Twinkies by Kathleen Marcath

Mariana was the center of attention.  She had arrived straight from Brazil and was now the shortest girl in the class with short, spunky, curly, black hair, cute as could be. Mr. West, the teacher, introduced this orphan with great respect and courtesy. Most recently, both her parents had tragically died. There she stood, silent, in front of class, smiling oddly and wearing uncommon clothes. Mariana did not speak; she did not understand a word because her language was Portuguese.

 

Joining the class were two other new girls. Jane did not speak, either; she seemed to understand but chose to be silent. She gained no special introduction, no “Hello” to welcome her to the classroom. Rosie was simply assigned a seat and given her books. Day after day, the students fussed over the cute little Brazilian, Mariana. Like ghosts, Jane and Rosie were ignored, invisible except to each other. That was fine with Rosie, but Jane, however, began to fall into depression.  She absolutely refused to eat. 

 

One day, after the first bell rang for recess, Rosie asked Jane if she would like to share her snack.  “Hostess Twinkies, yum, yum!”



 

They sat quietly, licking the filling as it squished out one end. A smile was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Mariana was learning English; however, no one was learning Portuguese.  Every day, cupcakes, particularly Hostess, opened doors of friendship. Yet, Jane still did not speak; she would smile or nod her head. Then one day, two boys started pushing Jane around. Like a prisoner, they held her captive. Fear rose in her eyes; her face reddened, and tears welled up a tiny bit. Rosie wasn’t afraid; she grabbed her snack and quickly removed the wrapper. Armed with a Twinkie in both hands, she drew her guns, squirting them both in their ears with creamy white filling, then smashing the rest into their faces! They were in shock. What had happened? Grabbing Jane by the hand, Rosie ran away, leaving the brutes in disbelief. The class was astonished. Mariana started laughing and speaking in Portuguese. Then, the whole class laughed except for the two creeps. 

 

Jane was so relieved that Mariana took center stage, drawing all the attention away from her. Mr. West settled everyone down as he began to tell the class about the annual Fall Festival. As he rambled on, Rosie passed Jane a note. 

 

“Jane, why don’t you ever talk?”

 

Jane looked at Rosie, again with tears welling up. Putting her head down, she wrote a note back to her only friend.

 

“Promise to never tell anyone?”

 

Rosie, nodding her head, handed the note back. She could not imagine what was troubling Jane. 

A moment later, very carefully in the secrecy of her lap, Rosie read.  “I don’t hear so good, so I

don’t talk so good.  Promise, tell no one.”

 

Rosie looked up; with a warm smile, she put her fingers to her lips, turning an imaginary key.  Then she tore the paper into tiny pieces and stuffed them in her pocket.  By this time, the teacher was passing out the invitations to the festival. This year it would be a Texas ho-down at Tina’s.  Tina was like a big sister to Mariana, constantly by her side. Mariana was living with her family.  The Fairbankses were proud and honored to have this delightful Brazilian girl living with them.

 

Saturday arrived, and the class assembled at Tina’s farm. Jane and Rosie arrived at the same time as they had carefully planned. Entering the barn, they were in awe.  

 

“Jane, look at this place! Tina’s parents really know how to make things spectacular! I feel like Annie, being adopted by that rich dude, what’s-his-name.”

 

Jane, filled with wonder at the room, shrugged her shoulders.

 

There were bales of straw set about for seats. Tables were decorated in checkered red and white, and baskets of red apples mixed with green pears shone under the lights. The buffet was arranged with a simple elegance. It had favorite foods, like hot dogs, sloppy-Joes, a carousel of veggies and a rainbow of fresh fruits, all displayed beautifully. There were also trays of cakes, platters of donuts, and imagine, another with Twinkies! Hot cocoa or cold apple cider was free for all.

 

“There’s Mr. and Mrs. Fairbanks; let’s go say hello.”

 

Leading the way, Rosie dashed over to them. Tina’s mom greeted everyone warmly.

 

“Howdy, girls! Welcome to our Texas ho-down!”

 

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Fairbanks! Thank you for hosting this incredible party! I feel like I have arrived in the heart of Texas. This is the most elaborate…”  Momentarily lost for words, Rosie quickly exclaimed, “It’s like a grand ball, country style. I think it is really awesome that Mariana is living here with you. Very cool.”

 

“Why, thank you Rosie. That’s very kind of you to say.” Turning to Jane, Mrs. Fairbanks smiled, patting her on the back.

           

“You girls go enjoy yourselves.”

 

Rosie cheered, “Come on, Jane; let’s find Mariana. I want to get to know her.”

 

The evening officially began with a warm welcome from the host. Mariana stood beside Tina and her parents. Tina was tall like her dad, slender and poised; a beautiful blond ponytail cascaded below her belt. The Fairbankses expressed how happy they were to have Mariana join their family.

 

It was time for the hay ride, and Mariana and Tina were first on the wagon. Grabbing Jane’s arm, Rosie quickly seized a seat for them next to Mariana. To their misfortune, Rich and Ronnie, the demon team, had positioned themselves straight behind them. The girls were certain they were planning revenge for being gunned down by Twinkies and laughed at by the whole class. Rosie warned Jane. The air began to cool as the sun descended before the trail. A beautiful sunset blazed bright orange, like a field of pumpkins straight before them.

 

Mr. Fairbanks and Mr. West were at the reins of two huge Clydesdales horses. They were the most beautiful hue of whitish gray. The air was crisp. The smell of horses and decaying leaves rose up from the horse hooves, and the wagon wheels rustled the thick ground cover of late October. There was chitter chatter about the wagon, with laughter and joy filling the air. Smiles delighted most faces there. Then those two bulldog boys pushed with a sudden, bold force, knocking Jane off the wagon. 

 

She squealed once, but quickly recovered her seat, hopping back on the wagon. Rosie was ready to rumble, but Tina quickly calmed the scene. Mr. West gave the girls, rather than the monstrous boys, the evil eye. The four girls managed to convince some other boys to trade seats,

so the rest of the hay ride went without further trouble. The girls began conversation and Jane nodded her head, smiling. Mariana knew a few English words. Reaching out to Jane, she inquired, “Are you okay?”

 

Nodding, Jane smiled. Connecting eye to eye, they had an understanding in silence that only the two of them could fully comprehend. Those thugs were going to strike again. This time, they would not escape without recompense.

 

Arriving back at the barn, the band was playing. Hungry from the hay ride, most kids got in line for food. They gathered around the straw bales to eat. Mariana sat next to Rosie, asking what each food was called. Rosie was pleased to teach Mariana food words, and she happily pointed to different foods, like hot dogs, celery, grapes, and Twinkies. Mariana repeated each word.  “Twinkie,” she said, licking her lips, with a smile. “Yummy!”

 

The two girls were getting to know each other, both sensing a new friendship emerging. While eating and talking, the two pitbulls managed to once again target the ever-silent Jane. This

time, Mariana led the charge. Twinkies in hand, she raced to Jane’s aid, grabbing Ronnie’s overalls and stuffing them with the cream-filled dessert. She smashed the Twinkies, and filling oozed over him, like a pie in the face. Rosie was there to do the same to the other beast. In Portuguese, Mariana gave it to them harshly. By now, everyone aided in smearing these two bullies. Tina came with two cups of cider and, giving one to Jane, they poured it over the brutes’

heads, while others dispensed hot cocoa in their boots. Mr. West grabbed the boys by their collars and escorted them to the horse stalls. There, they endured the evening cleaning up deposits of waste.

 

Since the day Rosie rescued Jane at school, Mariana wanted to be their friend. For the first time, Jane spoke. No tears filled her eyes; rather, a big smile that spoke volumes appeared, as she expressed, “Thank you.”

 

But it sounded funny. That night, she told everyone her secret. She was hard of hearing, and afraid to speak because people made fun of her. Mariana understood completely. They admired Rosie most because she did not care what other people thought. The three girls became true and trusted friends.