Mrs.

No Cleans Up

Mrs. No Cleans Up
by Penelope Codrington

My friends call my mother "Mrs. No." Whenever I ask for permission to do something that involves
socializing with boys, her first response is a resounding "No!" When I plead after her curt dismissal of
my request to go to the movies or a dance, she doubles down on her denial, adding a firm, "No! No!
No!" for emphasis.

Her habit of repeating "No" is why my friend Gina gave Mom that nickname-and it stuck. Gina often
entertains our friends by adopting a teeny beseeching voice, pleading, "Mommy, may I please go to
the mall, Mommy please?" Switching to a pitch-perfect imitation of my mother, she mean-mugs and
yells in a loud, gruff voice, "No! No! No!" as we all collapse with laughter.

My mom claims she is only trying to protect me from what she calls "bad elements." She worries that I
will flirt with boys, neglect my schoolwork, and eventually (as she puts it) "end up on the street without
a pot or pan to call your own."

Which explains why, on a sunny September day, I found myself on a train ride to a well-off suburb.
That morning, Mom had rejected my entreaties to "jump" and "play mas" in the West Indian Day
Parade with my friends. To my great disappointment, she insisted instead that I accompany her as
she worked cleaning a large house.

When we arrived, Mrs. Smithers, the homeowner, opened the door and stared at me, clearly
wondering why I was there.

"This is my daughter, Elaine," Mom said. "She will be quietly doing her schoolwork while I go about
my tasks."

Mrs. Smithers seemed surprised, then nodded at me and said, "Well as long as she doesn't disrupt
your work, Veronica."

I followed my mother to a grand dining room and perched on an uncomfortable chair as she applied
lemon-scented polish to the furniture. She sprayed and wiped; I stared sullenly at my summer
reading, wishing I had never agreed to come.

I resented my mother's tight-fingered grip on my social life. I imagined my friends dressing up in their
flamboyant costumes, singing the latest calypso songs, enjoying the celebratory time at the parade. I
could envision the dancers cavorting, feel the love and joy beaming from the parade-goers waving
flags representing all the Caribbean nations. I could almost taste the delicious food peddled by the
sidewalk vendors, the patties and coco bread, roti and sugar cakes.

Instead, I was sitting at this huge table in a far-away suburb. Too annoyed to concentrate on my
reading assignments, I put down my pencil and glared at my mother, hoping she could feel the angry
vibes I was directing her way. But as I watched, my emotions began to change. I noticed how
carefully, almost tenderly, she rubbed her yellow dusting cloth along a large mahogany piano in a
corner of the room. As I studied her movements, my anger drained away and was replaced by an
empathetic curiosity.
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 Mrs. No Cleans Up

grand piano illustration

A thought hit me: "Is this like your piano from when you were a girl in Guyana, Mom?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "This baby grand is exactly like the one my Dad bought me when I was your age."
Her sigh was full of longing. "I cried so much leaving it behind when we came to this country."

I knew that my mother had been a talented pianist, and I vaguely recalled dancing under the piano as
a toddler when she practiced for hours every day. Now she could barely play for our church choir
because her fingers were gnarled from so many days spent cleaning other people's homes.

I wondered what it must have felt like for her to leave a comfortable life in a warm land where she had
a beautiful piano, arriving in a cold unfriendly city, coming across lovely pianos like this one only when
she was cleaning them. And I remembered how mom had learned about house-cleaning work while
sitting on a city bus, worrying about how she was going to support herself and me. That day, my
mother got into a conversation with another woman from Guyana, who told her about earning extra
money cleaning houses. The woman offered to put my mother's name on a house-cleaner list. Since
then, mom had been taking as many cleaning jobs as she could find.

"Stop that!" I suddenly heard someone yell. "Stop that at once! That's a very valuable instrument!"

My mother had been carefully dusting the ivory keys when Mrs. Smithers entered the room,
screeching.

I saw my mother stiffen.

"I am well aware of that, Mrs. Smithers. I teach music," she said slowly. "I know my way around a
piano and an organ, too. I play for my church."
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 Mrs. No Cleans Up

"I'm sure you do, dear," Mrs. Smithers replied. "But that's not a church-music piano. We play classical
music on that piano."

I looked at my mother. Was she going to tell this woman that she was a classically trained musician?
And what on earth was a "church-music piano"? A piano was a piano whether you played jazz,
gospel, or classical music.

"Please watch your tone when you speak to me," my mother firmly replied.

To my surprise, Mrs. Smithers looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said. "My father gave that piano
to me and it's precious. You wouldn't understand."

Now I watched as my mother's eyes narrowed and her face tightened. I felt the same tightening in my
chest, almost like a knot.

"You don't know anything about us... or pianos!" The words burst out of me.

I immediately worried that I had done the wrong thing-was I going to get my mother in trouble?-but
I also felt a sense of relief. The knot in my chest loosened.

I waited for my mother to admonish me for my rude behavior, but instead she glanced my way, smiled
proudly, then turned to Mrs. Smithers and said, "That's all I have time for today. My daughter and I are
going to the parade. Come on, love."

I gathered my books and we headed to the door with Mrs. Smithers staring, her mouth agape. "But
Veronica," she called out as we were leaving, "you will return next week, right?"

"No!" said my mother. "No! No! No!"

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 Mrs. No Cleans Up - Comprehension Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. Why do Elaine's friends call her mom Mrs. No?
A. because she doesn't like when Elaine says no to her
B. because Elaine's friends know that her mom will never say no to her
C. because she always says no to any plans that involve socializing with boys
D. because she always says no to any music that involves a piano

2. Where does this story take place?

A. at the West Indian Day Parade
B. in Elaine's bedroom
C. in the home of one of Elaine's best friends
D. in a home that Elaine's mother is cleaning

3. Read the following sentences from the text.

"I knew that my mother had been a talented pianist, and I vaguely recalled dancing under the piano as
a toddler when she practiced for hours every day. Now she could barely play for our church choir
because her fingers were gnarled from so many days spent cleaning other people's homes."

What can you conclude about Elaine's mom based on this information?

A. Elaine's mom changed her lifestyle and her hobbies to provide for her family.
B. Elaine's mom was able to make her passion for music into a career.
C. Elaine's mom is interested in taking music lessons to finally learn how to read music.
D. Elaine's mom is always trying to get Elaine to play the piano or the guitar.

4. Why does Elaine's attitude change from angry to empathetic and curious as she watches her mom
clean the piano?
A. She has a moment of realization about her mother's connection to the piano.
B. She hears her mom singing a song that she loves from her childhood.
C. She sees a picture of her mom back in Guyana and gets curious.
D. She remembers that her mom loves to play the guitar more than anything.

5. What is one major theme of this story?

A. It's always a good idea to stay quiet and be thoughtful, even if someone says something rude.
B. Being curious about other people's experiences can help us connect with them and understand them
better.
C. Reaching out to friends when they are having a hard time or feeling sad is a good way to maintain a
relationship.
D. Making food for people you love is one powerful way to show that you care about them.
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 Mrs. No Cleans Up - Comprehension Questions

6. "But as I watched, my emotions began to change. I noticed how carefully, almost tenderly, she
rubbed her yellow dusting cloth along a large mahogany piano in a corner of the room. As I studied
her movements, my anger drained away and was replaced by an empathetic curiosity. A thought hit
me: "Is this like your piano from when you were a girl in Guyana, Mom?" I asked."

What does the word empathetic most closely mean as it's used in this sentence?

A. being concerned with other people's thoughts and feelings

B. being angry because someone says something rude to you
C. being happy because someone is listening to you
D. being confused about why someone is acting a certain way

7. Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Mrs. Smithers assumes Elaine's mom doesn't understand her relationship to her piano _____ both
women had beloved pianos passed down through their families.

A. because
B. later
C. at first
D. even though

8. How does Elaine respond to the conversation between her mother and Mrs. Smithers about
cleaning the piano?

9. Why does Elaine respond to Mrs. Smithers the way she does?

10. How does Elaine's attitude towards her mother change from the beginning to the end of the story?

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