Words hurt, and a single sentence can kill. While it was true that she shouldn't have been listening in, it was also true that it shouldn't have been said in the first place.
Young Rudy was only eleven years old when she had been perched on the upper staircase, leaning against the banister. She'd overheard her mother talking about her, and Rudy had inched closer to hear what they were talking about. Her mother was always very popular, and she was having one of her weekly tea parties at the time. From where Rudy was sitting, she could hear everything from the gentle clinking of the glasses, to her mother's breezy, lady-like laugh that sounded trained and unnatural.
“Have you seen Margarita’s daughter recently?” Rudy recognized the voice as Mrs. Dabney, who was never one to say anything nice.
“Vannessa? She's Rudy's age.” came her mother's reply.
Rudy pressed her ear closer at the sound of her name, smiling to herself at how sneaky she was being. If mother knew, she would be absolutely livid.
“She's gained at least twenty five pounds in the past few months. The girl is massive,” Mrs. Dabney said, dissaprovingly. Rudy didn't understand, because Nessa wasn't fat or anything. She was just a little chubbier than the rest of the girls, that was all.
“She definitely won't be able to participate in this year's show,” Mrs. Dabney continued, with an air of disgust.
“Don't be silly, Mary. They don't disqualify based on weight.” That had to be Ms. Rose, the only one who usually made any sense.
Then came her mother's voice, crystal clear, floating right up the stairs to smack her in the face.
“All I know is I would absolutely die if Rudy looked anything like that child.”
It would have been less painful if she had shot her.
