Girl scene

On a Wednesday afternoon in autumn, the soft wind brings leaves to the front yard of our little wooden light brown house. It’s a constant cycle to sweep out the yellowish, brownish or greenish leaves most days. “That’s not how you sweep. Can you ever do anything I tell you to do right? - my mother yells. I keep brushing the giant pile of leaves harder and in a madly manner, messing the work I had fairly done.

I try my best to follow her instructions as she teaches me how to do things. For her, there’s always a reason to criticize the chores or whatever she puts me in charge of. Simple as, never good enough for my mom. “Give me back the broom! I’ll do it by myself.” –she shouts when she walks down the old three tiny stairs. I shrugged and with a few steps I reached out to her, giving her the rustic broom. I kept walking to go inside the house in the cloudy afternoon before more leaves decide to visit the yard. As in a matter of seconds I hear my mom say: “Where you think you’re going? You aren’t finished sweeping. This is how you sweep a yard. A damn yard.” She takes the broom and with a slightly alternative moves she puts together a large amount of leaves which would’ve taken me like fifteen minutes. I try to explain that the way I do it might take longer, but it’s easier to put in the bag. My mother just makes a big pile that the wind can easily mess up; while my way places the leaves at the wall. Which I later sweep to a plastic bag. “I don’t care what way you prefer to sweep the leaves, that’s not how a lady does it”

“You will marry the baker’s son and no one wants to marry a girl that is not a lady”, this is a cycle that happens every day. Am not even sixteen and she already decided who am going to marry. For this very reason she tries to drill this…instructions on how to be a lady. So that when the time comes for me to get a gentlemen caller he will come and I will pick him. Who decided that to marry a man I have to be exactly like every other girl. One that loves to tender to my husband needs; one who expects presents for his lovely wife. A perfect couple that everyone adores and is jealous of. I don’t like my path already being pick by someone who is not me. And I already know the baker’s son feels the same. Not able to decide who he wants to marry and how to act like a man.