Suzi, "...Kimchi! Korean food!"
"Kimchi. Yes, exactly!"
Sam raised his hand. "My grandmother makes me breakfast whenever I visit her. I could go and see her in the evening and she'd still make me a big breakfast. Sometimes, I crave breakfast for lunch."
A few eyebrows went up.
Maggie responded, "Your grandma makes you breakfast for dinner? That's cool!"
Mrs. Cohen raised her hand.
"Mrs. Cohen?"
"My mom makes matzo ball soup that no one else can replicate. When I have a cold, I especially crave matzo ball soup."
Lisa raised her hand.
"Yes, Lisa?"
"I've never had a guava before." She said it with a very serious face.
Was she kidding?
"Well, I brought guavas for everyone to taste because we have a guava tree at my house. I'll be passing them out at the end of my report."
"Okay!" replied Lisa.
Talia's report seemed to go well. Afterward, she passed out guavas as promised. When she got to Chris Wood, he took two, quickly stashing one away so that Mrs. Cohen wouldn't see.
"Chris, I only brought enough for each student to have one."
"Too bad, Guava Girl. I want two. One for now and one for later." Under his breath, he muttered, "And your report stank." Then in a very loud voice, he said, "Nice boots, Talia. Yee-haw!"
A few people snickered. Talia was so embarrassed, she just wanted to hide.
* * *
Later in the day, during lunch, Talia was walking across the quad and felt something hit her. It was a guava. She didn't even bother turning around because she knew exactly who had thrown it.
The end of the day couldn't come soon enough. When she finally found herself back in her room, she took off her boots, vowing to never wear them to school again.