The Parenthood Drabbles

Home Economics

Home Economics (#35)

In the style of Hylla and Reyna

Hylla was exhausting herself trying to stay awake. There was nothing she cared less about than how to knit. Well, maybe how to 'properly store cleaning products'. But knitting was definitely in her top three. Unfortunately both of those things either had been or were being covered in this class.

As the teacher, a wrinkly old prune of a woman named Ms. Abasolo, demonstrated whatever cable knitting was in front of the class, Hylla doodled before she accidentally turned into the incredible Hulk and created a death count. Seriously, she had knitting needles and yarn right in front of her. She wouldn't even have to be that creative.

The corners of her instructions sheet were covered in little stickmen, tiny tanks, small planets, Martian spaceships, bugs and spirals.

"Hylla, let me see what you've done so far." Ms. Abasolo said.

Hylla jumped.

"Umm..." she grabbed her sewing needles from her table and held up the little square of yarn that stuck down.

Ms. Abasolo looked disappointed with the sheer size, but once she saw how many stitches Hylla had dropped she just looked angry.

"Dear, why don't you start spending your lunch hours with me so we can catch up?"

"I'm in the soccer team, Miss. Practices are at lunch mostly."

"Well that can be arranged, dear." Ms. Abasolo said.

Hylla knew she'd gone too far.

••••••••••••

Hylla had gotten used to spending her lunch hours in the home ec class- one lined with cooking stations including ovens and counters and sinks, with boxes of yarn and thread and needles in a corner and sowing machines stuck in their boxes.

That didn't mean she liked it and wasn't really angry whenever she walked by the cafeteria- watching her friends settling down at a table inside.

She sat down at the usual table and picked up her sewing needles.

••••••••••••••••••••

Hylla lost her temper. She kicked the ball of yarn away and dropped her needles.

"Ma'am, I don't want to offend you, but I don't care about anything in this class." She said.

"Is that so?" Ms. Abasolo asked. "Tell me, Hylla, don't you have plans one day to have a job and own a home? Have kids, get married?"

"No." Hylla said.

"Really?" Ms. Abasolo said. "Because it'll probably happen. And getting a job and managing a household- that's bound to happen."

"I don't know ma'am, I can be pretty creative..."

"Enough," Ms. Abasolo said. "Pick up your needles and try again."

••••••••••••••

They were in a whole new unit now, and although Hylla knew everything being taught she couldn't pay attention in class, and thus was still wasting her lunches with Ms. Abasolo.

It frustrated her. Reading was hard and her focus was always spread out in twenty different places, but that didn't mean she had to waste her time. She could ace any test on his childhood unit any day, given that she didn't mess up her spelling too badly and loose a million points.