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While waiting for her mom to get to the green room, 10-year-old Ryalia Mathis sat in the corner, attention lost in an interesting little handheld game. Less than five minutes ago, she'd been on the pageant stage to wow the audience and judges with her performance of Cher's "Believe". Her friends at school never knew that the skinny girl had such pipes, born with a singing voice that didn't match her speech. Her speaking voice ranged from too-soft-to-hear all the way to overeager shouts, sometimes within a single sentence. Often very pretty, sometimes nerve-grating, Rya's high-pitched voice could become a strong, powerful sound when she took to music. At the moment, she said nothing as her bright blue eyes focused on the little LCD screen. She didn't even notice when her mother, Shayden, came in.
"Honey? Honey?" Shay called from the door. Over the raven-haired woman's right arm hung Rya's changing of casual clothes and her expensive leather purse dangled from her fingers. Shayden narrowed her own blue eyes and wished that her parents in Manhattan had never gotten Rya that little game. "Ryalia Michaela Mathis!" She snapped, which brought the child out of her daydream. She hopped up out of the folding chair and switched off the game so she could run over to her mom. She bounced along, grinning in her very stylish costume. It was a black formal dress with a multicolored boa, which after the show just got tossed over one shoulder and sat on. In her hair were a number of colored strands among her braids that had been pulled up into a bun. She was trying to simulate the strange hairstylings that Cher wore in her video, but it came out as an adorable hodgepodge. On her feet were generic black dress shoes, the kind with the little opening on the tip. Rya had wanted to wear high-heels for the talent competition, but Shay wisely vetoed that. She said it was because a ten-year-old had no business wearing high-heels, but the other equally important reason was that Rya wouldn't make it five steps before falling down in them.
"Mom!! They loved it!!!" Rya shrilled out, making one of the other mothers cringe and shoot a dirty look that way. Shay ignored it and took the boa, trying her best to fluff it back out.
"I know they did, Ryalia. Now come on, let's get you changed. Your father..." Shay took a moment to roll her eyes at the mention of the man she hated so much. "He wants to leave the moment after the awards. I wish I'd never brought that son of a..." The tall woman stopped and looked around cautiously. She hoped that nobody else had caught what she was about to say. Sure that they hadn't, she put a hand on Rya's back and herded her out of the green room and toward one of the changing rooms. "I think you'll win, don't you?"
Swept along by her mother, all Rya could do was walk quickly in the shoes which now she didn't like. They hurt! "Ummm... yep! If I don't win though, it's gonna be that girl who sang 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt!" Rya replied with certainty. The mention of that performance made Shay shake her head slowly.
"Honey, she was thirteen. She's not in the same age bracket as you. Besides, she looked like a... like a girl that you shouldn't be like in that costume." Mrs. Mathis told her child. Rya looked up at her mother with a guilty expression. She realized that she should have known that.
"... Oh."
***************
Some few minutes later the Mathis family was leaving the pageant. Shayden and her husband Hector were walking ahead, arguing about something. Rya followed behind, grinning. Back in her regular clothes now, she carried herself differently. Rather than the perfect, practiced walk, or the stiff, aching-feet walk after wearing those dress shoes, Rya seemed now like any other 10-year old. Only this ten year old was holding a pageant trophy in one arm! "Did you have to let her wear those stupid blue things in her hair?" She heard her father complain up ahead. "The kid can't even get all of them out of her hair!"
Shay sighed heavily, biting back an angry retort. What she got out instead wasn't much better. "Of course I did, Hector. It's what she wanted to do. Can't you ever shut up with your constant whining? Honestly after eleven years, you're like a broken record. As for the blue strands in her hair? I left them there to make you angry." After delivering that little lie, Shay opened the door to Hector's Tahoe and got inside. Rya just stood there looking up at him.
"Dad... why are you so mean?" She asked with a blink. Hector responded to her the way he always did, a silent shake of his head. He silently cursed that his son David couldn't be here to keep the airheaded little brat quiet on the trip home, then praised Shayden's weird parents for buying that little game. He'd never say it out loud, but sometimes that wacky old gypsy lady and her pushover husband could do things right. Hec let his daughter into the truck before going 'round to get in the driver's door. Before he did, though, Rya was in the big, wide backseat and her game was already on. She tuned out the awful country music her father insisted on listening to as well as the argument that was continuing between her parents.
The Tahoe pulled out of its parking spot and got out onto the road back to Fort Smith just in time for the batteries to die in Rya's game. She pouted and shouted out over the music. "Mom!! I need batteries!"
"Ohhh Gaaawd," Was Hector's pained response.
Characters, art & story © Antique Submarine
"Honey? Honey?" Shay called from the door. Over the raven-haired woman's right arm hung Rya's changing of casual clothes and her expensive leather purse dangled from her fingers. Shayden narrowed her own blue eyes and wished that her parents in Manhattan had never gotten Rya that little game. "Ryalia Michaela Mathis!" She snapped, which brought the child out of her daydream. She hopped up out of the folding chair and switched off the game so she could run over to her mom. She bounced along, grinning in her very stylish costume. It was a black formal dress with a multicolored boa, which after the show just got tossed over one shoulder and sat on. In her hair were a number of colored strands among her braids that had been pulled up into a bun. She was trying to simulate the strange hairstylings that Cher wore in her video, but it came out as an adorable hodgepodge. On her feet were generic black dress shoes, the kind with the little opening on the tip. Rya had wanted to wear high-heels for the talent competition, but Shay wisely vetoed that. She said it was because a ten-year-old had no business wearing high-heels, but the other equally important reason was that Rya wouldn't make it five steps before falling down in them.
"Mom!! They loved it!!!" Rya shrilled out, making one of the other mothers cringe and shoot a dirty look that way. Shay ignored it and took the boa, trying her best to fluff it back out.
"I know they did, Ryalia. Now come on, let's get you changed. Your father..." Shay took a moment to roll her eyes at the mention of the man she hated so much. "He wants to leave the moment after the awards. I wish I'd never brought that son of a..." The tall woman stopped and looked around cautiously. She hoped that nobody else had caught what she was about to say. Sure that they hadn't, she put a hand on Rya's back and herded her out of the green room and toward one of the changing rooms. "I think you'll win, don't you?"
Swept along by her mother, all Rya could do was walk quickly in the shoes which now she didn't like. They hurt! "Ummm... yep! If I don't win though, it's gonna be that girl who sang 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt!" Rya replied with certainty. The mention of that performance made Shay shake her head slowly.
"Honey, she was thirteen. She's not in the same age bracket as you. Besides, she looked like a... like a girl that you shouldn't be like in that costume." Mrs. Mathis told her child. Rya looked up at her mother with a guilty expression. She realized that she should have known that.
"... Oh."
***************
Some few minutes later the Mathis family was leaving the pageant. Shayden and her husband Hector were walking ahead, arguing about something. Rya followed behind, grinning. Back in her regular clothes now, she carried herself differently. Rather than the perfect, practiced walk, or the stiff, aching-feet walk after wearing those dress shoes, Rya seemed now like any other 10-year old. Only this ten year old was holding a pageant trophy in one arm! "Did you have to let her wear those stupid blue things in her hair?" She heard her father complain up ahead. "The kid can't even get all of them out of her hair!"
Shay sighed heavily, biting back an angry retort. What she got out instead wasn't much better. "Of course I did, Hector. It's what she wanted to do. Can't you ever shut up with your constant whining? Honestly after eleven years, you're like a broken record. As for the blue strands in her hair? I left them there to make you angry." After delivering that little lie, Shay opened the door to Hector's Tahoe and got inside. Rya just stood there looking up at him.
"Dad... why are you so mean?" She asked with a blink. Hector responded to her the way he always did, a silent shake of his head. He silently cursed that his son David couldn't be here to keep the airheaded little brat quiet on the trip home, then praised Shayden's weird parents for buying that little game. He'd never say it out loud, but sometimes that wacky old gypsy lady and her pushover husband could do things right. Hec let his daughter into the truck before going 'round to get in the driver's door. Before he did, though, Rya was in the big, wide backseat and her game was already on. She tuned out the awful country music her father insisted on listening to as well as the argument that was continuing between her parents.
The Tahoe pulled out of its parking spot and got out onto the road back to Fort Smith just in time for the batteries to die in Rya's game. She pouted and shouted out over the music. "Mom!! I need batteries!"
"Ohhh Gaaawd," Was Hector's pained response.
Characters, art & story © Antique Submarine
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© 2009 - 2024 NinjaSammi
Comments11
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Interesting story and it's true how the worst speakers can be the greatest singers.
Can't blame the dad, I find such things a bit funny... no offence intended.
By the way shouldn't have Rya speared a moment too buckle up? It's joked video games will kill us but not like that... Weird thing I notice.
Can't blame the dad, I find such things a bit funny... no offence intended.
By the way shouldn't have Rya speared a moment too buckle up? It's joked video games will kill us but not like that... Weird thing I notice.