Cherish the Moment Chapter One

Chapter One

Sometimes life can get very confusing. I’m not sure what it has to do with. I wish life had little scratcher instructions for each situation. You know what I mean, like they have with some of those games, where you take a coin and scratch the paper and it shows if you won or not. Something like that. But I guess that’s only for fantasy books and movies. Real life never includes a script.

Like the other day, I’m at the store with my sister Katie. We’re picking up a few things Mom needs for dinner and it’s our turn in line. The checker is chatting away with the bag boy about something and Katie just catches her eye and says, "How come I’m the customer, standing here, and instead of paying attention to me, you’re chatting with another employee? That makes me feel like I’m not even really here."

Well, you can imagine. I just wanted to die. I mean, yeah, she was being a bit rude by not even saying hi, how ya doing? but gee whiz, it’s not like we were buying clothes at Periwinkles. I mean, that store is expensive, you get a personal shopper and they have a string quartet playing and they bring you coffee, and well, you expect to get attention showered on you. But at Wylie’s Supermarket, gee, it might be a big chain and all, but it’s just a place to buy groceries. It’s actually one of the less expensive supermarkets at that. And here’s Katie, telling this girl, who she doesn’t even know, that she’s being rude to customers.

The girl just looked at Katie, then sort of gave her a stiff smile and said, "I hope you’re having a nice day." Course, Katie can be so chatty and friendly, and loves to show people how to act, so she smiled back, real big and said, "Actually, I am. We both are, right Jereena?"

"Oh, yes," I said, sort of choking the words out. "We’re having a real fine day," and I sort of smiled, trying to tell her with my eyes that this lesson in manners was not my idea. My day had been a lot finer before Katie had started in with this.

Katie chatted for another minute or so, just chirping away like nothing unusual had happened, even though the checker’s day was probably ruined with embarrassment and humiliation. The checker handed us our bag and Katie took it, singing out gaily for everyone to have a good day. Like the whole line of customers really cared. Honestly, it’s hard work having an older sister who thinks she owns the world.

Sometimes I wonder what school is really for—what’s the real reason? Yeah, I know, we're supposed to get an education, and you hear horror stories of people who have dropped out of school and their lives are miserable. Thing is, I've never seen any of these miserable people. I keep seeing ads with successes of people who left school at sixteen or fourteen and who have these huge businesses and yachts and awesome homes in Hawaii. Hawaii is one of the most expensive places to live, so these people are doing well.

My dad says that statistically, only a small percentage of dropouts do that well, you hear about them cause they have the money to brag about it. I guess that might be true, but I never could see how memorizing a lot of dates is going to help me into some great career after I graduate.

Katie says I have the wrong attitude. "Look," she told me, in one of her zillion lectures where she thinks she’s going to teach me all about life. "Let’s say you're playing Trivial Pursuit or something."

"Oh, Katie, think of something else. I hate that game and I’m terrible at it."

"That’s my point. If you learned these dates and facts—"

"I'm not talking about facts. I'm talking about dates. I hate memorizing exact dates. What's the darn point?"

Katie sighed. She was polishing her nails and had paused in order to launch into one of her great speeches. Now she seemed thoughtful as she concentrated on the pinkie of her left hand. "I don't know," she said slowly, holding her left hand up as she admired her handiwork. "Dates have always been easy for me. Maybe you have a point. Maybe the point is that there's no point." She chuckled at her little joke. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course I have a point. Whether you're good at dates or not does not prove or disprove my point," I said huffily.

"Did you take your B vitamins today, Jereena?"

"NO!" I bellowed, and stormed out. Gol-lee! Katie sure takes it to the limit!

by

Jody Lynn Perry

Rated "G"