A Transfer by June Wolfman
A Transfer by June Wolfman
“I’m scared,” said Mouse, leaning her thin frame against the doorpost of her sister’s room. “Angela, they are screaming at each other again. Can I come in?”
Angela, 12, looked at her little sister, only 8, and wiped the tears from her sister’s cheeks, grabbed her sister’s hand, pulled her into her room, and slammed the door as hard as she could, almost drowning out the screaming sounds of her parents in the living room.
“I can still hear every word,” said Mouse.
Their mother yelled, “You have had one foot out of this relationship for at least a year! What’s her name? Who is she, Frank?”
Their father responded, “And what about you, Caroline? Made dinner lately? Angela makes dinner. She’s only 12 years old. Where do you go every day that means Angela has to make dinner? Who is HE? What’s his name?”
Two nights later
Angela and Mouse perched at the edge of their seats at the dinner table. Their father had said the family needed to “talk” over dinner. The table rocked on its one short leg when Mouse took her hands off it. Something was obviously up, and both of the girls knew it was bad.
“Girls,” said Frank Litthaur. “You have probably noticed Mommy and I have been arguing a lot more lately.”
Both girls nodded silently, waiting, just waiting, for the “and so.”
“We have decided to get a divorce,” said Caroline Litthaur. “Daddy is moving out today.”
Mouse began to cry. Angela held back her tears and said, “Then, I want to live with Daddy.”
Frank said, “I’m sorry. That won’t be possible, Angie. Daddy is going to have a roommate, and his roommate doesn’t allow children.” He didn’t meet Angela’s eyes while he spoke.
“When will we see you, Daddy?” asked Mouse. She leaned over and hugged her father’s arm.
“Oh, lots of times,” said Frank, fiddling with his fork and napkin, then running his fingers through his hay-colored hair. Without waiting for Mouse to settle down, Frank picked up his fork and began picking at the spaghetti in front of him. Mouse slouched in her chair. The girls began to cry, and then they cried so hard that they couldn’t eat.
“Girls,” said Mrs. Lithaur, “you may be excused from the table. I’ll be in to see you later.”
That night, Mouse watched as her father packed two large suitcases. She watched him exit the driveway. She gazed at a note on the refrigerator: “In Emergency,” then her Dad’s number, but under it was another number under the words, “Donna’s House.”
Mouse and Angela shuffled to school the next morning. They attended Saint Mary’s Catholic School. The nuns had informed them many times that Catholics do not divorce, so the girls kept their own family’s divorce private. But Mouse looked like a wounded puppy. This attracted Linda, a twice-left-back, tall bully.
Angela stayed late for choir, so Mouse alone pushed open the school’s front door to begin the walk home. On the trek home, Linda stomped behind Mouse and kicked Mouse in the rear every other step. Linda wore hard, brown leather loafers too big for her.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Mouse cried out.
“Because you’re a little baby, and if you tell on me, I’ll completely cream you.”
Bang…Bang…Bang…Bang… until Linda took a right toward her house, and Mouse scurried left toward her home, tears running down her cheeks.
The days went like this for Mouse. Punches at lunchtime right in the arm muscle that she didn’t really have. Kicks all the way home from school.
One night, Mouse said to her mother, who was painting her long nails a nice peach, “Mom, someone is bullying me at school.”
Mouse’s mother said, “Mouse, you have to toughen up. Hit them back!”
Mouse felt a weight sink in her chest. Linda, the bully, stood a foot taller than Mouse.
“Mom,” whispered Mouse, “I need your help.”
Mouse’s mother slid the nail lacquer applicator into the bottle. “Alright, Mousy. What would you like me to do?”
“I’d like you to walk me home from school for a while.”
“Why don’t I just pick you up?”
“Because this girl who is bullying me after school needs to see that you are standing up for me, like you are ready for her.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said. “I’m going out tonight, late, but tomorrow I’ll meet you up front at the final bell if I can.”
Mouse scrunched down in her seat all through catechism, her last class, praying that Linda would be afraid of Mouse’s mother. The nun, clad in black from head to toe, snapped her fingers in front of Mouse’s face.
“Lucy, are you with us today?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, Sister,” said Mouse, jarred at hearing her given name.
Outside, it drizzled, but Mouse was sure her mother would tote some umbrellas.
Linda, who perched herself in the back row, tossed a folded piece of paper onto Mouse’s desk while Sister had her back turned.
Mouse opened it with a sick stomach.
“See you after school, little mouse,” it said.
The final bell rang at 3:00. Mouse sprinted to the front door and waited, staring at the cars. Linda waited outside the front door for Mouse, seemingly unbothered by the drizzle.
Where is Mom? Where is she?
3:25 rolled around. The drizzle created a bit of fog.
No mom. Linda was still waiting just past the front entrance.
I’m going to go and get Angela. She loves the choir club, but she would leave it for this. She wouldn’t let me down.
Mouse bolted down the hall to the music room. She gesticulated wildly by the window in the music-room door and finally caught Angela’s eye. Angela excused herself and met Mouse in the hall.
“What’s up, kid?” Angela said.
“Can you help me? There is a kid beating me up every day, and she’s waiting for me outside.”
“Show me,” said Angela, and the two strode toward the front door.
Mouse said, “Mom was going to meet me. She promised to walk me home. She promised.”
“Haven’t you figured it out, Mouse?” said Angela when they reached the front doors. “We’re on our own now. Mom will do nothing. Mouse felt the penny drop. They really were on their own. It was she and Angela now. Mouse blinked back tears.
“Is it that kid right out there?” Angela asked.
“Yeah. The one with the zits. She beats me up every day, and she’s waiting for me, and I can’t take it anymore.”
“Let’s go outside together, and between the two of us, we can take her.”
Mouse balled up her fists, looked at how tall Angela was, as tall as Linda, and pushed the front door open.
“So, you brought your big sister, you coward piece of crap,” Linda spat out.
“Want to make something of it?” said Angela, shoving Linda, who stumbled backward.
Linda punched Angela on the jaw, but despite the jolt of pain, Angela threw two quick punches at Linda’s stomach.
Linda went down, the breath knocked out of her.
“Just wait until you are alone, little mouse,” spat out Linda.
“Shut up!” yelled Mouse. “You fight people smaller than you! Bully!”
“Leave her alone,” warned Angela.
Angela and Mouse walked back into the school.
Angela looked at Mouse’s balled fists and said, “You were going to get some punches in, weren’t you, Mouse? Sorry, I didn’t give you the chance.”
“I was ready,” said Mouse. “I had the spots picked out. Her stomach. Her chin.”
“Still, we’d better walk home together from now on,” said Angela.
“What about choir?” said Mouse.
“You can sit and watch the choir, and we’ll both leave after it.”
“Thanks, Angie,” said Mouse, and she threw her arm around Angela’s waist.
That night, Mouse did not ask her mother what was for dinner. Nothing was simmering or baking. So, she asked Angela, “Can I get help making scrambled eggs?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks,” said Mouse.
After the girls ate dinner, Mouse’s mother went “out,” and Mouse skidded in her socks on the maple wood floors.
“OUCH!” she yelled. She sat, pulled off her left sock, and saw the splinter deep in her foot. Her mother used to get her splinters out. She had watched the process. Mouse retrieved the splinter kit from the bathroom: some sewing needles, tweezers, and mercurochrome antiseptic. She took the kit to the bright spot in the kitchen, and she dug around for the splinter with the needle.
Angela saw her. “I can help, kid.”
“Thanks, I just keep breaking off the piece I get a hold of.”
Angela pulled the splinter kit to her and pulled Mouse’s sockless foot into her lap.
“I have a trick,” said Angela.
“What is it?”
“I’m going to cut a little bit, okay?”
“Well…okay.”
“Only if you want it out,” said Angela.
“Yes, get it out.”
Angela began the surgery and quickly yanked the splinter out.”
“Thanks,” said Mouse.
“Did you watch how I did it?”
“Yeah. I could do it next time.”
“Good, kid. I might not be home some time, and we know Mom is never here anymore.”
“I’m really lucky I have you, Angela.”
“You’ve got me,” said Angela. “Don’t forget.” Angela felt a sort of weight fall on her. It was done. The Transfer.
* * * * THE END * * * *
Copyright June Wolfman 2026
Image Source: Faramarz Falaki from Unsplash.com
Gosh that was really good…. so beautiful, and sad at once! I loved Mouse, such a sweet thing, I want to hug her, and Angie too, caring as she is. The portrayal of the parent’s neglect is really nicely done, especially the nuance to the mother. She promises to help Mouse, and it seems she really does love her daughters, but perhaps not enough, for she doesn’t help Mouse at all, and leaves the girls at home without supper. The way the girls find solace in each other instead is such a gorgeous kind of sisterhood. Love this <3
This is a tale of a selfish couple too busy with their own lives to be parents. It is also a tale of two young children assuming responsibilities they should not have to deal with on their own. Linda is the nominal villain, but it is Mouse and Angela’s parents who are the true antagonists. A wonderful voyage back to elementary school and bullies and the unknowable things that make life a nightmare for children of broken homes. Well done, June!
I loved the mention of the table wobbling just before Mouse and Angela’s parents told them about the divorce. Really leaning into the instability of the family dynamic, and the parents’ relationship. Kudos!
It also makes me sad how much Angela has to step up for Mouse because their mother won’t. These poor girls left to fend for themselves…
So well written and so sad, but with whispers of hope. All the details, both large and small, feel true to life. Below the bleakness runs a strong undercurrent on how even children can consciously decide to act to survive through adversity. In the end, I felt a ray of hope for the young girl, who knows that she can depend on her older sister, and admiration for the older sister for the role and responsibilities that she took on, but that was intertwined with more than a touch of despair for the older sister, who knows that she has no one older that she can depend on, at an age that every child should have a parent or any adult to lean on.
This is a very moving and yet emotionally restrained story. The story is described as sad, tender, and quietly hopeful. It paints a realistic portrayal of childhood responsibility, especially how Angela gradually becomes the dependable caregiver for her younger sister, Mouse. I love the small, believable details and natural dialogue that give the story emotional depth without becoming melodramatic. The themes of abandonment, resilience, and sisterly love allow the ending to deliver a powerful emotional impact.
Worthy of many tissues and quite sad all round. I pray those kids found some peace and happiness later.
I like he story overall. As someone above said, it was sad, but poignantly so. If I would have one critique, I would say that their names, Angela and Mo0use were mentioned too much. But overall, well done!
Poor Mouse and Angela, left to grow up on their own, and at such a young age. Divorce can be so terrible, but this is even more so.
Sad story, but the characters all seemed real. I related a lot to Angela since I was the older sister that had to stand up for the younger ones, take care of things around the house, etc. Great details in the story and wonderful writing!
This is another one of June’s very sad but very wonderful stories. I am happy to read them anytime, she is a great writer adn the characters are all sympathetic.
This story really resonates. The idea of the older sister taking responsibility when parents fail to is something that unfortunately is very true to life, and I appreciate how it’s shown here. I also enjoyed the way that Mouse is shown to have ultimate faith in her sister – she knows that she can go to her if she needs help. Like others have said, there is some hope in the sisterhood of the girls, even when their parents completely fail to step up. Well done!
There were many beautiful, yet awful, moments in this subtle, well-written story. In fact, it’s so well-written I can almost believe it’s autobiographical. It makes me wonder if the writer didn’t experience some of the bullying she’s writing about. She does take a small time-out from the unrelenting awfulness and cruelty of her story to describe with just a touch of subtle sympathy reasons why the bully is a bully in the first place. A very small corner of the neglect the bully, Linda, must have had to experience to become the villain she is, is lifted when it’s revealed that Linda’s shoes are too large, ill-fitting; certainly a basis for deformities and great pain in young, growing feet given no support over unknown years. Another telling moment in this well-written story is when at the dinner table, all the littlest girl can find to hug in a distressed moment is her disinterested father’s arm. Any loving father would have scooped the child up in those arms and given her all the hugs and reassurance the child obviously needed, but what did he do, after she pathetically hugged his arm? He “picked at his spaghetti…” The choice of the word “pick” tells it all: a thin, sharp, wounding word describing something that is often a weapon, and never, ever, satisfying.
I did mean to include a congratulation to the writer for succeeding in giving a detailed blueprint of how bullies are created, and “transferred” from one bully to the next, in seamless, tragic, fashion. Well done, Ms. Wolfman, well done.
It was a very poignant story about reality. It made me feel grateful to have both parents and supportive siblings in my life. It’s heartbreaking for a child to witness their parents constantly fighting and eventually divorcing. Sadly, things only became worse for Lucy when she was bullied. Thankfully, she had her sister Linda to help and support her through it all. There are many amazing mothers who do their best to make things work as single parents, but unfortunately, that was not the case in this story. Linda realized she needed to step up and become more than just a big sister—she had to become a mother figure as well.
A haunting, well-written story that leaves my heart aching for the kids, especially Angela who embodies the big sister I am. It must be no easy task growing up and being asked to be stronf out of situations beyond your control, and June has captured this through wrenching prose. I particularly loved the sincerity of the relationship between the siblings.
A beautifully crafted story that looks at the relationship between two siblings in the midst of a fracturing world. I liked how that relationship grounded the emotional core of the story, never becoming too overwrought or unbelievable.
The weight falling onto Angela was palpable, I thought that thread was very well done. It feels like the author has experienced this situation, or one very close to it. The writing feels personal.
So sad, it’s always children who suffer even if both parents still care for their children. In spite of the bullying, I actually want to know what happens next , and the phrase ‘The End’ arrived all too quickly.
Such a sad story but such an accurate view of too many young lives. I would love to read a story that shows how Mouse and Angela turned out.
This story even though it was shorter than some really grasped the depth of how some children have to take care of themselves in their own familes. It honestly struck a nerve in me and brought up emotions. Especially the part where it says, “Haven’t you figured it out, Mouse?” said Angela when they reached the front doors. “We’re on our own now. It’s the unfortunate reality that this story is actually real for so many children they don’t have parents that care for them physically or mentally or even keep their word. So many more children are neglected in some shape, more than you think. . As a child you think your parents will do anything for you, it’s a type of love that can be struck down just like in this story.
This story even though it was shorter than some really grasped the depth of how some children have to take care of themselves in their own familes. It honestly struck a nerve in me and brought up emotions. Especially near the end It’s the unfortunate reality that this story is actually real for so many children they don’t have parents that care for them physically or mentally or even keep their word. Way more than you think. As a child you think your parents will do anything for you, it’s a type of love that can be struck down just like in this story.
This story even though it was shorter than some really grasped the depth of how some children have to take care of themselves in their own familes. It honestly struck a nerve in me and brought up emotions. Especially near the end It’s the unfortunate reality that this story is actually real for so many children they don’t have parents that care for them physically or mentally or even keep their word. Way more than you think. As a child you think your parents will do anything for you, it’s a type of love that can be struck down just like in this story.
This was such a sad read 😭
What got me the most wasn’t the divorce, it was Mouse slowly realizing that the person she could rely on wasn’t her mom anymore, it was Angela.
Angela stepping up for Mouse over and over again, despite being just a kid herself, was both heartbreaking and beautiful. The ending was bittersweet in the best way. They deserved better, but at least they have each other.
Really lovely story. ❤️
This hit way too close to home for me, great job, I think I’m crying a lil
Awww, what a beautiful story – in a way that makes you really think about life and appreciate what it is that you have. Thank you for sharing.
Very well done! Tugs on the heart strings. It’s easy to put yourself in Mouse’s shoes, feeling small and powerless, your world crumbling around you. But wiht your older sister to save the day.
Such a powerful story. It’s so easy to put yourself in Mouse’s shoes. Everything is going so horribly, and you feel so alone, but your wonderful older sister (who unfortunately has had to take on so much responsibility at a too-young age) is there to support you.
I love this story. Every line made me fear the worst for the two sisters. But, while the transfer of responsibilities at such a young age is a tragedy of itself, the hope that both would work together to face the world made things so much “happier” than I thought. What strikes me most is how Mouse reaches out for help and recognizes where she can truly get it from. And of course – the weight of not being able to seek help from the adults around them because “divorce” wouldn’t be permitted – the two girls will probably have the odds stacked against them for far too long.
Thank you, for this lovely story.
Awwww man, this got me all teary eyed. I love all the little details in the story that show the parents and kids’ “change of heart,” very raw emotion in this beautiful piece. If you plan to continue writing about this family, I’m particularly interested in how Lucy got her nickname Mouse! Think the contrast between loving family moments from the past and the reality will turn teary eye into big cry though xd
I don’t really like sad stories but I really feel Mouse and Angela from yours! Your words are powerful!
This story genuinely hurt to read in the best way. Nothing overly dramatic even happens, but it still feels heavy the entire time. Mouse waiting outside in the rain for her mom honestly broke my heart because you can feel how badly she still wants to believe her mother will come for her. And Angela… she’s just a kid too, but little by little she’s forced into becoming the parent in the house.
The ending really got me. The splinter scene felt so simple, but it meant everything. Angela teaching Mouse how to take care of herself because “Mom is never here anymore” was such a painful realization. The title makes so much sense by the end. It’s like the responsibility and care that should’ve come from the parents got transferred onto Angela instead. Really emotional and beautifully written story.
I really engaged with this story. You have done a great job of the characterisation – the girls feel like real people. I liked the way you exposed the parents through little details like the note on the fridge and the broken promise to be there after school. I know you built the story around the idea of the transfer of the weight of responsibility, but that was the one part of the story that didn’t really work for me. When I read the ending it came as a shock, and I was like ‘Wait, what?’ That said, the characters are real and, like others commenters, I want to hear more about them. I think you could sustain a longer form – this would make a great junior fiction or YA novel. Keep writing!
This story genuinely hurt to read in the best way. Nothing overly dramatic even happens, but it still feels heavy the entire time. Mouse waiting outside in the rain for her mom honestly broke my heart because you can feel how badly she still wants to believe her mother will come for her. And Angela… she’s just a kid too, but little by little she’s forced into becoming the parent in the house.
The ending really got me. The splinter scene felt so simple, but it meant everything. Angela teaching Mouse how to take care of herself because “Mom is never here anymore” was such a painful realization. The title makes so much sense by the end. It’s like the responsibility and care that should’ve come from the parents got transferred onto Angela instead. Really emotional and beautifully written story.
This story was well written. The characters and what they’re going through was very realistic. It made me sad that I could connect with the parents divorce and the mom not being someone the girls could depend on. I grew up in an alcoholic home and had to be a responsible 5th grader to my siblings. I could only hope that I was there for them when they needed me.
This was well written. You did a wonderful job at pulling the reader in, but at the same time not being too descriptive that it didn’t feel fictional. The reader feels the emotions that Angela and Mouse feel during this time of upheaval. Great work!
There’s nothing like a carefully crafted story by June Wolfman! Satisfying characters.
It was a sad story that unfortunately happens quite often after divorce.. Good thing the sisters had each other. Well written.
That was such a sad but heart warming story. Sad because such things are common in real life. But i am happy that mouse and angela are there for each other. It will become more difficult in the future but knowing you have a sibling to rely on makes the burden a lil lighter.
Such a sad story because you know it is happening in real life but heart warming because despite the lack of parental figure, knowing you have a sibling to rely on makes the burden less heavier.
As an older sister who would do anything for my younger sister and have had instances where I had to stand up for her in school, I can relate to this on a personal level. I am glad that Mouse had Angela there to protect her when the mom wouldn’t.
It is so telling when Angela says that she wants to go live with Dad because she must have had a sense that the mom wouldn’t be there for her. I cannot imagine how abandoned she must’ve felt when she realized that both her parents won’t be able to take care of her or her sibling. I really like how at the end it says: it was done. The Transfer. She probably has been feeling the responsibilities pile on for awhile now, but after that situation, it really solidified it.