Perfect Car, Perfect Life
by Adriana E, Age 9
Chapter One
Too big! Too small! Too tight! Too long! None of these cars were right for me! I might as well go back to college and then stay there afterwards to enjoy the sweet, stinky smells of the gym floors.
Oh, I hate being a janitor at my own college! I wish buying a car was easier than anything! And, best of all, I wish life was easier than buying a car!
I sneaked back to college in the middle of art class. I hate to admit this, but collage is worse than primary school! Most parents say college is fine just to make their children go but I risked myself to go to college without a car, family, friends, and without thinking! And that was even worse!
I ran away from my parents when I was 16 years old, just when my new baby sister was about to be 2 years old. Life was harder then. All because I wanted a car! Now I think to myself that family was more important than a simple car, but I’m afraid to go to my parents’ house, because maybe my parents won’t accept me! I really messed up!
Chapter Two
After college, I went to the 20th floor to get my cleaning materials.
“Clorox wipes, check! Towel paper, check! Mop and broom, check! And last but not least: plastic bag, check!” I told myself. My life is hard, but I do learn!
I had to clean 765 rooms today, because all the other janitors quit! I would’ve quit too, but I have to keep earning money to pay for college, food, and clothing.
After I did the 765 rooms, I started walking down the street to go home. Well I guess you thought that my house was paradise and maybe it could fit 200,000 cows, but no! It looks like a haunted house with a hole in it and it’s so small that I bet you could only fit four king beds!
But at least it protected me and I did have somebody to share it with: my dog! I could remember very well the day I found my house and my pet…
“I have to find a perfect house for a perfect girl! It’s going to rain soon and my baggage is going to get all wet!”
“Arf, arf!”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Arf, arf!”
“That noise could lead me to something good!”
“Creak, creak!”
“I’m going to risk it! I’m here! Oh, this is an unexpected house! I wonder if there is anything good about this house. Oh, a hole! Maybe the ruckus was coming from inside the hole! Aww, a dog! Where did you come from?”
“Arf, arf, arf!”
“Are you lost?”
“Aw, aw!”
“It’s okay!”
“Aw!”
“It’s going to be okay! Relax!”
“Arf!”
“That’s right! I will name you Beautiful! You are a miracle!”
Yes, I remembered that wonderful day!
Chapter Three
As I drank hot chocolate, I noticed my family picture frame. I looked at it, hugged it and began crying rivers! I could remember what caused me to run away…
“But Mom, everyone in my school has a car! Can’t I have a car? I’m already 16!”
“One, two, 16, 100! I don’t care how old you are! Sweetheart, you have to understand that we don’t have enough money! If you want money, earn it!”
“Lucy! Your mother is right!”
“But I don’t want to work! I wish it would be as easy as buying from Dunkin Donuts!”
“Life’s hard, decisions are hard, even money is hard to earn!”
“Your father is absolutely right, Lucy, if you think life is easy, and you are able to show us that we are wrong, then leave this house right this instant and feel ashamed!”
That was the end of my memory. I feel very ashamed! I was selfish, rude, and stubborn!
Chapter Four
I soon fell asleep and dreamed about my parents. They were embracing me with their warm, soft arms. It felt heavenly nice. I wanted to keep dreaming, I had to! But I had awakened, and I couldn’t fall back asleep, so instead I started to put on my clothes to go to the car dealership and afterwards go to college.
When I got to the car dealership, this strange man started hogging over me. He kept saying this — “What car do you want? Pick it right now! You’re disturbing me!”
All I did was give him a deadly stare and looked at three cars. The first car was a mushed-up, bright, black car. The second one looked like banana-mobile. Finally, the last one looked like a penguin and I HATE PENGUINS!
“Your cars are terrible!” I told him, “Don’t you have something better than these pieces of junk?”
“If you don’t like our cars, then leave!”
I didn’t wait any longer. I kicked myself out of there, and went straight to college. Actually, maybe college is better than buying a car.
Chapter Five
Once at college, I inhaled the dirty, hallway floors. I opened my locker and, inside, it looked like a crazy jungle! There was perfume on a top shelf, candy on the left, folders and books on the right, and some memorable pictures. My locker was like my personality!
Just then, in a distance, four mean-looking boys walked in my direction.
“You Lucy Henderson?” they questioned.
“Y-Y-Yes,” I stammered, wondering if something bad was going to happen to me.
“Is this thing yours?” they asked. They showed me a notebook that said “Social Studies.” That was my notebook!
“Oh, uh, thank you,” I said. Relieved that nothing bad was going to happen to me, I reached out my hand to take my notebook back. One boy snatched it out before I even touched it!
“Uh, that’s mine!” I exclaimed.
“Oh really! What are you going to do now?” they taunted me.
When I was about to scream with fury, this strange little girl popped out of nowhere and faced the bullies. “You leave her alone or else I’ll punch your faces!” Did I mention that Kindergarten college study are in the same building? Well they are!
“You don’t scare me!” they exclaimed.
Chapter Six
The little girl sprang into action! Clutching her hands into fists, she aimed straight for the center of their sensitive stomachs. It went by so quickly that all you could see was the flash of her and the boys! Now I thought to myself A little girl could beat up boys after all!
“Fine, you win! Help yourselves!” they sobbed.
I couldn’t blame her. She did tell them to hand me my notebook back!
“Here you go!” she exclaimed, handing me my notebook.
“Oh, uhh, thank you,” I said.
As I reached for my precious notebook, the little girl took it away from me, and looked at it for a long time. I stared a good old puzzled look at her.
“Lucy Henderson?”
“Yes?” I said impatiently.
“I’m Rachel Henderson…”
Suddenly I had a flashback…
“Mom, what do you want to name her?”
“Oh darling, I don’t know!”
“It has to be something catchy, Mom!”
“Yeah, like maybe Rose!”
“No Mom, something like Ruby!”
“No it’s too babyish!”
“Well, she is going to be a baby, Mom!”
“Yeah, but she’s going to grow up!”
“Good point, Mom!”
“No but — ”
“No but maybe — ”
“Rachel!”
“Ahem!” A clearing throat brought me back to reality.
Was she my sister? I wondered.
“Lucy!” she asked.
“Rachel!”
“Lucy!”
“Sister!”
We hugged a never-ending hug. Her arms covered my whole crooked waist with an unbreaking love. I hugged her in a way that nobody but me could. We were completely speechless until she broke the silence.
“Wait till Mom and Dad see you!”
Oh no! Mom and Dad!
Chapter Seven
“Mom and Dad?” I asked her.
“Yes! They would be delighted!” she exclaimed.
“Rachel, I’m not sure this would be a good idea,” I said.
“Why not?” she questioned.
“Look, Rachel, I love you but I just don’t think it would work,” I told her.
“But maybe if we just — ”
“Rachel, that’s enough! I can’t, okay?” I said exasperatedly. This was my only chance to go see my parents again, but I doubted it would work out.
My weary face bumped against my locker, seeing my helpless body just standing there. I felt a tiny hand rubbing my bony back. That calmed me down a bit.
“Fine, I’ll go,” I told her.
“Yes!” she answered happily with a bright sparkle in her eyes. I decided that it would be best for me to go see my parents again.
After college, I told my boss this: “I quit! That was an awful job you gave me. Good day!”
I felt proud of myself for quitting that revolting job.
“Follow me!” my sister said, holding my hand.
I followed her through some naked trees, big sharp rocks, twisted buildings and pretty houses. We were now entering the suburbs.
As I felt the crashing wind blow into my soft, sensitive face, I saw a beautiful white house in a long distance, pretty much lonely like me. Rachel ran towards that house as fast as she could, making me run with her.
“This is life!” she said.
The tall dry grass seemed to be telling me that I was getting closer and closer to my destiny. I couldn’t wait, I ran faster before I stopped on a dead track.
“What are you waiting for? Knock on the door!” Rachel said.
I stood there just thinking if maybe I made a mistake by coming to see my parents. After all, they kicked me out!
A tall, familiar woman opened the creaking door. A man from behind her brought his handsome, round face into the sunlight. The woman’s skin was the color of narcissus while the man’s skin was sandy beige.
I realized that these were my parents. A woman so organized with a man so caring. They did go well with each other.
I noticed the slight changes in their faces. The day I left I saw two smooth, clean, angry faces; now I saw two wrinkly, worn-out, calm faces. The way they stared at me was like they had seen a ghost and I could sense the sadness in their body movements.
“L-L-Lucy?” they stammered.
“Mom, Dad?” I asked.
“Lucy, is that really you?”
“Yes, it’s the same me.”
“Oh sweetheart, we missed you so much!”
“I’m so sorry!” I cried.
“No, I’m sorry! I threw you out! The one you should blame is me!” my mom exclaimed.
“No mom you were right!” I told her.
“I guess I was just trying to correct you, but I did it the incorrect way!”
“I love you so much!”
“Me too!” I exclaimed.
I hugged them so tight that I bet they would have stopped breathing any second. The good thing was that I was home again, with my caring parents. Love that had once vanished came back to me again.
Chapter Eight
My miserable sadness now changed to eternal happiness. I was where I belonged with love and peace. I gathered my things I had at my other house and brought it to my parents’ house. Even Beautiful was happy living with my parents.
Rachel and me, well we did everything together now. We were BFFs!
Later, this happened:
“Lucy don’t peek!”
“I’m not!”
“Okay, here it is!”
“Oh! It’s wonderful!”
“Really, it is?”
“Yes! I finally have a perfect car, and a perfect life!”
The End
Workshop: Elements of Fiction, Kate Reuther, Fall 2016
Uptown Stories inspires kids to to discover and develop their inner voices in a diverse community of writers.
Based in upper Manhattan, we offer small-group writing workshops for children ages eight to fifteen, led by master teachers and professional authors. To ensure our workshops are accessible to all children, tuition is pay-what-you-can. Uptown Stories creates an exciting, challenging, and supportive community in which young authors thrive. Find out more or donate to support our mission.
