Saturday Mass
“Say your fine” Tommy whispered. “say your fine or you will really get it!”
Mrs. Jefferson looked in the rear view mirror and asked again, “Harry, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, mom” Harry said rubbing his arm where Tommy had punched him and gave Tommy his meanest look. They had been arguing in the back of the Jefferson’s huge van over how to go about convincing Mrs. Jefferson to take us to the pound. We were going to Mass together. I went to Mass on Sundays with my parents and plenty of times during the school week with my class at St. Benedict’s but I had never been to Mass on Sat. before. We were going to the first Saturday Mass and to confession. The Jefferson’s always went to Mass and confession on the first Saturday of the month. Madison had suggested I go with them so we could have clean souls when we started praying for a dog for me. I didn’t think it could hurt and while I standing in line to light a candle for a dog of my very own, I got a warm feeling looking at the statue of Mary. She looked so peaceful and nice, I thought she would like to help me get a dog. I bet Jesus had a dog. Confession was good, I never really did anything so bad that I didn’t want to go. Sometimes I thought about making something up so I would have an interesting thing to tell the priest, like I had been cussing, or fighting or something but then I would be lying and I would have to confess that too, and really, what would be the point of that?
After Mass we went to the park with a picnic. Mr. Jefferson threw the football with all of us while Mrs. Jefferson got lunch out of the cooler. After we said the blessing, which included Kennedy saying “and please help Sammy get a dog” at the end, everyone started eating. I just looked at the food.
“Don’t you like fried chicken, Sam?” Mr. Jefferson noticed I hadn’t taken any.
“Yes, sir, I do, I‘ve just never had it like this before.”
“What do you mean, like this?” Tommy said, licking his fingers and tossing his drumstick bone into the trash. “You’ve never had a picnic?”
“Um, no” I said, feeling like a total weirdo, “I’ve never eaten fried chicken with the bones still in it before.”
The Jefferson kids just looked at me.
“Do they make chickens without bones?” Tyler asked.
Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson chuckled while the Maddy, Tommy and Harry howled.
“No, all chickens have bones, Ty” Mrs. Jefferson said gently, “Sam is just used to eating boneless pieces of chicken.” “Go ahead and try it Sam. I am sure you’ll like it.”
At this point I just wanted to crawl under a rock. I am sure they all thought I was a spoiled, rich kid or something. I couldn’t believe my mom had done this to me! Sometimes I think she is out to ruin my reputation as a kid.
“Thank you.” I took a piece and ate it, just like the other kids had. It was really good too! I wondered why I had never had this before. I was definitely bringing this up with mom.
This is an excerpt from "The Jeffersons," an unpublished Children's Story by Rachel Ogea. Visit her blog at jrogea.blogspot.com
Showing posts with label Rachel Ogea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachel Ogea. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Jeffersons, Part One
A Boy Needs a Dog
“How was dinner?” Mom asked when I got home.
“Was it like having dinner at a prison riot?” Dad chuckled.
“Bob” Mom gave him a disapproving look, “let Samuel tell us about it”.
“Well…” I began, “it was nice. The food was good and we had chocolate cake for dessert”.
Mom and Dad just looked at me.
I knew my parents wanted details. I knew they wanted to know how a family with six kids and a dog could exist without complete chaos. I just didn’t know how to tell them. It was nice. The food was good. We got through dinner with only one argument, and that was when baby Lincoln dropped his cup and Kennedy got angry when Madison picked it up before she could. That was over pretty quickly though. It might have been different if everyone hadn’t been so intent on asking me questions. I wasn’t used to this. I was used to just listening. They really expected me to talk. When I wasn’t answering questions with “yes, I am an only child” or “yes, the school uniforms are awful”, they were all trying to talk to me at the same time, but it didn’t seem like a prison riot. More like a party, and I liked it.
“What about the house...” my mom began, “were you, um, comfortable there?”
“Their house is nice, mom. It isn’t like ours, but it isn’t real messy if that is what you’re thinking.” I almost felt like I was defending them!
“Oh, I didn’t mean that” mom said, quickly, trying to keep from sounding rude. “I was just wondering if they are all moved in yet, they’ve only been in there a few weeks, you know”.
At this point, Dad was grinning. He knew Mom would be mortified if I ever mentioned to Mrs. Jefferson that she had asked how her house looked. I decided to play with Mom a little bit. “Would you like me to go over and ask her if you can go in and have a look?”
“Really, Samuel!”
I smiled, enjoying getting a chance to tease mom. It didn’t happen often. While I had both my parents attention I thought I might as well ask them again.
“Mom, the Jeffersons have a dog.”
“No, Samuel.”
“Why?”
My dad quickly left the room and I knew it was because he wanted a dog too. I had overheard him once say “a kid should have a dog” to my mother when they didn’t think I was listening. My mother, however, always won.
“You know exactly why, Samuel. You are not old enough to take care of a dog and I will not have a dog stinking up this house.”
“The Jeffersons have a dog and their house doesn’t stink.”
“I am not discussing this Samuel, I am glad you had a good time and very glad you have new friends, but we are not getting a dog.”
“Your mom just needs to meet a nice dog.”
“Yeah, she just hasn’t met the right dog yet.”
“Your dad’s right, a kid needs a dog!”
The Jeffersons and I were rolling around the backyard with their dog Spike. He was a big hairy mixed breed that loved being petted. Tommy, Harry, Tyler and I had just walked Spike, or I should say Spike had just walked us, and we were trying to figure out how to get a dog for me.
‘Do you know anyone whose dog is having puppies?‘
“Nope”
‘Do you know anyone who wants to get rid of a dog?’
“Nope”
Madison had overheard the conversation. “If you really want a dog, you should go to the pound. They kill lots of dogs there, dogs that nobody comes to get.”
“Where do they kill dogs?!” Kennedy was visibly upset. “People just can’t kill dogs, can they Tommy?”
Tommy gave Madison a “you are so stupid” look, and Madison got down on her knees and looked Kennedy in the eye.
“If a dog doesn’t have anybody that wants it, and it goes to the pound, then sometimes they put it to sleep. Then they don’t have to worry about it starving or getting hit by a car.”
“Does it ever wake up?” She looked at Madison hopefully.
“No, I am sorry Kennedy, it never wakes up.”
Kennedy’s eyes got all teary and she looked at me and said “Sammy, you have got to get your dog from the pound!”
I looked around at all the Jeffersons and knew then and there that it was settled.
I would get a dog and I would get it from the pound.
This is an excerpt from "The Jeffersons," an unpublished Children's Story by Rachel Ogea. Visit her blog at jrogea.blogspot.com
“How was dinner?” Mom asked when I got home.
“Was it like having dinner at a prison riot?” Dad chuckled.
“Bob” Mom gave him a disapproving look, “let Samuel tell us about it”.
“Well…” I began, “it was nice. The food was good and we had chocolate cake for dessert”.
Mom and Dad just looked at me.
I knew my parents wanted details. I knew they wanted to know how a family with six kids and a dog could exist without complete chaos. I just didn’t know how to tell them. It was nice. The food was good. We got through dinner with only one argument, and that was when baby Lincoln dropped his cup and Kennedy got angry when Madison picked it up before she could. That was over pretty quickly though. It might have been different if everyone hadn’t been so intent on asking me questions. I wasn’t used to this. I was used to just listening. They really expected me to talk. When I wasn’t answering questions with “yes, I am an only child” or “yes, the school uniforms are awful”, they were all trying to talk to me at the same time, but it didn’t seem like a prison riot. More like a party, and I liked it.
“What about the house...” my mom began, “were you, um, comfortable there?”
“Their house is nice, mom. It isn’t like ours, but it isn’t real messy if that is what you’re thinking.” I almost felt like I was defending them!
“Oh, I didn’t mean that” mom said, quickly, trying to keep from sounding rude. “I was just wondering if they are all moved in yet, they’ve only been in there a few weeks, you know”.
At this point, Dad was grinning. He knew Mom would be mortified if I ever mentioned to Mrs. Jefferson that she had asked how her house looked. I decided to play with Mom a little bit. “Would you like me to go over and ask her if you can go in and have a look?”
“Really, Samuel!”
I smiled, enjoying getting a chance to tease mom. It didn’t happen often. While I had both my parents attention I thought I might as well ask them again.
“Mom, the Jeffersons have a dog.”
“No, Samuel.”
“Why?”
My dad quickly left the room and I knew it was because he wanted a dog too. I had overheard him once say “a kid should have a dog” to my mother when they didn’t think I was listening. My mother, however, always won.
“You know exactly why, Samuel. You are not old enough to take care of a dog and I will not have a dog stinking up this house.”
“The Jeffersons have a dog and their house doesn’t stink.”
“I am not discussing this Samuel, I am glad you had a good time and very glad you have new friends, but we are not getting a dog.”
“Your mom just needs to meet a nice dog.”
“Yeah, she just hasn’t met the right dog yet.”
“Your dad’s right, a kid needs a dog!”
The Jeffersons and I were rolling around the backyard with their dog Spike. He was a big hairy mixed breed that loved being petted. Tommy, Harry, Tyler and I had just walked Spike, or I should say Spike had just walked us, and we were trying to figure out how to get a dog for me.
‘Do you know anyone whose dog is having puppies?‘
“Nope”
‘Do you know anyone who wants to get rid of a dog?’
“Nope”
Madison had overheard the conversation. “If you really want a dog, you should go to the pound. They kill lots of dogs there, dogs that nobody comes to get.”
“Where do they kill dogs?!” Kennedy was visibly upset. “People just can’t kill dogs, can they Tommy?”
Tommy gave Madison a “you are so stupid” look, and Madison got down on her knees and looked Kennedy in the eye.
“If a dog doesn’t have anybody that wants it, and it goes to the pound, then sometimes they put it to sleep. Then they don’t have to worry about it starving or getting hit by a car.”
“Does it ever wake up?” She looked at Madison hopefully.
“No, I am sorry Kennedy, it never wakes up.”
Kennedy’s eyes got all teary and she looked at me and said “Sammy, you have got to get your dog from the pound!”
I looked around at all the Jeffersons and knew then and there that it was settled.
I would get a dog and I would get it from the pound.
This is an excerpt from "The Jeffersons," an unpublished Children's Story by Rachel Ogea. Visit her blog at jrogea.blogspot.com
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