SUE

Sue lived in a house next door to Johnny. Sue’s parents lived with her in her house as well as did Johnny’s parents live with him in his house.

Some days, Sue would invite Johnny over to play at her house. They would usually play house-house.
Obviously, Sue was the Mother with Johnny as the Father.
Sue would bake the most delightful mud-cakes which, if they had been real, would be heavenly pleasures of the finest cuisine.

Sue jabbers, she prates in one endless stream. Dishing up daily news with a good measure of gossip as a sidedish. Preparing herself for the day to be 'lady of the house.'

Johnny pretends to enjoy all the make believe cake 'n tea. His head bobs up 'n down like one of those little dogs that are put in the rear window of cars. with about the same weighty expression of intelligence, pretending to enjoy what ever wares the lady of the house has prepared. Preparing himself for his role ‘the man of the house‘.

They play at the game that one day they will do in all earnest, hopefully as peacefully as these days. Amen.

~ l ~

Sue, as well as Johnny, were sometimes invited to birthday parties that one of the kids in the neighborhood had. They went together, as it was more convenient for the parents, as well as the fact that they lived next door to each other, also they played together. It suited everyone.

After a few cakes with cool-drinks plus sweets, nature started her call. There were many kids there going all over the place. Sue whispered something to Johnny. He whispered back to her. They were in agreement about a fact. The fact was that they had a need, they had to go. The two of them were a bit shy about going into the house as there were many kids there. They decided to see if somewhere in this sprawling garden there was a quiet spot where a person could No1.

A place that looked safe was found. Johnny did the first look-out as well as the little dance of a cockroach killer.

Sue performed her task in peaceful ladylike way (if that is possible – she did it.)
Johnny pleading “hurry“.

He was on lookout to see that they were safe. Then they swopped the roles. This was the first time Sue was exposed to this apparition. Quite impressed was she at the sight, saying to Johnny “That is a smart thing to bring to a party, can I have a look?“

Johnny looked at Sue, like when someone wants to look at your new cellphone. Not happy at all, was Johnny.
“Sue, you can look, but you do not touch it. I see you have broken yours off already.“

~ ll ~

Parents are really freaks of nature. The pinnacle of their paltry existence on this planet, is the birth of a child. They will dote on this little miniature human being every day for the rest of their natural lives.
Then one day this little wonder will be sent for higher learning to an institution, where a being of a superior status will be its new idol. The parent will become a drooling, slobbering idiot who knows nothing, nor will ever know anything.

The teacher is the new idol. This is the idol that knows it all.
The child will come home from school, empty a closet in which history is growing in the form of hidden even lost food. Green, unfamiliar items will crawl out of the corners together with heaps of totally unmentionables, will appear. Items that was lost in far antiquity will appear. This is assuming that the house was never cleaned.
Even if the house was cleaned with a toothbrush from top to bottom, every nook n cranny, every day …. This will not be deemed enough.

Teacher "SAID." This child will become a clean maniac. Teacher "SAID." Fortunately, it wears off soon enough, this new manic behavior.

One day in class, Sue’s hand went up, ever so slow yet a definite move. There was thought behind this move. Not a quick hand’s up for a correct answer or a to ‘leave room‘.This was a question's hand-up


"Yes Sue, what is it you want to know?" Teachers know about these things.

“Teacher, can eight year old girls get pregnant?" Sue asked.

Careful Teacher!! –-- knowing that the most complex of questions can come from these young minds, also, that a correct answer is of vital importance, so that the teacher can maintain the ‘idol‘ status.

“No Sue, eight year old girls do not get pregnant. Why do you ask?“

Before you could say; ’Jack Robinson‘ Johnny answered from the back of the class …

“See, I told you not to worry.“

~ lll ~

Time moved on. As Sue grew older, the wisdom grew with her. Sus was getting to be a clever girl, she knew what she wanted. When she went to the tuck shop, she always asked for the small boy jelly tots. The tuck shop never had them. Sue was patient because she knew that one day the tuckshop may have, then they will be just that little bit extra.

Boys will be boys. They started pestering Sue with a request. She said they were silly, why did they want to know. Sue started thinking about the request. Not making any sense out of it, she went to her eldest sister who knew things. Her mom always said her sis was wise for her size. So she must know a lot.
The sisters advice was -

“Do the best you can. A girl must do - what a girl must do.”

At school Sue said to Lou -

“Fifty cents for a look“

Sue had a hankering for toffee apples - big, red shiny toffee apples. With this new under taking, she was able to buy toffee apples when ever she wanted. She even saved for a 'rainy day.'

During playtime, at the back of the sport pavilion, the fifty cents would come in, for little boys will pay to see what they want.(really do not know why?)

Then, at short break she would buy her toffee apple, go to a nice quiet spot where she ate her toffee apple in peace.

Thinking about this and the other.

Then, one day, as she was thinking on things, she got a got a bit of a smile, she picked up her tunic, looked in underneath and said -

"You know, if you had teeth, I would have given you a bite of this toffee apple
- you moneymaker - you."