Singapore Scones
I remember when my best friend, Benya, devoured six of my mom’s scones; I laughed, impressed. Now that she has moved to Singapore and is nearly 7,000 miles away, it makes me sad to eat scones. There are days when all I can think about is BenyaBenyaBenya. My mom says, “Sometimes when people move, it feels like someone died. It’s hard at first, but it gets easier.” The other day Benya sent a photo of herself grinning, proudly carrying a tray of freshly baked scones she’d made using my mom’s recipe. And for a moment, I was happy again.
Ms. Bennett?
During lunch in eighth grade, my friends would often predict which teachers would walk through the cafeteria. Yes, a strange game, but we got quite good at it. One Tuesday, my friend said jokingly, “I think we’ll see Ms. Bennett today.” We all laughed knowing she didn’t teach at our school anymore. By the time we ate our lunches and matchmade every person in our class, we’d completely forgotten about our manifestation. Leaving the lunch room, we heard a familiar jolly voice. We turned our heads, quickly realizing it was none other than our Middle School science teacher, Ms. Bennett.
The Collision
The sound fades out on stage as I close my eyes and take in one more deep breath. This is the moment we had all worked for the entire year. The first note of our song, “Somewhere,” plays, and Timea runs on stage. I follow her shortly after, but before I even make it to my starting position, I collide with my classmate Inés. My face turns bright red; the spotlight shines directly on me. Thankfully, Inés tells me it’s okay. My embarrassment then collides with excitement at the surprise of seeing my dad and brother at the second show.