'Mmmm'.'
'You're not listening!'
'Yep.'
'Stormy!'
'Huh?'
'Why do I try?' She mumbled to herself. Stormy simultaneously felt guilty. 'Sorry Mama, go on. I'll listen this time, honest! What were you saying? Stormy gave her a faltering smile. A scowl was offered her in return. 'Stormy, why don't you listen? Huh? You think I say these things for my own contentment, enjoyment? You think I've nothing better to do? Nothing better then watch you day dream your time away, my time away? I have laundry to do. Kids to feed, bathe, clothe. This is wasted time for me and for you. Stormy, see? You're not listening, you're still not listening! Look at me!' Stormy glared up at her, feeling completely as if she were being treated unfairly.' Look at you giving me dirty looks! Go on then glare, pierce your eyes through me! Stab me! Right through the heart! See if you can actually inflict physical pain.' Mama laughed as if she had just made an extremely wonderful joke which quickly changed into coughing. She had a rasping hollow laugh; partly due to her smoking. The hollowness came from the broken heartedness poverty that a hard life can sometimes bring. Mama did love to laugh though. Hoopin' and a 'hollering. She always made a ruckus. 'Stormy stared dully at her, ready to day dream off so she would not have to endure this lengthy lecture no more. She wished that she would go away and do the laundry, or clean, feed, and fuss over the other children. She would be grateful for that! 'Mama, just leave, go. You're too angry to be with me right now.' 'Fine! Yes, I'll just go and take orders from my fifteen year old daughter. That's what all good mothers do!' Mama huffed a bit, then closed her eyes. 'I'm sorry baby. Why do you let me get so carried on like that? Oh, well, it's really my blame and my fault. I really am too hard on ya baby, and I know you're exhausted hell, I am too, but this is so very, extremely important. So important. This will have a huge impact on your future if you let it. I could go either way, good or bad. Your decision, I just want you to make the right one. You need to be more mature then a fifteen year old at the moment, baby, I'm sorry there is so much weight and pressure on your thin shoulders.' Mama looked as if she were going to cry.'But I have faith in you. I just know you're going to make it and you're not going to fail. Mama paused and looked at her daughter. She looked at her daughter from the depth of her soul. Her eyes showed the struggle and hardship poor education can bring. She needed her daughter to make a leap and it had to be in the right direction. She, herself had never made it pass tenth grade. While staring at Stormy she heaved herself out of the chair and kissed Stormy delicately tender on her forehead and headed into the living room, where she could be heard hollering at all the kids. Yelling at the kids for reckless behavior and for being morons (as she put it). She was yelling at her kids, neighborhood kids and kids she had never heard nor seen before, yelling at them all with a love only a mother can give: tough love. Mama was always hollering, she loved making a ruckus, but she absolutely hated it if you were making a ruckus also.