Noah's Smush

The Other Mush by: Madeline Howell

 

 

Noah hated that guy. He HATED him. Miss Leah could marry any boy in the whole world if she wanted to. Brown hair, red, blonde, white, even purple. She could marry any of those guys on the covers of those magazines she was always reading. She could marry a prince! The kind with a million horses and giant dinner tables and servants and a castle! But she picked that guy. “What was so special about him?” Noah wondered. Miss Leah didn’t ever go to the park and feed the ducks with him. She didn’t take him to the aquarium or to the zoo or to get ice cream at Noah’s favorite ice cream place (it was the best one). She didn’t play Candyland or Monopoly or watch her favorite cartoons with him… She wouldn’t even help him with his homework! Noah knew that because when he asked Miss Leah, she laughed and said “No, I never have!” She even shook her head. Instead of doing anything fun, Miss Leah always came back from seeing him with something way too shiny. One time she showed Noah a necklace from the guy and it was so bright that Noah went half blind for three days! Once she came back with a bracelet that she let Noah try on. The consensus? “It was okay.” The last time she left with him, Miss Leah came back with a ring like the one Noah’s mom usually wears. It was too big for her hand. Probably hurt to carry around. Noah hated him so much that every time Miss Leah talked about him, he would press his hands over his ears so hard that his whole face would smush. That way no sound could get through.

 Despite constant protesting from the little guy, Miss Leah invited this mystery man over to meet Noah for the first time, which Noah was less than pleased about. But it was too late. The moment of truth was here. The doorbell rang and Miss Leah jumped to pause the T.V. as her smile grew ten inches. Noah turned on his best puppy dog eyes and grabbed Miss Leah’s ring-less hand with both of his tiny ones. His feet dragged reluctantly the whole ten wooden steps to the entry and as Miss Leah eagerly yanked open the heavy iron door, Noah’s little heart broke at the sound of a deep, rumbling, “Hey, little man! I’m Todd.”