The Lying Mirror Read online

  The Lying Mirror

  The Lying Mirror

  Midpoint

  Wills and Ways

  The Lying Mirror

  By Alvinna Edwards Lampkins Nwoko

  Copyright ECO 07 June 2014

  1-494039021

  WILLS and

  WAYS

  THE LYING

  MIRROR

  BY

  ALVINNA ( RONNIE ) EDWARDS NWOKO

  CHAPTER

  1

  Linda Laakenworth lay in her tear soaked bed watching the wind struggle to force the sun through her barely open window and heavy curtains. Each time the wind blew the curtains slightly open, a single ray of sun pushed its way through, but couldn’t remain long enough to brighten the deliberately darkened room.

  When the wind blew the curtains apart, a single ray of sun revealed the only adornment on the darken walls, a seven foot mirror which was her only true friend and confidant.

  Framed in beautiful mahogany wood the mirror is engraved with a beautiful goddess with long wavy black hair adorned with rubies, pearls and emeralds, and oddly, the goddess appeared to be caressing the wood frame while looking up at Linda.

  The mirror was given to Linda at her birth by one of her mother’s wealthy friends, a European super model. With every passing day and every passing year Linda could not bring herself to stop looking into the mirror, for the mirror was beautiful and so was she.

  Linda laid on her sweat and blood stained bed while the pain of defeat peeled away her splendor and left behind the odor of neglect. She would not seek medical attention, what was the use, she was scared and her beauty gone forever along with her desire to live.

  Linda was sorely content to just lay there in bed on soiled sheets ruin by envy, remembering how her mother sat her in front of her mirror, brushing her hair for long periods of time, and reminding her and reassuring her, that there was no one else on earth as beautiful as her little girl.

  Well look at me now mom, Linda cried. The salty tears rolled down her face and stung every track left behind by her insanity.

  Being an ex-super model herself, Linda’s mom relentlessly indulged her in the art of beauty, how to stay beautiful and she did not hesitate to point out to Linda those people she thought could and would not qualify as beautiful.

  Crying over her loss of beauty, Linda vividly remember everyone who tried to be her friend. And now she was alone, desperately alone.

  Between her pain and tears Linda recalled the little girl down the street she so wanted to play with, but because of her freckles, mom wouldn’t let me play with her because the little girl obviously spent too much time in the sun. The sun was warm and it made me fill good and happy, and the little girl down the street always seemed happy.

  I wanted that, I wanted what that little girl had, what was her name?

  Linda struggled to remember, her thoughts were beginning to wither. Linda fought to hold on to her thoughts, but she was starting to lose the battle.

  There was this boy I liked a lot once. Linda cried herself into remembering, she needed to remember and she wanted this memory.

  I thought he was hansom, and I believe he liked me because he wanted to walk me home from school and meet my mom. No other boy wanted to be my friend and I was so excited he thought of me that way, more than a friend.

  I was so embarrassed when my mother directed her comment to Henry and said to him what an ugly thing eye glasses were and he should consider wearing contact instead.

  Why, we were only thirteen years old then, but mom didn’t care, mom always knew best when it came to beauty, and in time I stopped caring also.

  Mom always said surround yourself with beautiful people and the powerful and wealth will surround you.

  Linda watched the sun fight to enter her darken room. More tears fell from her already redden eyes and with each felled tear Linda wished that maybe, just maybe she would have one more opportunity to look into the mirror and see once again that which was there not so long ago.

  Beauty on beauty my mother’s friend said to me every time she came to the house and held me up to the mirror. Beauty on beauty is all that mattered.

  One day you will grow up and become a very beautiful young lady. Always show your beauty to the world, don’t be ashamed to speak your mind and believe in and trust what you see in the mirror. The mirror is your friend and it never lies.

  Linda thought long and hard between her tears on what her mother’s wealthy friend had told her. Beauty on beauty, that’s all that mattered.

  Thinking of days gone by Linda closed her eyes and as the tears streaked her cheeks, and rolled down into her ears and hair, and finally came to rest on her satin lace bed linen. A tortured sleep overcame her and dreams that should not be dreamt flooded her senses and both sweat and tears embraced her in a senseless nightmarish and painful dance of regret.

  CHAPTER

  2

  Linda dressed in front of her favorite mirror admiring how beautiful she thought she was for her first day of kindergarten. She must have brushed her hair a hundred strokes before her mother pulled her away from the mirror.

  You look perfect my little beauty, there’s nothing more you need to do, Linda’s mother said proudly.

  At kinder garden, Linda thought she was the smartest and the most beautiful in her class.

  Every time the teacher asked a question she was the first to answer correctly, and as the months rolled by Linda found she was the first to remember her numbers, the first to remember her letters and shapes and the first to remember she was better than all the other children in her class, and wasn’t afraid to tell them how stupid and slow and ugly she thought they all were.

  Tera, you can only count to ten. I can count to twenty. My mom says I’m smart and beaudtiful. What dodes your mama say when you only count to ten? I’m preddier than you cause my mom say so. My mom give me a dollar every time I come home preddy. Dodes your mom give you anythang when you go home with dirty clothes on.

  Linda’s teacher could not believe what she was hearing. Linda was out of control for a six year old, or for any age as far as she was concerned.

  Linda, please give the other children a chance to answer, Mrs. Gorman her kinder-garden teacher suggested.

  No! Linda replied. I knowd the answer why can’t I answer.

  Mrs. Gorman had to ignore Linda when she put her hand up to answer question. Soon Linda started yelling out the answers before the other children had a chance to answer.

  Linda? Why aren’t you playing with the other children? Asked Mrs. Gorman.

  Cause I don’t want ta get my clothes dirty like dhem. Linda pointing to the other kids.

  Linda, may I ask you a favor?

  What Mrs. Gorman.

  Could you, just for me, try and get along with the other children? Give them a chance in class?

  No! Linda replied.

  Well, can you try and be a little nicer to them.

  Why?

  Well Linda, you’re hurting their feelings, and some of them you’re making cry. I bet you could get along with everyone if you just tried a little.

  No! Linda rebelled and stormed away to be by herself.

  Mrs. Gorman concerned with Linda’s disrespect towards the other children decided it was time to consult with Linda’s mother.

  Mrs. Gorman waited till after school for a more comfortable setting to voice her concerns at Linda’s home.

  Linda’s mother greeted Mrs. Gorman at the door and graciously asked her in.

  Please Mrs. Gorman, have a seat, Linda’s mother pointing to a leather chair in the living room.

  Mrs. Gorman seated herself and tried to advise Linda’s mother of Linda’s disturbing behavior, but to no avail did it chang
e Linda’s mom attitude about Linda, nor Linda’s obsession with beauty and lack of respect for the other kids.

  Linda is smart Ms. Laakenworth, too smart actually, Mrs. Gorman conveyed to Linda’s mother, but what truly worries me is that Linda has never displayed any kindness for anyone except for herself. Maybe if you spoke with Linda about her attitude it would be better for everyone at the school.

  Thank you Ms. Laakenworth for letting me take up so much of your time. I’m sure Linda will show improvement after you talk with her.

  Mrs. Gorman took an extra minute before standing and exiting hoping Ms. Laakenworth would give her some indication she understood Linda’s fate.

  Linda’s mom led Mrs. Gorman to the door without any acknowledgement of agreeing or disagreeing with her. Said her thanks, closed the door then returned to the kitchen to start dinner.

  Linda was listening behind the door when her kinder garden teacher was trying to convince her mother to help her with Linda’s behavior.

  Whad dodes thad ugly old lady know bout me, Linda asked herself? I’m not bad, I’m just smart, and thad mean old lady don’t know whad she’s talken bout.

  Linda couldn’t see anything wrong with her actions, and she had no intention of changing her behavior, not for her teacher, not for her mother, not for anyone else, ever.

  After the teacher left the house Linda dashed straight to her bedroom to her mirror, took a good look at herself, nodded her head in approval then left to join her mother in the kitchen.

  Mama do you think I’m smart?

  Yes, Linda’s mother answered. Very smart.

  Do you think I’m beautiful?

  Of course you’re beautiful, why would you ask?

  Cause my teacher says I have an ugly addatude. Whad’s an addatude mama?

  Well, Linda’s mama answered, an attitude with two tees is how you see things, how you act and how you treat other people. It is always better to have a good attitude.

  That night before bed, Linda looked into her favorite mirror and saw nothing wrong with her attitude. Is anything wrong with my attitude she asked her mirror? Her mirror answered back to her, the way Linda had expected it to.

  No, replied the mirror.

  Linda fell asleep that night dreaming of her beautiful mirror and its honesty.

  Unfortunately Linda’s negative behavior was exhibited during her elementary school years and her junior high years as well.

  She loved calling her classmate ugly or stupid and didn’t seem to care if they heard her or if she hurt their feelings. She only cared about herself and that’s all that matter. Besides why should she care about those ugly people?

  Linda only associated with what she thought were the most attractive people at school, never mind the conceited disposition, they were pretty and for Linda that was all that mattered to her.

  In High School it didn’t take long for most of the other students to see Linda as very smart, very spoiled, disrespectful, arrogant snobbish child who cared nothing of anyone else’s feelings.

  And because Linda was an exceptionally smart student, all of her teachers tend to ignore the snob she had become, hoping that the next year her behavior would change. But it didn’t, each year Linda seem to be getting worse, more discourteous and more displeasing to the ear.

  It didn’t take long for Linda to notice that her school allowed handicapped children to attend mainstream classes, and to Linda, there was nothing uglier than being handicapped.

  Seated in his candy-apple red with orange flames and yellow racing striped motorized wheel chair, Jackson Dillard found himself one of the most popular students on campus. This tall husky coarse haired, ebony skinned paraplegic was everyone’s favorite even with the teachers and principle.

  His teachers would allow him to take over the day’s lesson in class, for not only was (Jack) nicknamed by the students, a full honor students with no days absent from school, but he also had a way of talking to the students that was calming, enlightening and refreshing which gave the slower learning kids hope in understanding their lessons and an opportunity of making passing grades.

  The principal at the school with the approval of the staff allowed Jack to tutor in class because the overall increase in the grade average for the students in his classes went up a whopping fifty percent. This was impressive by all standards in the nation’s school system but more so it was impressive because Jack was an African American disabled child from the inner city attending a four-star elite high school in a neighborhood guarded for the rich and powerful. And they loved him, everyone loved him and they all loved everything about him.

  All the girls at school waited for their chance to ride on Jack’s half pimped up chromed wheeled, chromed simulated exhaust system, GPS stereo disc player combination, gear shifting electric wheelchair with a bench for riders.

  They even had a special bulletin board to exhibit all the pictures of everyone who was lucky enough to receive a ride, and in return they nicknamed Jack’s wheelchair the Jack- Mobile.

  Jack loved the new found name of his wheelchair and added into his racing stripe the name “The Jack-Mobile”.

  It didn’t matter to Jack what color, race or religion, poor or rich, plane-Jane or beautiful, if you had a dollar you could ride on his Jack-mobile.

  So far, and in the short period of time that Jack has been at school, he has raised twenty thousand dollars giving rides on his Jack-Mobile.

  Five thousand dollars of the money went to a school in the inner-city for new computers and gym equipment, ten thousand dollars went to the inner-city housing and food core for the homeless, three thousand dollars went to the school he attended for special access for the disabled and the last two thousand dollars went to fortify his wheelchair with stronger wheels, frame and bench to handle the extra weight of an additional rider.

  Now it wasn’t just the girls who loved Jack admirably, the guys at his high school enjoy his company also. The sports teams allow him to travel to games on the team buses sit on the sidelines and watch the games, and Jack enjoyed tutoring the teams to and from the games when time permitted.

  The jocks tossed him footballs, basketballs and baseballs now and again and made him an honorary member of each team he tutored.

  It was not Jack’s intention to single out any one sports team, so the home economics class agreed to sew each team letter on his school sweater. So far Jack has earned team letters from the basketball, baseball, football, wrestling, hockey and the swim team.

  The guys took to calling him Coach Jack, which when called, Jack would grin from ear to ear at the respect he had gain from the jocks. It was hard enough to gain the respect of the jocks as a regular student and Jack thank the Lord daily for allowing the Jocks to see him as an asset and not a target.

  Jack was ecstatic to find out from all the sport coaches each player he tutored had become a contender for a full scholarship to a university and letters had already started pouring in. The coaches had never seen the likes and each offered Jack a coaching job trying to keep him at the school after his graduation in two years.

  Boy I love my new school, Jack thought to himself. This is great.

  But then, there was Linda. Linda Laakenworth, no matter how hard I try the girl never seem to want me around her. Maybe she just doesn’t understand and is afraid of people with disabilities. She’ll come around one day, I hope.

  Linda hated the thought of Jack stealing the few friends she had chosen to be in her company.

  She was an honor student and she wasn’t black or crippled. Why are they giving him all this attention?

  Once they let me tutor an English class, and just because I called Donna stupid for not being able to read well, and I wouldn’t let her finish her paragraph because she was taking too long, the teachers decided not to allow me to tutor in class anymore. I can’t help it if she’s dumb, besides I’m much prettier than she is and smarter. If she wants to be slow let her.

  Each day after school and each night before bed
Linda asked her beautiful mirror questions.

  Why am I not popular at school?

  Because they envy you the mirror answered.

  Why can’t I get boys to like me?

  The mirror answered in the obvious, because they are afraid of your beauty.

  Why is everyone against me?

  This time the mirror answered, because you’re more beautiful than them all, and they hate you for it.

  CHAPTER

  3

  After three and a half years of miserable high school, Linda found herself faced with the Senior Prom rapidly approaching and yet no offer for a date.

  She and her mother had already gone shopping in February even though the prom wasn’t until May. They shopped for the prettiest dress in all the stores, costing an exorbitant five hundred and twenty dollars, with shoes and accessories grand totaling eight hundred dollars.

  Linda should have stopped her mother from spending so much money on her prom outfit, and she should have stopped her from renting the limo but she was sure eventually one of the boys at school would want to go to the prom with one of the most beautiful girls on campus, so why bother stopping her mother.

  Linda’s mom asked Linda often if she had got a date for the prom, but Linda could not tell her mother she could not get a date for the prom, could not tell her mother the kids at school was mean to her for no good reason. She would get a date if it were the last thing she did. Then her mom could stop asking her if she had a date yet.

  Time flew by and there was only one week left before the prom. Linda still had not received any offers for a prom date, so in desperation Linda asked one of the school known drug dealers/ drug heads to go with her to the prom.

  His reply as expected was “who’s paying”

  I will, Linda assured him, you just have to show up and behave yourself, okay?