The Ugly Truth Short Story

The ugly truth!

“Mammy, Am I beautiful?”

“Yes Valerie, You are beautiful”

Mammy, Am I really beautiful?”

Oh Valerie” Mammy let out a big sigh, “Can’t you just get out from under my feet”. Not satisfied with her answer but realising it was all I was gonna get I ran up to my room to get myself ready for school. I’m so excited that I could pee myself. “Oh I actually mite pee myself” I thought making a dash for the bathroom on the way. “Valerie, get out for god’s sake” my attempt to get into the bathroom was met with a stamp of people pushing the door shut in my face.

“Mammy, Valerie is being a pain, tell her to go away” one of my sisters shouted down the hall almost deafening me. “Valerie, Can’t you leave your sisters alone and get ready for school? Sighing I sank to the floor in the hall and prayed I wouldn’t pee in my knickers. I was so excited a minute ago that I wouldn’t have cared but now my excitement is going away.  Creaking my neck I tried to listen to what was going on in the bathroom but all I could hear was giggles.

Story of my life!  I’m always on the outside looking in or listening in. (depending on whether I’m outside a door or a window). Nothing ever changes in my house. What? What am I talking about? Oh sorry you don’t even know who I am. Right let me introduce myself. 

“My name is Valerie and I’m six. I’m the youngest of eight kids and I hate it. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. There’s mammy and daddy and there is a brother and then five sisters and then another brother and then me. Paddy bloody last!  Everyone is older than me, being the youngest is a major pain. Anyway I’m six and I’m sitting on the ground outside the bathroom door trying to get in and have a pee but there are at least three of my sisters in there. God only knows what they’re doing. Apparently I’m too young and too stupid to spend time with them. It’s not just the problem of needing to pee although that is a huge problem. I have trouble with bladder control (at least that’s what mammy says every time she changes the sheets on my bed) it’s not my fault I leave a little pee in my bed sometimes, I have bad dreams a lot about dogs and older sisters chasing me, and it’s not my fault daddy won’t buy mammy a washing machine which means she’s always bent over a metal tub scrubbing clothes and muttering to herself. That’s why she rubs her back a lot during the day. Anyway like I said that’s not my only problem. I really need to get into the bathroom coz I really need to see my hair. My oldest sister plaited it for me and put in a beautiful ribbon which is green and has silver lines through it and I have it sitting on my shoulder. I’m sure I’m gorgeous and mammy said I’m beautiful but I won’t know for definite until I see myself in the little mirror in the bathroom. Oh I wish they’d hurry up, I’m getting excited again. Today is school picture day and I can’t wait. There are no photos of me in this house well there are a couple but I’m ugly in them, (I’m not going to lie to you, there’s no point coz i’m a useless liar so you probably should know straightaway that I am ugly, my sisters said I fell off the ugly tree and hit all the branches on the way down) which must have been very traumatic for mammy seeing her youngest child get tree slapped so viciously but I survived and with no visible scars except my face which has a huge nose in the middle of it and that’s why I’m so excited about school picture day coz a professional is taking the pictures and I’m sure to be beautiful when he’s finished coz the professional ones on telly put make up on them and wind brush them and they look amazing (not sure what wind brushing means but I can’t wait to have it done). Finally my sisters are out of the bathroom and I can see my hair and the lovely ribbon. Nervously I walk towards the mirror with one eye closed and the other one squinting just in case. Mmm not bad I suppose my hair is nice and the ribbon is so pretty and I’m sure the picture taker will plaster me with makeup and then I’ll be gorgeous. I blow a kiss at my reflection and skip happily to the car where Daddy was waiting for me.

The buzz at school was electric and everyone was gathering in the P.E room where the picture taker had set up a big scenery stand in the corner. I watched as one by one the pupils took their place on the big chair in front of the scenery set and I was getting worried. The picture taker hadn’t put makeup on anyone which meant I was going to take an ugly picture. The one day I thought I would be beautiful and it wasn’t going to happen. I wouldn’t have a picture of me been beautiful to show my children (if I have children, Il have to marry an ugly man now so god help the poor children I do have, they won’t stand a chance) and the photo I show them would be just ugly me in a ribbon.

“Valerie, you’re next” the teacher’s voice made me jump and sighing loudly I made my way up to the chair and sat down. “Aren’t you going to smile?” the picture taker asked softly. I forced one and he laughed. “Ah” he said “a pretty girl like you can surely do better than that” Did I hear right? Did he say pretty? Me pretty? A huge smile covered my whole face and stayed there till he was finished.

Pretty? Ugly? All my life I believed I was ugly I really believed it, so is it not true? Am I really not ugly and the picture taker could see that, he was trained to spot beauty. Had I been living a lie all my life and here I was, sitting before the truth. Oh I can’t wait to marry someone like Bobby Ewing from Dallas (yes Dallas, I may be only 6 but I’m obsessed with Dallas).

And so begins my story.