Today’s flash fiction prompt: Write about hunger. I know a lot about this topic, and in my brainstorming, I had to narrow down the angles to explore. I think the mental energy required to navigate hunger is an underexplored theme.
Calculations
Vanessa wasn’t sure why her mom didn’t like forms. Her aunt said it was because Mom had warrants out, but to Vanessa’s 2nd grade mind it only meant one thing. Hunger.
Half her classmates filed into the lunch line that afternoon, lunch trays in hand and lunch cards ready. They ambled through on jumpy legs, served meatloaf with gravy piled on top of a mountain of mashed potatoes, fresh fruit, milk. Some fished out coins from their pockets to pay. For others, the lunch card was enough.
Vanessa didn’t have a lunch card, because Mom hated forms. Vanessa had no money, either. So she found a seat at a table with the other half of her class, watching with shiny eyes as they unloaded sandwiches, chips, juice boxes.
Vanessa kept a wrinkled brown bag with her, filled with whatever she could find at home. Some crackers, a few pieces of leftover candy, a thermos with lukewarm water. Not enough to quiet the rumbling in her stomach, but just enough to stop the ache. For a while, at least.
She discovered if she ate slowly, instead of all at once, it helped. She’d eat one cracker now, the second during quiet time, and the last one just before the walk home. Often there was no dinner, and the space between meals stretched as wide as the emptiness in her stomach.
But something wonderful happened. Milo had a birthday. His mom brought cupcakes, big ones with lots of creamy, white icing on top, and since three of her classmates were out sick, there were three extra.
Vanessa felt a little afraid to ask for them, but she was made of more than empty space. “Excuse me, Milo’s Mom?” She tapped the short woman and spoke in her most polite voice. Milo’s Mom had big, brown eyes and a bright smile. “Those extra cupcakes?”
Milo’s Mom nodded. “You want another?”
Vanessa felt a little queasy in her tummy. But she’d come this far, hadn’t she? “If you don’t mind? Could I take them for my brother and sister?”
“Of course! I’ll pack one for each of them, and you can have that last one for yourself.” She winked, and Vanessa returned to her seat. Two cupcakes in one day was more than she’d ever dreamed of.
But she’d forgotten one other person at home. Mom would want a cupcake, too.
Vanessa stared at the cupcake on her desk. Her tummy growled, but she’d save it for later. She took the last cracker from her bag and dipped it into the icing.
Just a little off the top, and no more.
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