Mona entered her third-grade classroom expecting to see her parents and her teacher, Miss Pleany. Instead, Mona found Todd seated at a desk, chubby hand grinding a pencil, eraser end down, across a slip of paper.
“Where’s everyone?” she asked.
“They had to go get you one, too,” Todd replied, flicking his gaze to a small mound of fabric on the edge of his desk.
“What’s that?” Mona asked.
“Shut up,” Todd muttered towards his scrubbing project.
Mona’s parents and teacher arrived before Mona had to think of anything more to say.
“Sorry, we’re late,” said Miss Pleany. “I needed your Mom to help me with your size.”
Mona’s dad gave her a quick squeeze before strolling over to pat Todd on the shoulder.
“Mona,” Miss Pleany continued, “We thought that maybe Todd could borrow your dad, since he doesn’t have one of his own.”
Normally, Mona would be jealous, but Todd’s obvious misery made it okay.
“You are both here today because we need to discuss some apparel choices of a personal nature.”
Mona looked down at her Big Bird tee shirt. Nothing wrong that she could see.
Miss Pleany crouched at desk level in front of Todd. “Both of you need to start wearing bras. Mona, you are developing prematurely, and Todd, your excess weight is settling in your chest. You need to minimize the protrusions.”
Todd’s sniffled and pulled his arms up to his chest, as if to conceal the source of his humiliation.
“Todd, you will thank me later if you lose weight and still have taut mammary skin,” insisted Miss Pleany.
Mona’s mom helped Mona into hers while Mona’s dad assisted Todd. Afterwards, Mona was relieved that she couldn’t see Todd’s bra through his shirt. Maybe no one could see hers either.
Todd’s paper had slipped to the floor. Mona picked it up and read the faint, but still-legible, words. Somebody kill me. Handing it back to Todd, she said, “If anyone catches you in that bra, they probably will.” Todd nodded in defeated agreement.
Todd exited the classroom first. The hallway teemed with kids goofing off before sport activities and after-school programs. Todd’s wide legs propelled him into their midst. With unexpected fluidity, he pulled off his shirt, revealing the bra. “Get it over with,” he cried. “Just kill me.” A locker door banged, sounding like the gunshot Todd desired and punctuating the sudden unnatural stillness.
After a few moments of hesitation, a tall, wiry boy stepped forward. “Do you want to come play ball with us?” he asked, gaining nods of approval from the kids around him. “After a few days of it, I bet you won’t have to wear that thing anymore.”
Todd unscrunched his eyes, which had been squeezed shut since his disclosure. “Ok,” he said, and after struggling back into his shirt, he followed the athletic boy.
“Well, I never, in all my years,” said the teacher to Mona’s parents, clustered in the classroom doorway. “Sometimes they kill themselves. Sometimes they die in an alley. Sometimes they just disappear. I never considered acceptance by anyone as an option.”
Mona felt her own hidden bra, a lot happier now that she knew that acceptance wasn’t her only option either.
“Where’s everyone?” she asked.
“They had to go get you one, too,” Todd replied, flicking his gaze to a small mound of fabric on the edge of his desk.
“What’s that?” Mona asked.
“Shut up,” Todd muttered towards his scrubbing project.
Mona’s parents and teacher arrived before Mona had to think of anything more to say.
“Sorry, we’re late,” said Miss Pleany. “I needed your Mom to help me with your size.”
Mona’s dad gave her a quick squeeze before strolling over to pat Todd on the shoulder.
“Mona,” Miss Pleany continued, “We thought that maybe Todd could borrow your dad, since he doesn’t have one of his own.”
Normally, Mona would be jealous, but Todd’s obvious misery made it okay.
“You are both here today because we need to discuss some apparel choices of a personal nature.”
Mona looked down at her Big Bird tee shirt. Nothing wrong that she could see.
Miss Pleany crouched at desk level in front of Todd. “Both of you need to start wearing bras. Mona, you are developing prematurely, and Todd, your excess weight is settling in your chest. You need to minimize the protrusions.”
Todd’s sniffled and pulled his arms up to his chest, as if to conceal the source of his humiliation.
“Todd, you will thank me later if you lose weight and still have taut mammary skin,” insisted Miss Pleany.
Mona’s mom helped Mona into hers while Mona’s dad assisted Todd. Afterwards, Mona was relieved that she couldn’t see Todd’s bra through his shirt. Maybe no one could see hers either.
Todd’s paper had slipped to the floor. Mona picked it up and read the faint, but still-legible, words. Somebody kill me. Handing it back to Todd, she said, “If anyone catches you in that bra, they probably will.” Todd nodded in defeated agreement.
Todd exited the classroom first. The hallway teemed with kids goofing off before sport activities and after-school programs. Todd’s wide legs propelled him into their midst. With unexpected fluidity, he pulled off his shirt, revealing the bra. “Get it over with,” he cried. “Just kill me.” A locker door banged, sounding like the gunshot Todd desired and punctuating the sudden unnatural stillness.
After a few moments of hesitation, a tall, wiry boy stepped forward. “Do you want to come play ball with us?” he asked, gaining nods of approval from the kids around him. “After a few days of it, I bet you won’t have to wear that thing anymore.”
Todd unscrunched his eyes, which had been squeezed shut since his disclosure. “Ok,” he said, and after struggling back into his shirt, he followed the athletic boy.
“Well, I never, in all my years,” said the teacher to Mona’s parents, clustered in the classroom doorway. “Sometimes they kill themselves. Sometimes they die in an alley. Sometimes they just disappear. I never considered acceptance by anyone as an option.”
Mona felt her own hidden bra, a lot happier now that she knew that acceptance wasn’t her only option either.
