I’ll Be Good, Mom
Mom used to carefully wipe each certificate and every trophy.
Now, as if she had gone mad, she waved her arms wildly and knocked the certificates down one by one.
The certificates with my name printed on them were torn into countless pieces. Then she smashed the golden trophies I had worked day and night to earn, one after another.
The noise alerted the neighbors downstairs.
Our neighbor next door, Mr. Thompson, loved watching drama. He rushed over to our house right away.
I didn’t like Mr. Thompson.
He was short, with a face full of wrinkles when he smiled. He always smelled strongly of cigarettes, and when he opened his mouth, there were two rows of yellow teeth.