Painful Smiles

Claudia had to agree the stew she ate was delicious and tasted like those her grandmother made.

Her grandma had African heritage so the ingredients used in making her stew was rare and only known by her.

“Did it taste like it?” Michael came into the car. Claudia glared at him with her mouth full.

She had told him to not to come till she was done but his ears seemed to fail from time to time.

“Just answer me and I’d leave. Did the stew taste like your grandma’s?” he repeated again.

“How do you know?” Claudia forgot she had food in her mouth.

Michael sat closer, “From your letter that year it was quite obvious you were fond of your grandma. This is a thank you gift. I knew about your mom’s heritage from Wright. He said you told him once”.

Claudia hid her surprise, as well as gratitude, by stuffing the food into her mouth.

Seeing her eat with more enthusiast, Michael registered the gesture as a thank you.

He finally left the car and sat by the tree. Looking towards the car to know when she eventually finish eating. Claudia noticed his till watching her.

“You don’t have to treat me like a baby cos I gave you blood. I can take care of myself” she shouted. He smiled and looked away.

It was at that time he saw Mark and some other boys puncturing the tires of their teachers’ cars. It was the senior math teacher’s.

Michael looked back at Claudia and guessed she wouldn’t be walking out anytime soon so he went over to the boys to stop them from the vandalizing.

“Last time I did something like that to my dad’s car, my dad made me draw a new model for his new car” he slammed at the car’s bonnet to get the boy’s attention.

The junior boys with Mark look scared and immediately there away their weapons.

“Luckily my hand drawn sketch became liked by the engineers. They created my model which became your favorite car, Strike X” Michael continued. He smirked as he got the boy’s full attention.

Mark fondled the screwdriver that was in his hands, “I never liked that car. Now I know why. Cos you’re the brain behind it”.

“It is a mastermind. I never knew you modeled the car yourself” one of the boys blurted out.

Mark pushed him backwards and walked closer to Michael, “You may hold the teachers puppets but I get the right to punish them when I like. Get that?”.

But before he left, Michael snatched the screwdriver from him. Mark attacked him to get it back and hit him hard on his stomach.

Responding to stimulus, Michael pinned him to the car but let go off him when he realized himself.

“You aren’t at all bothered about your girlfriend not being at school today? And you’re here playing with dangerous objects?” he screamed at Mark.

Claudia heard his scream. She had earlier seen Mark attacking him. She shook her head and began heading to them.

Mark was fuming. His fists were half clenched., “Clara is mine. I don’t know why you care so much about her. She told me she went traveling. So I’m wishing her luck not being bothered”.

“What she told you! Wow. You’re such fool” Claudia said behind them.

Mark moved forward to her but Michael pushed him back. The boys with Mark tried pulling him back but he shoved them aside harshly resulting in one of them having a minor injury.

“A dirt like you shouldn’t bother my life. Rather go try making your self important in your dad’s eyes” Mark pointed at Claudia.

Her eyes twitched and she grabbed the screwdriver from Michael and threw it on Mark.

It landed on his chest, sending him to the ground. Michael’s attempt to hold Claudia failed as she bit him hard on his hands.

He later attempted holding her again when she atop was Mark. They three were the only ones there at the moment. The junior boys had runs way.

Claudia kept on hitting Mark to the ground repeating dirt. Anything to remind him who the pathetic dirt was among them two.

Michael successfully dragged her off Mark’s body and Mark was all wet from below his knees.

“Look what you’ve done” he screamed at Claudia who had disgust written all over her face. How could he have soaked himself?

“Let’s stop this. It won’t end well you know” Michael reminded them while trying his best not to laugh at Mark’s wet trousers.

Mark realized that’s he was getting the wrong idea and attempted explaining but Claudia just shouted to them leave her alone and walked away.

“I didn’t urinate on myself. A sachet of water was in my pockets” he revealed the empty sachet from his pocket as proof.

Michael’s eyes dimmed, “Well, I hope you do more useful thing with your life hence forth”.

He went forward and seized the screwdriver. “Until then, I’ll keep this”.

“You are a cat right?” Michael was referring to Claudia. He noticed that she kept on walking faster.

He held her hand and faced her to see her crying. She there his hands angrily and stomped off. He was confused. Had he said something wrong. He couldn’t remember.

He then remembered what had aggravated Claudia to pounce on Mark. He had called her “dirt”.

But Claudia wasn’t someone who got affected by abusive words. Maybe she particularly hated the word.

He got into the car and saw she wasn’t there. Her bag was still there so she didn’t leave for her class. He checked his wrist watch, and his class was due too. They both had the same class, math. And Claudia shouldn’t miss it.

He tried phoning her but her phone rang inside her bag.

Basically, he had never seen her get affected by someone’s percept of her. She wasn’t diet so it shouldn’t bother her.

As Michael locked his car, he remembered the exact words of Mark.

“Dirt like you shouldn’t bother my life. Rather go try making your self important in your dad’s eye”.

Those might have been the words. The last parts.