ORITA META - THE CROSSROADS

This little light “Children, please settle down, be quiet, I’ll like you to meet a new pupil in our class. Do you want me to introduce you?”

“No ma, I can introduce myself.” She was bold, smart and well spoken. The teacher smiled at her and turned her around to face the other children who were now seated quietly.

“Why is she wearing a mask?” A few of the children asked, “Why is she covering her mouth?”

Cecilia wore a small sized surgical mask made of a material like tissue. Mama Toyo sometimes made her wear it to stop other children teasing and making fun of her.

“Children can be cruel sometimes because they do not know any better. Do not get sad or upset about it, they are not used to people who are different,” she would say.

Cecilia took off the mask and gave her biggest brightest smile. She never liked wearing the mask; it was uncomfortable. She had had the first surgery done to stop food passing through the sinus cavity and to properly digest food since the roof of her mouth was not sufficiently formed.

The surgery was very expensive and rarely done in the big city at this time and Cecilia had waited so long for the first surgery even though her doctor mother pulled a few strings to shorten the waiting period. The next stage would be the cosmetic, plastic surgery to remedy any superficial deformities but there were hardly any plastic surgeons practicing in the country then.

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