A Compilation of Things I've Been Told

I remember being a little girl in a big family. I was the only one of my age and I've been told that I was quite the extraordinary child. It still brings me pride. Now, I remember being a little girl and listening to a lot of talk from mighty big people. They told me that I was the wisest person in a room full of grown-ups and they told me that I needed to cut back on chocolate and potato chips because my belly was getting bigger.

Then I started school, my mother made sure I had a sufficient supply packed in my lunchbox for break-time and I liked those sandwiches she gave me and I really wanted to make friends. No one liked me because I spoke too much and said things that weren't necessarily true in nature, but they were rather interesting. It didn't matter anyway, because they decided to make fun of my chubby cheeks. They told me that they didn't want to be friends with me.

I grew up some more and I was always one of the smart students in our class. Our English teacher wasn't the nicest person alive, to me at least, I took it that she didn't fancy me much because, to her, I was the second smartest girl in class. One time, I was engaging in friendly side-talk with the smartest girl in class and the teacher caught us. She looked at me and told me that she was extremely disappointed. I really hated her.

By the end of that scholastic year, I was in four plays that were to be performed in front of all our parents. My friend's mother walked up to me and said, "Now we know where you'll be in twenty years."

Today, I am a Theatre student.

More time passed and every family gathering was a four-hour medley of, "you'll be something big one day," and "you're a pretty girl but you'll be prettier if you just shed twenty pounds off."

I've only gained weight.

Then I turned eighteen and remembered all the times my grandmother told me she loved me and I started wondering why someone would say something they don't mean, so I just stopped telling her that I love her back.

It really hit me when I turned nineteen and a boy told me that I feel strongly about all the wrong things. He said it as if feeling strongly is a vice that I would be better off without then he smiled at me and I felt like a little girl again and he was a mighty big person.

I felt strongly about him.

Now, I've been told a number of things and some of which I cannot mention here because someone will read them and they'll either call me to apologize or elucidate and I've heard enough.

I don't have much to say now, but I remember being told that I'm good with endings; writing them.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'll have to end this on a rusty note.