Green and Purple

 It must have bene a white lie and yet it caused the teacher to turn the boy's earlobe orange towards purple. The morning had started as usual, with children walking fast towards kindegarten. The kindergarten must have been illgal, for the few kids who had grandmothers willing to brave to law, and send them to a half day place, where they would learn a foreign language. The morning started with the chidlren placing their little lunchboxes on a counter, or by the square and flat pillows where we were to eat later in the day. We must have sung, and recited a few phrases in german. I was one of the favorite pupils, maybe because i had an inclination towards languages, or an unfAIr advantage of being exposed to german in the house.  I remember that during our midd morning walk i got a fig for a treat. The figs were always hard because they did not have time to ripen before winter came in our city. It was small and green and i had a hard time biting it, but it was my prize so i fought it , hoping to get to a purple orange core of sweetness. It has probably been white. But it gave me an opportunity to step out of line. ANd then i saw the boy, and he must have stepped out of line and rhythm, and we must have concocted something, or cut a purple flower. Worse we did not confess to our doing, but something else. The boy ended up with his ear lobe being tugged at, and i had to confess to my lying as soon as i got home. I walked through the backdoor and found my grandmother boiling white laundry on the stove. I stood there , right by the door and confessed that i had lied, blurry eyed and terrified. Grandmother turned her back so i could not see her face, gently raised her shoulders and sent me upstairs. It must have been a white lie, but i have tried to stay away from such habits since then. I still love my kindergarten teacher, and hope she forgot the transgression.  I hope Tache forgave her too, and leArned his lesson as well. As for figs in my city, probably they remain green, unless global warming plays a strong move towards hot, long summers.

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