Mother's Day | Teen Ink

Mother's Day MAG

November 5, 2018
By Esmé GOLD, Petaluma, California
Esmé GOLD, Petaluma, California
10 articles 0 photos 4 comments

The teacher is new. She is a substitute. She writes that word on the blackboard when she arrives.

Today, she says we are making mugs for Mother’s Day. They are white and will say WORLD’S BEST MOM on the side. Some kids can’t read it, but I can. Dad’s been teaching me. I can read The Magic School Bus by myself now.

When the new teacher tries to give me a mug, I tell her I don’t want one. She squints her eyes at me. “I’m sorry, what was your name?”

“Milo,” I tell her, “and I don’t need a cup.”

“Why not, Milo?”

I am ready to say, “Because my mom doesn’t live with us anymore and she left two years ago and Dad said he doesn’t know where she is, so I won’t be able to give her a mug.” But the teacher is looking at me the way Dad looks at Snowy when he does his business on the carpet instead of in the bushes outside. And next to me, Amelia is already gluing pink flowers all over her mug, and I wanna do that too, and it doesn’t seem fair that she gets a mug and a mom and I don’t get either.

So I squint my eyes back at the teacher and take a mug out of her hands and say, “Never mind.”

I decorate my mug with fourteen pink flowers, and Amelia only put on nine. And I add some blue shiny stars too.

When I am walking out of the classroom with the mug in my hand, I think of a day, a long time ago, when I was four. Mom came home from work and gave Dad a chocolate bar and me a lollipop. And Dad was confused because he and Mom had been mad at each other the day before. But he wasn’t mad anymore because she gave him chocolate, I guess. He was happy and surprised and he picked Mom up and tried to spin her around but he almost dropped her and I fell off the couch because I was laughing so hard.

So when Dad picks me up after school, I hide the mug at the bottom of my backpack because I remember how much he loves surprises. I wait until we’re home and when he goes into the kitchen to get a snack I put the cup on the kitchen table. But two of the flowers have fallen off so I have to run to the other room to get a glue stick, and when I get back Dad is sitting at the kitchen table holding the cup.

And then I think about crying because I wanted to see his expression when I gave it to him and now I missed it. But I don’t cry because my seventh birthday was four days ago and I haven’t cried since I turned seven so I’m pretty sure seven-year-olds don’t cry, and I don’t want to ruin it.

Dad says, “What’s this thing, Milo?”

I say, “It’s a Mother’s Day mug. It’s for you.”

Dad’s face was blank and still, but now it folds in on itself like paper. He stands up and his chair rocks backward like it’s going to fall. “Did Ms. Gibson make you do this? I thought she knew! God!” His face is bright pink and his voice is getting louder. “I swear to God, that b*tch—“

“Dad!” I have to yell because he’s really loud now and I’m scared and want him to stop talking. But I don’t want him to know that I’m scared so I yell louder than him because I know that’s what Dad does when he wants me to shut up. 

“Dad! Ms. Gibson wasn’t there, it was a constitute. Or, no, a substitute. I just wanted to make you a mug.”

Dad just stands there next to the table and looks from me to the mug in his hand. I worry suddenly that he hates it because the flowers are pink. Maybe I made it look too much like a girl mug.

But Mom would have loved that mug.

I think I might start crying after all.

But Dad beats me to it. 



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This article has 14 comments.


maya098765 said...
on Dec. 1 2020 at 1:47 pm
maya098765, Dsdsdc, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I love that they made cups for mothers day. I thought that was adorable.

on Dec. 1 2020 at 1:23 pm
JanaBjeije221, Dearborn, Other
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I enjoyed how the girl actually gave the cup to her dad. I think that was really thoughtful of her!

on Dec. 1 2020 at 12:12 pm
MohammadKazem, Dearborn, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I really like this story because it is so adorable, and needs to be read!

on Nov. 11 2020 at 10:27 pm
AngryPomerainian64 BRONZE, Orting, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There's nothing crueler than letting a dream end midway." -Shota Aizawa

This was so cute and well written. you did a great job of depicting how a seven-year-old would think and feel.

on Sep. 1 2020 at 6:38 pm
JuniperCorlux BRONZE, Longueuil, Quebec
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
“With freedom, flowers, books, and the moon, who could not be perfectly happy?”<br /> ― Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

That's so cute.

kelisem4 said...
on May. 3 2020 at 4:48 pm
kelisem4, Schenectady, New York
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I love this story this story is so sweet and it is heart taking it makes me want to appreciate some of the people in my life.

on Jan. 30 2020 at 10:15 pm
muniraramen123, Houston, Texas
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
take the sad, lonely things in life and make them into something beautiful.

Somebody dropped the onions...explain yourselves

Robert214 GOLD said...
on Oct. 26 2019 at 8:53 pm
Robert214 GOLD, Guangzhou, Other
11 articles 0 photos 45 comments

Favorite Quote:
Make the best of what is within our power, and take the rest as it occurs. -Epictetus

Really enjoy the story!

Esmé GOLD said...
on Jul. 16 2019 at 10:11 pm
Esmé GOLD, Petaluma, California
10 articles 0 photos 4 comments
@GlitterAna I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Esmé GOLD said...
on Jun. 20 2019 at 6:17 pm
Esmé GOLD, Petaluma, California
10 articles 0 photos 4 comments
@farihaaa85 thank you! :)

on Jun. 1 2019 at 6:29 pm
farihaaa85 SILVER, Riyadh, Other
6 articles 0 photos 3 comments
This is just so good.