Jodi's Smile

I had grown up next door to Jodi Schmitt, but I had never seen her smile. She was a quiet girl, kept to herself most of the time. She rarely joined in playing with the rest of us kids on the street, but who could blame her. She was terribly clumsy. She was always hurting herself some way or another. I swear she had fallen down the stairs a million times, slammed her arm in a door, once she even broke her nose falling out of bed. Who does that?

One day, my friend Olivia asked Jodi if she wanted to jump rope with us. Jodi hesitated for a long time, but no one says no to Olivia. We weren't sure if Jodi knew how to jump rope the way we did so we let her turn the rope for the first little while. She was a good rope turner, even though she had to turn it with her left hand because she had closed her right one in her dresser drawer.

When it came time for Jodi to jump the rope she messed it up the first two times. I began to think it was a mistake letting her play, but on the third try she got the hang of it and almost broke Olivia's record for most skips in one try. Jodi grinned. It wasn't a smile by any means, or even a full grin, but a half grin. Still it was the most had ever seen her lips curl upward with pleasure.

The second time I almost saw Jodi smile was a few months later. SHe hadn't played with us since the day we jumped rope because she went to visit her aunt while her mother was sick, but she was back home now.

I thought she would be happy about this and smile as it was almost Halloween but she had the same blank face as always. I tried inviting her to come trick-or-treating but she just shook her head. I guess she had to help her mother hand out candy. Halloween night I made sure that we knocked on Jodi's door for candy, hoping that maybe her mother would let her come out with the rest of us.

When her mother opened the door we all called out: "TRICK-OR-TREAT!"

"What?" Jodi's mother was startled. "Oh get out of here! I don't have any candy!" She waved her arms to shoo us away.

Some of my friends ran and Olivia apologized. I looked past the doorway hoping to catch a glimpse of Jodi. She was sitting on the stairs beyond the door. I waved. Her mother yelled again and moved to chase us. Her foot caught on the train of Olivia's princess costume and she tumbled forward and down the stairs. I guess falling down the stairs ran in the family.

She cursed and moaned in pain. I didn't know what to do, so I looked back at Jodi, she was grinning. Not the jump rope half grin, but a full, both sides of the mouth curled upwards grin.

It was kind of funny seeing someone fall down the stairs. Like America's Funniest Home Videos funny, but when it's your own mother should you laugh? Should you be amused? I never got to ask Jodi why she laughed at her mother. One night, two weeks later she left to live with her aunt for good.

It was around dinnertime when we heard a scream from next door.

"Oh my, what was that?" my mother asked.

"Probably Jodi tripping over something," I replied. I was distracted by the uneaten peas that I was pushing around my plate.

"What are you talking about?" my mother snapped me out of my daydream.

"Jodi," I shrugged. "She's so clumsy. SHe's always falling and slamming things shut on her hands and arms and stuff."

My mother turned to my father. "Maybe you should go take a look?"

My father pushed himself away from the table and went next door. When he came back he ordered me to my room. I hated it when my parents wouldn't tell me what was going on.

"Is Jodi okay?" I asked.

"To your room," My mother hurried me along.

I waited in my room forever. I heard my parents talking on the phone, and neighbours gathering outside the window. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't I go outside and see? When waiting had become too much I climbed up on the window sill and peered down at the scene below.

There were policemen pushing their way into Jodi's house. Moments later they came out pulling her mother behind them. She was cursing and yelling about how they couldn't take her from them. What was she talking about? Then I saw Jodi.

She had followed the police officers outside. A woman, whom I hadn't notice arrive ran towards her and gave her a hug. Jodi hugged her back. I learned later that it was her aunt, and that was who she had gone to live with. I hadn't known Jodi very well, but at that moment I felt that I would miss her for some reason.

The woman led her to her car, but before she got in she stopped and looked up at my window. Her mouth opened wide and curled upward. A full smile. Happiness. Even though her two front teeth were gone, her lips were swollen, and there was a trickle of blood running down her chin, it was beautiful.