After 20 years, I finally got back at the woman who made fun of me all through high school.
After years of being picked on by Karen, Lily finally has to face her in high school. Karen goes back to being shallow in high school as soon as she walks into Lily’s restaurant. But Karen goes right away when she sees that Lily has gotten over her stuttering and lisp to run a successful business.
Under the soft glow of the evening lights, the diner was buzzing with the happy sounds of a good night. But as I walked between the tables, being careful not to trip over any sharp edges, I saw Karen’s face. I didn’t want to see it.
She hadn’t changed at all. Even after twenty years, she still had the same cocky grin on her face that she used to make fun of my stumbling and lisping when we were kids.
When I was in high school, my lisp was at its worst. Suddenly, I felt like I was back in time, which made me hesitant to speak.
Going to school talks was the worst thing I ever did. Girls like Karen would start laughing behind their hands and end up hanging off their chairs with tears running down their faces.
I would hide out at the library and spend all of my free time there to avoid being teased.
I remember that one time Karen was navigating the crowd of kids in her ridiculously high heels, while I held my books close to my chest to try to fit in with the gray lockers.
Karen’s eyes shone on me and made me stand out from the other people in the group.
“Guys, look! It’s Lisp-Lily!” With a loud voice, Karen laughed all around me.
“Lily, give us a speech and a smile,” she asked. She made fun of him by saying, “Show us that stellar s-s-stutter!” Her syllables got longer in a mean way.
I think I wanted to cry myself to sleep that night. In the kitchen, my brother Alex and I were talking about what had happened that day. I told him about how Karen had lost it.
My brother put ice cream into a bowl for me and said, “Lily, you should give it back to her.”
I said in a low voice, “If I could, I would.” “But you know what happens when I speak?”
My brother got off track and told me I should never let anyone make me feel like I’m not as good as I can be.
He told her, “You need to stand up for yourself.”
I did it too, but in my own way.
A lot of the time, I hid from my teachers at school. If we had talks, I would go after school or during lunch breaks.
Then I went to see a speech therapist to get help with my lisp and stuttering. I was going to stop this bullying that never stops.
I sat down next to Mrs. Thompson, her speech therapist, in the quiet, well-lit speech therapy room. The room for patients was small and cozy, and the soothing shades of blue and green were meant to help patients relax.
“Today we’re going to start with some new exercises that are specifically made to help with your lisp and stutter, Lilily,” Mrs. Thompson said in a calm, quiet voice.
“We’ll work on techniques that make your speech smoother and more natural, and we’ll also work on making you feel more comfortable speaking in public.”
I nodded, my hands shaking and fumbling in my lap. I could still hear Karen and the others making fun of me, but each lesson made me feel like I was getting my voice back.
The best part was that Alex was always waiting for me outside, ready to take me to pizza, ice cream, or anything else I wanted.
After I graduated from high school, I knew that I wanted to work in the food industry because I loved cooking and, even though I had fixed my speech problems, I didn’t have to talk there.
It made me feel bad to see Karen in my place right now. I pulled my apron tighter out of fear.
I didn’t work on the kitchen floor all the time, but I was always ready to help out when needed.
When she laughed, with her head thrown back in such wild joy, my heart sank. Her laughing stopped quickly when I walked over to take their order, and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“May I take your order?” I asked the question without letting the worry in my stomach show in my voice.
“Lily?” “Wow!” Karen yelled and raised her arms. “Do you work here?”
Her voice was twisted with disdain as she spoke, like she had just stepped on something unpleasant.
I managed to answer even though my fingers were turning white, gripping my notebook even tighter. “Clearly, yes,”
While looking at her friend, Karen cried, “Oh, boy, after all these years!” Imagine if I still can’t understand a word you say. Lily, get your boss to come here. I’d rather place my food order with someone who can explain the different foods.
She pushed me away with a wave of her hand. What she said and did hurt me deeply.
However, age had not made my spirit weaker; instead, it had made it stronger. In a way, I had been looking forward to this day since I finished from high school.
I did a perfect balletic twirl that I had learned in many dance classes that had helped me get back the confidence Karen had taken away from me.
I replied, “Yes, ma’am.” “What can I do to help you?” When I turned back to her, I stood up straight and smiled without flinching.
“Do you really think this is funny?” she asked angrily. She sipped from the water glass on the table, her eyes getting narrow from anger.
I replied, “Not really.” “But this is my spot.” And I’ll be happy to take you outside if it doesn’t live up to your hopes.
“You?” “Do you own this place?” She yelled while shaking. Her laugh was so loud that it echoed off the walls and filled the room with her angry tone.
But luck was on my side this evening.
While wearing a suit, my brother, who often helped me run the business, was walking the floor.
He asked, and his eyes moved from Karen to me. “What’s going on?”
“Is this woman really the owner of this food joint?” Karen asked.
Alex laughed.
He replied, “Yes, she does.” “But she liked taking care of guests and running the kitchen sometimes too.”
Alex spoke in a steady, calm voice, and his face, which showed the same sadness I felt, was fixed on Karen. He knew what she looked like, even though he didn’t know her very well.
Karen’s false confidence fell apart when reality set in and took away all the color from her face.
My brother motioned for another waiter to come and asked for a free glass of whisky for Karen’s date, who was watching the situation unfold and kept moving around uncomfortably. He looked at all three of us over and over.
Karen spoke slowly because she was stuck in the past, which made her seem small and silly. However, she said, “you used to stutter, and your lisp was something else.”
“Yes, and after years of therapy and hard work, I not only got through those problems but also built a business that did well.”
Karen was so down that she couldn’t even look me in the eye. When it came, her date drank a sip of his whisky and grabbed her phone, but not to use it.
“May I take your order?” I asked once more.
Karen shook her head. Then she got up from her chair, ready to leave the house feeling bad about herself.
Later that night, when I sat in bed and looked through old pictures on my phone, I realized that I had fixed the teen in me. The child who needed a second chance to remember that she could keep going and be happy and successful on her own.
After almost twenty years, I finally felt free. I thought I was finally over all the bad things that happened to me in high school.
In that case, how would you have reacted?
