Don’t Look Left
once i was walking with my mom by a strip mall when I was 10 years old.
“Aella,” she said, “Don’t look to your left.”
I didn’t ask questions. I just said ‘okay’ and kept my head turned to my right.
I kept not looking left, and we kept walking. We kept walking, and I kept not looking left. Eventually I got tired, and I asked my mom, “can I look left now?”
She burst into laughter. “Oh, I didn’t know you took me seriously! There ws just a bookstore. I know how much you like books. It was just a joke.”
And for the next several days she told everyone, proudly, the story of how well and unquestioningly i had not looked left.
everyone congratulated me on being such a good child. They ruffled my hair in admiration.
and i was very proud.
I was proud of not having looked left