​Myra Shonen
After being publicly shamed in the Israeli Army, Myra Shonen charts a comeback only to encounter the unimaginable
By Eric W. Gershman
Literary Fiction, 15 minutes | Courtesy of Hive Avenue Literary Journal
No one was hiring me. Not with my notoriety. So, when Naomi asked if I would cover her class while she went on sabbatical, I jumped at the gig.
On the first day of class, a dozen or so sleepy students sauntered into the room. I had arranged the chairs in a semicircle, then switched it to a long row, then back again. The sun shone brightly in the Jerusalem sky.
I began by asking everyone to introduce themselves and briefly explain what drove them to this class, Writing Your Story, English 100-217.
No one spoke, so I began.
“I’m Myra Shonen, adjunct professor,” I said, feeling brave. "Professor Hasna is on sabbatical and I'll be covering this class for her.”
I saw a lot of blinking eyes and disappointment. Naomi was working on a book in Australia focused on marriages between Aborigine and white citizens. I almost dreaded seeing how well the book would do, while my own writing collected emojis from high school friends.