Photo by Wojtek Pacześ: pexels.com
by Pamela Painter
Says “I hate hate hate him.”
Says “he cals me names and pockes me in the stomac.”
Says “he tells me sit on his lapp like a puppy dog.
Says “he says hes going to pull down my poopee pantees.
I picture Davy the class bully saying these things to sweet, sad Suzy who sits in front of him, and I think that tomorrow I’ll give him a good dose of what for.
When the note ends with “he says call me daddy but hes only Mom’s drunc boy frend” I picture something entirely different and now there is more to set in motion, a lot more for me to do.
Pamela Painter is the award-winning author of five story collections. Her stories appear in numerous journals and anthologies, have been included in Best Microfiction, Best Short Fictions, and have received four Pushcart Prizes.
