Memory of Mercy
   My 6th grade year was a blur as most of my time at Elmwood Elementary, but one event between two girls in our class impacted our small lives in a permanent way.
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    It was the beginning of the second semester, and a Monday to boot. But we were young and even Mondays couldn't weigh us down. Mrs. Laraby, our 6th grade teacher, stood in front of the class.
    "I hope y'all remembered your science test was today."    
    The class groaned.
    "I'm guessin' that's a no."
    One girl in the row on my right side raised her little pale hand.
    "Mrs. Laraby?"
    "Yes, Mara."
    "Could we take a few minutes to study, since most of us forgot?"
    The white haired lady looked up at the ceiling. That usually meant she was thinking.
    "Well," she said in her soft Southern voice, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, seein' as it's a Monday."
    The whole room sighed with relief.
    "But that doesn't mean you can talk about anything other than science, even if you were prepared."
    Immediately, we 6th graders quietly milled about as each of us looked for a group to study with. Mara looked at me with her gray eyes.
    "Would you like to study with me?"
    I quickly agreed. We went to a corner and took a seat on some bean bags. Mara flipped her silky black hair over her shoulder.
    "Okay, tell me this: Who was the temperature scale named after?"
    "Fahrenheit."
    "Yep! Okay, next question. . ."
    Mara lifted her eyes from her study sheet and looked past my head. Her dark eyebrows flew up and her mouth opened slightly. A little hand came up to stifle her giggle. Wondering what was so hilarious, I turned around. I saw a girl sitting at a desk studying by herself. Was it she who made Mara laugh? Mara poked me in the shoulder. I faced her.
    "Isn't it weird?!"
    "What?" I asked, frowning.
    Mara rolled her eyes.
    "You have to be blind to not see that rat's nest!"
    I turned around again. Suddenly it dawned on me what Mara had been talking about. The girl in the chair had the craziest hair I'd ever seen. It twisted and corkscrewed in every direction like a live animal.  The head which the hair belonged to turned around and two big brown eyes stared at me. I smiled sheepishly and waved. The girl looked hurt and turned back to her study sheet. Mara frowned.
    "Why'd you wave at her? She's a creep!"
    I shrugged my shoulders.
    "Shouldn't we be studying?" I asked.
    Mara rolled her eyes and handed me the piece of paper.
    "You ask the questions, then."
    Mrs. Laraby announced five minutes later it was time to take the test. We finished the test and hurried out to recess. At that time, our class was obsessed with hide-and-go-seek. It may seem like a little kids game, but the 6th grade class at Elmwood Elementary was notorious for having games banned. We couldn't play jail tag because the prisoners were too eager to be free, and the jailers were too happy to keep them from leaving. Kickball was also out of the question since it always turned into an all-out war over whether so-and-so was out or so-and-so had bunted.
     I had been at recess for five minutes or so when I heard jeering from behind the jungle gym. As I rounded the corner, a sick feeling swam in my stomach. Mara and a bunch of her followers had backed up the shy girl with the big brown eyes against the jungle gym.
    "Washanda? Ha! Your name matches you hair - weird!" Mara jeered.    
    Washanda bit her lip and stared back silently. Mara turned to see me coming.
    "Oh, it's you. I found weirdo over here before you could say rat's nest!" She spat the last words.    
    "Her hair was sticking up like a sore thumb. She shouldn't have even played!"
    Washanda's eyes were getting bigger with every insult. She was clutching the jungle gym so hard her knuckles were white. The whistle blew before Mara's next words could come out of her mouth. Washanda ran off to the line as fast as a cheetah. Mara growled and jogged off with her herd of followers prancing by her side. I shook my head as I myself joined the line. Mara was being very cruel, and I had a feeling she wouldn't stop any time soon.
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    As I had guessed, the insults from Mara came in a never-ending flow. She always made sure Mrs. Laraby never heard. I wasn't sure what to do. Mara would tear me to pieces if I defended Washanda.
    At the end of the school day a few weeks later,  I came upon Washanda. She was surrounded by her crowd of "admirers" once more. Mara was at the height of her cruelness.
    "Had any lice lately, Washanda? No? Well, too bad. They would've made your hair better than it has been!" Mara laughed scornfully.
    From where I was standing, I could see Washanda clearly. She was standing as still as a statue, but I noticed her eyes weren't big and full of hurt as usual. She narrowed them and lifted her chin.    
    "Mara - you don't know what's wrong with my hair, do you?"     
    Her voice was strong and clear, and Mara looked stunned. Washanda reached up on top of her head and grabbed her messy, tangled hair. What was she doing?! I watched in horror as she lifted her hair off her head to reveal baldness.    
    "I don't have any hair anymore, Mara. Not since I started chemotherapy at the beginning of the school year."
     I  expected Washanda to say more, but she simply walked throught the crowd of scorners and continued down the hall clutching her wig firmly. Mara's face suddenly looked uncertain. Her followers were staring silently after Washanda. As Mara turned to talk to them, she saw me. I looked at her sadly.
    "How was I supposed to know?"she snapped.
    "Come on," she waved her friends on to follow. They just stood there with their arms crossed. Mara frowned.
    "Fine! Stay there! I don't care!"    
    Her grey eyes flashed angrily. She ran off down the hall and out the door. I turned to go to my locker and noticed a head of white hair peeping out of a door down the hall. Mrs. Laraby smiled sadly. She had seen the whole thing.
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    Mara was silent the next day as she came into the classroom. She avoided looking at everybody, especially Washanda. Washanda raised a hand. Mrs. Laraby looked up from where she was sitting at her desk.
    "Yes, Washanda?"
    Washanda faced Mrs. Laraby.
    "May I make an announcement?"
    Our teacher nodded with a cheery smile.
    "Sure, go ahead."
    Washanda stood and walked to the front of the room. Mara lifted her head a few centimeters but kept her eyes locked on her shoes. Washanda smiled brightly. She reached up and took her wig off. Her smile didn't dim one bit. A lot of the 6th graders couldn't hide their shock. I heard a gasp.
    "I don't mind if you're surprised," Washanda declared, "I know it's weird."
    Washanda looked at the top of Mara's head.     
    "I just wanted to tell you all that I'm thankful for Mara-"
    Mara's head jerked up when she heard her name and her eyes were as big as Washanda's used to get.
    "Yes, you Mara. I wanted to thank you for teasing me because if you hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten the courage to face my cancer. Cancer can make me stronger, because I have to fight. I want to win that fight!"
    I looked around the room and saw smiling faces. I turned about and saw Mrs. Laraby sniffling at her desk, wiping her wet eyes with a tissue.     
    "Thank you, Washanda."
    Washanda's smile warmed even more, if that were possible. She walked down the aisle where Mara sat and stopped at Mara's desk. Mara lifted her head and gazed at Mara through moist eyes. Washanda smiled back and hugged Mara.
    I was so joyful! Mara wouldn't hurt Washanda anymore, and Washanda had gained the courage to stand up to her cancer.    
    I had witnessed the power of forgiveness that day at Elmwood Elementary in Mrs. Laraby's 6th grade class, and I hope I'll never forget. Washanda stood up to her tormentors, both in class and in her body. Mara changed for the better, and the class learned a lesson of mercy. May we all learn like they did.