My Tonsils Were Removed When I Was Five Years Old

Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts —

The Exercise:

In no more than two pages, use the incident of "An Early Memory, Part One" and tell it from the vantage point of who you are today, that is, inject it with adult vocabulary, insight; subtlety, and comprehension. For instance, "My father was obviously confused" replaces funny look." You should change the way the incident is told without altering its structure or meaning. Use the past tense but keep it a first-person narrative. As in the first part of this exercise, try to let the material speak for itself.

The Objective:

As in a good many of these exercises, the idea is to empower the writer with the knowledge that he controls the material and not the other way around. There are countless ways to tell the same story, and each way says something a little different, not only about what happened, but also about how the teller feels about it. You're the first and last authority: your power - at least in this realm - is unlimited.

The day after I had my tonsils out, my great auntie Shirley came over to visit. I loved seeing her and told her about my week. I had my tonsils removed as I was getting too many infections. The doctor told us they were the biggest tonsils he had pulled out so far.

My mom thought it would help if I had something to do in the house while recuperating, so she bought me an Easy-Bake oven. That way, I could make cake, cookies, and bars to help me stay in the house for the week. My aunt brought me a box of grape popsicles, which were my favorite.

On that first day, I wanted to go sledding with my siblings. We had been going every day before my surgery. Mom even pulled a car hood behind her car one day.

I really missed our puppies. We named them Pixie and Dixie. They look like twins. My younger brother, when carrying them, was dragging them as he was so short and round in his snowsuit.

Then I told Auntie Shirl that I have to lie here. That Mom wants me to take it easy. That is the Doctor's orders. I remember it really hurting, even though I had some pills to take when the pain got too bad.

Mom says that she is a great auntie, meaning she was her auntie too. When she comes back, I ask if she is the oldest. She says she is the oldest of her sisters.

We talked about how none of my brothers or my sister had their tonsils out. I am the oldest, and I asked Auntie if she had her tonsils out. She hadn't, and I wondered if she was the oldest. When I asked her, she said no, that she was more in the middle of her sibling group.

I told Mom and Auntie Shirl that maybe everyone will have their tonsils out in a few years. Maybe when they are five. Then I offered to open my mouth so she could see the empty spot, but it hurt too badly, so I told her it would have to be another time.

Mom told me to tell Auntie about school. So I did, I told her that I got to skip kindergarten, and that I would go into first grade with the rest of my class. Mom did arrange for me to go to Sunday School to get an idea of what school is like.

After talking a bit more, Aunti Shirl goes home. Then, after watching television for a while, I fall asleep. In my dream, I dream about using my new stove. And my puppies. We are having fun. I fall off the couch and wake up crying. I bumped my mouth and it hurts.

As the days went by, I thought the break to heal was too long. I had to stay in. I did use my stove to bake. My baking will never be as good as Moms, however, it wasn't bad. Every day, I wished I were back in school. I miss my friend.