I never thought that I would get to talk in a conference in my first year of college so when the professor asked me to participate in one, I was really excited. On class, we had to write about a conflict about an adult inspired by William Carlos Williams' A Use of Force. This short story is about a doctor that must use force against a child that hides a horrible secret about her health: she has diphtheria and she fears that she could die of it.
When I had to write about a conflict between an adult and me I honestly didn't remember anything! But then I remembered a moment that I'll never forget. I was thirteen years old when I moved to an apartment in which the residents share a laundry room. I never had to do laundry so I was getting used to it but after a few months of being there, I was getting the hang of it. That day was a bit crowded, but I took one of the drying machines that were in good condition. Somehow, I lost track of a washing machine I was using and a woman was demanding who was using that machine. Let me help you visualize how this woman looked like: she was skinny with black hair in a "dubi"' glasses, a pink tank shirt, and white shorts... To be even more helpful: she looks like Miss Tweedy from the movie Chicken Run. I moved my clothes while apologizing but she kept fighting about it. The other neighbors were silent and I felt humiliated. But the woman continued her bickering.
I went home and told my mom, who went to the laundry with me and stayed until all clothes were dried. There was tension in the air but I was feeling better... That was until I heard Miss Tweedy (let's call her that) taking about the incident with another neighbor. I simply lost it and I found myself yelling at her from the elevator's door: " Can you stop? It was an accident and I'm pretty sure she doesn't care now stop!". That was the first time I've yelled at someone that's not close to me and, honestly, I don't regret it.
I had to read my short story about this encounter in the "Urban Spaces, Media Spaces" conference held in Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rio Piedras and, for me, it was a really great experience. My story wasn't something I could feel bad about and it had its funny parts, so it was easygoing. Also, I saw a few faces in the crowd that helped me feeling relaxed and focused (I'm really grateful for them). If there was a part about the conference that I really enjoyed was the questions the audience had. I felt that they wanted to hear more about how we got to read and write our stories, how we felt after our conflicts, how this connected to William Carlos Williams' short story. People laughed and understood the hard parts of our stories. I will hold that moment close to my heart and, if asked, I would gladly do it again. to more experiences like this!
This is the inspiration: A Use of Force by William Carlos Williams
When I had to write about a conflict between an adult and me I honestly didn't remember anything! But then I remembered a moment that I'll never forget. I was thirteen years old when I moved to an apartment in which the residents share a laundry room. I never had to do laundry so I was getting used to it but after a few months of being there, I was getting the hang of it. That day was a bit crowded, but I took one of the drying machines that were in good condition. Somehow, I lost track of a washing machine I was using and a woman was demanding who was using that machine. Let me help you visualize how this woman looked like: she was skinny with black hair in a "dubi"' glasses, a pink tank shirt, and white shorts... To be even more helpful: she looks like Miss Tweedy from the movie Chicken Run. I moved my clothes while apologizing but she kept fighting about it. The other neighbors were silent and I felt humiliated. But the woman continued her bickering.
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| Miss Tweedy: a.k.a. my neighbor |
I had to read my short story about this encounter in the "Urban Spaces, Media Spaces" conference held in Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rio Piedras and, for me, it was a really great experience. My story wasn't something I could feel bad about and it had its funny parts, so it was easygoing. Also, I saw a few faces in the crowd that helped me feeling relaxed and focused (I'm really grateful for them). If there was a part about the conference that I really enjoyed was the questions the audience had. I felt that they wanted to hear more about how we got to read and write our stories, how we felt after our conflicts, how this connected to William Carlos Williams' short story. People laughed and understood the hard parts of our stories. I will hold that moment close to my heart and, if asked, I would gladly do it again. to more experiences like this!
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| This quote sums up what writing our short stories about our conflicts was about |
This is the inspiration: A Use of Force by William Carlos Williams
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