"Aggressive Compulsions"

“I don’t think you’re going to be able to reach her,” Meeka says. “May I go now?” She is so sad and serious, like someone has just died. And the award for most melodramatic actress of Sayview High goes to Meeka! I want to scream!



“Of course dear,” Mrs. Blum says.


“Wait a second! Don’t you even want to know what happened?” I say and ping-pong my eyes all over the office to protect myself from Mrs. Blum’s wacky eyeballs.


“I know enough. You may be excused Miss Jones,” Mrs. Blum smiles at Meeka.


“Please don’t be so hard on, what’s your name Miss?” Meeka asks me.


“Amelia,” I fume.


“Amelia, thank you. Mrs. Blum, please don’t be so hard on Amelia. I think she only became aggressive and hostile when she saw that there weren’t any more free seats,” Meeka says.


“I will see to it that there are more seats available going forward. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. And I’m so sorry that your first day at Sayview had to be such an unpleasant experience.” Mrs. Blum’s eyes are boiling in their different directions. She waves a dismissive hand at Meeka who offers a pandering ‘thank you’ before quietly slinking out like the snake that she is.


“I will contact your mother at her work.” She says ‘work’ like it is a dirty thing and sighs. “Miss Fluchter, detention for a week.” She raises her avocado-shaped body from the desk. “Try to control those aggressive compulsions of yours,” she says and opens the door.


“But this is ridiculous! Meeka pushed me out of my chair. She started with—”


“Meeka Jones is going through a tough time now. Consider compassion instead of aggression young lady,” Mrs. Blum says, closing her door.


“Is that why you gave her only one day of detention?” I push my face through the door.


Mrs. Blum shoves her wrinkled face through the other side of the cracked door. There are some old people a person could look at and see that they were once attractive. Mrs. Blum isn’t one of them. “Next time you want one day of detention consider not finding me so funny,” she says and closes the door firmly shut.


I am all alone when it comes to mourning my dad and living in an apartment more appropriate for hamsters. I could play the Abominable Snowman without needing to apply stage makeup. My mother sings show tunes and flirts with a middle-aged landlord who dresses like Batman’s Joker. Whatever hard time Mrs. Blum thinks Meeka is going through couldn’t be worse than my life—could it?