I stood at the entrance, watching the girls wearing pearl earrings play with dolls, wishing I could join them. I saw Mama shake her head while she mopped the floor. “Remember your status,” she whispered. A sinking feeling seeped into my veins. I watched Mama clean the ketchup stains on the walls. At eight, I understood the barrier between their world and mine. I was only their maid’s daughter living in a house half the size of their room. I quietly left and imagined a day when I would earn enough for Mama and me to live in a mansion.
Dream Mansion
Swetha Amit
Swetha is an Indian author based in California and an MFA graduate from the University of San Francisco. Her works across genres appear in Atticus Review, Had, Flash Fiction Magazine, Maudlin House, and Oyez Review. (https://swethaamit.com). She has received three Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations. Her debut chapbook, Cotton Candy From The Sky, is coming out in June with Bottlecap Press.