Status: One Shot
Struggle.
Shot.
Have you ever heard that it’s hard to switch armbands? That it’s nearly impossible? Well, let me tell you, it’s not. Even if it was, it wasn't nearly impossible for my family and me. We went down in flames. We went from red, all the way to blue, in a couple weeks. Go ahead tell me I'm lying, but I'm not. We just traded in our brand new green ones for blue ones today. It’s amazing how that works, right? I guess I could become accustomed to it though. I loved having a bunch of money, but I think my family kind of needed a wakeup call from all of the luxuries in life. I will miss it, though. As of right now, it doesn't look like we're going to even come close to receiving our green bands back. That's how bad things were, because of my father's stupid shop. He spent the last of our money opening a second shop in another town, and his whole plan crashed and burned. He put us in debt, so far in debt that we couldn't pay it off in time to keep our pretty red armbands.
We sold our house for a bit of money, and the government surprisingly provided us a small shack for cheap. By cheap I mean over fifty percent of the money we earned by selling our old house. We had just enough money to buy some food, but then we had to go on food stamps. We kept some of our old clothes, but we were going to sell those too, just for extra money until my mother and father could find jobs. I was too young to work, but my older brother, Hammy, was just the right age. Hammy, my mother, and father were all going to work for the city; the pay wasn’t much for working for the city, but at least it was something.
As for myself, they expected me to attend school and be the intelligent one to make something of myself. They were willing to pay for me to go to school, just as long as I didn't
drop out like my brother did. I wouldn't dare drop out, though. I wanted to finish school and have a successful career, so I could rebuild my family’s wealth. A high green armband sounds nice.
I there one item I knew I had to part with, and I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. It was the stuffed bear my Aunty Dana had passed to me before she died. But, according to my parents, it's a way of earning money, and once my parents have made up their minds, there's no stopping them.
***
The stand for us to sell our extra things was already set up, and there I was, holding the bear for dear life. Hovering over me was my mother, telling me to put the ‘silly bear’ down. I didn’t do as she said, I just held onto it as tightly as I could. Every so often a little kid would comment to their mother about my bear, and my mother would force me to hand it over. When she walked away, I would make up an outrageous price and the customer would hand it back. It confused my mother why they wouldn't buy it. When she asked, I would just shrug my shoulders and return to my section of the sale. I had all my clothes, CD's, and such lying out with price tags all over them. Nobody had really taken much interest in my things since most people were older, but most of my mother and father's things were gone.
Hammy, on the other hand, didn't have much to sell in the first place. With him being the first son, he was taught to earn money for a living, and he didn't like it. Mother and father wouldn't buy things for him unless it was a small item of clothing or food. He had to buy the rest himself. After people had picked up what he had to sell, he escaped to have his secret rendezvous with his upper class girlfriend, Mia. They weren't allowed to be together, but they still were. According to him, 'their love was too strong for the government to break apart'. I thought it was funny hearing those words come out of his mouth, but no one else did. Needless to say, he didn't want to even be at the stand in the first place. He didn't want to see his family's earnings go to other, richer people, but it had to happen. He also admitted to me that he didn't want to see me let go of my bear.
I knew the moment would come though. Those few moments when a child says 'Mommy, that one!' and I would have to exchange my ever loved teddy for about a dollar. I was hoping I could sleep with him for one more night, that no one would buy him until the next day. My hopes were shattered when a man brought his four year old daughter to the stand. She had long, curly brown hair, much like mine, and stunning green eyes. Her eyes lit up when she looked at the bear in my hands, and she started reaching for it out of her father's arms.
"May she see that, please?" He asked kindly. I nodded slowly and reluctantly gave it to the small child. She clung to it like she had had him since the day she was born. I cringed at the thought of her having it, and felt hot tears well up into my eyes.
"How much is it?" He asked just as my mother stepped in.
"The price ranges from fifty cents to a dollar. Take your pick." He nodded and pulled out his wallet, then handed her a one dollar bill. The tears I'd been holding back spilled over as I watched this exchange.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you, uhm... Would you like to say goodbye?" The man asked, and I nodded. The bear was handed back to me, and I held it tightly. I didn't want to let go, but I
knew I had to. That little girl in her father's arms was anxious for her new toy. I finally kissed it, whispered a small goodbye, and handed it back to the girl. She squealed and squeezed it to her face, and then they walked away.
I put my face in my hands and sat on the ground. Hoping my bear would come back, I knew it wouldn’t be, though; it just felt like the day couldn’t get any worse…
"Ma'am, is this your son?" I quickly looked up, and there was a police officer, with my brother.
"Yes sir, he is. What did he do?"
"We caught him with a girl with a red band, and looking at his wrist," The man stopped and lifted up my brother’s arm, with the blue band on it. "he shouldn't be with her."
I stood up, ran over to my brother, and wrapped my arms around his waist. I just lost my most prized possession, and now my brother was in trouble with the police.
"Ma'am, please get off him." I looked up at my brother and he nodded his head, telling me to step away. I did as he said, and my mom crumbled in front of us. She knew what was coming, because this wasn't the first time he had been caught.
"Mom, I'm so sorry."Hammy whispered; she just shook her head and walked away. I looked up at the police officer, and he started to pull Hammy away.
"No!” I shouted, grabbing Hammy's waist once again.
"You need to let go little girl." The cop demanded
"No! Why can't you just ignore the stupid armband?! He's no different from you or his girlfriend!" I shouted at him.
"It's not my law, it’s the government's. Now, I will ask you one more time to let go and calm down, or you'll be going with him." I froze, let go of my older brother, and jumped up to kiss his cheek.
"I love you, bubby. I'll come see you." I choked out, wiping my face over and over.
The stupid armbands had caused me more trouble than they were worth. But I will make everything better. I will go to school, and bring my family back to the top, and take the armbands down on my way.
We sold our house for a bit of money, and the government surprisingly provided us a small shack for cheap. By cheap I mean over fifty percent of the money we earned by selling our old house. We had just enough money to buy some food, but then we had to go on food stamps. We kept some of our old clothes, but we were going to sell those too, just for extra money until my mother and father could find jobs. I was too young to work, but my older brother, Hammy, was just the right age. Hammy, my mother, and father were all going to work for the city; the pay wasn’t much for working for the city, but at least it was something.
As for myself, they expected me to attend school and be the intelligent one to make something of myself. They were willing to pay for me to go to school, just as long as I didn't
drop out like my brother did. I wouldn't dare drop out, though. I wanted to finish school and have a successful career, so I could rebuild my family’s wealth. A high green armband sounds nice.
I there one item I knew I had to part with, and I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. It was the stuffed bear my Aunty Dana had passed to me before she died. But, according to my parents, it's a way of earning money, and once my parents have made up their minds, there's no stopping them.
***
The stand for us to sell our extra things was already set up, and there I was, holding the bear for dear life. Hovering over me was my mother, telling me to put the ‘silly bear’ down. I didn’t do as she said, I just held onto it as tightly as I could. Every so often a little kid would comment to their mother about my bear, and my mother would force me to hand it over. When she walked away, I would make up an outrageous price and the customer would hand it back. It confused my mother why they wouldn't buy it. When she asked, I would just shrug my shoulders and return to my section of the sale. I had all my clothes, CD's, and such lying out with price tags all over them. Nobody had really taken much interest in my things since most people were older, but most of my mother and father's things were gone.
Hammy, on the other hand, didn't have much to sell in the first place. With him being the first son, he was taught to earn money for a living, and he didn't like it. Mother and father wouldn't buy things for him unless it was a small item of clothing or food. He had to buy the rest himself. After people had picked up what he had to sell, he escaped to have his secret rendezvous with his upper class girlfriend, Mia. They weren't allowed to be together, but they still were. According to him, 'their love was too strong for the government to break apart'. I thought it was funny hearing those words come out of his mouth, but no one else did. Needless to say, he didn't want to even be at the stand in the first place. He didn't want to see his family's earnings go to other, richer people, but it had to happen. He also admitted to me that he didn't want to see me let go of my bear.
I knew the moment would come though. Those few moments when a child says 'Mommy, that one!' and I would have to exchange my ever loved teddy for about a dollar. I was hoping I could sleep with him for one more night, that no one would buy him until the next day. My hopes were shattered when a man brought his four year old daughter to the stand. She had long, curly brown hair, much like mine, and stunning green eyes. Her eyes lit up when she looked at the bear in my hands, and she started reaching for it out of her father's arms.
"May she see that, please?" He asked kindly. I nodded slowly and reluctantly gave it to the small child. She clung to it like she had had him since the day she was born. I cringed at the thought of her having it, and felt hot tears well up into my eyes.
"How much is it?" He asked just as my mother stepped in.
"The price ranges from fifty cents to a dollar. Take your pick." He nodded and pulled out his wallet, then handed her a one dollar bill. The tears I'd been holding back spilled over as I watched this exchange.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you, uhm... Would you like to say goodbye?" The man asked, and I nodded. The bear was handed back to me, and I held it tightly. I didn't want to let go, but I
knew I had to. That little girl in her father's arms was anxious for her new toy. I finally kissed it, whispered a small goodbye, and handed it back to the girl. She squealed and squeezed it to her face, and then they walked away.
I put my face in my hands and sat on the ground. Hoping my bear would come back, I knew it wouldn’t be, though; it just felt like the day couldn’t get any worse…
"Ma'am, is this your son?" I quickly looked up, and there was a police officer, with my brother.
"Yes sir, he is. What did he do?"
"We caught him with a girl with a red band, and looking at his wrist," The man stopped and lifted up my brother’s arm, with the blue band on it. "he shouldn't be with her."
I stood up, ran over to my brother, and wrapped my arms around his waist. I just lost my most prized possession, and now my brother was in trouble with the police.
"Ma'am, please get off him." I looked up at my brother and he nodded his head, telling me to step away. I did as he said, and my mom crumbled in front of us. She knew what was coming, because this wasn't the first time he had been caught.
"Mom, I'm so sorry."Hammy whispered; she just shook her head and walked away. I looked up at the police officer, and he started to pull Hammy away.
"No!” I shouted, grabbing Hammy's waist once again.
"You need to let go little girl." The cop demanded
"No! Why can't you just ignore the stupid armband?! He's no different from you or his girlfriend!" I shouted at him.
"It's not my law, it’s the government's. Now, I will ask you one more time to let go and calm down, or you'll be going with him." I froze, let go of my older brother, and jumped up to kiss his cheek.
"I love you, bubby. I'll come see you." I choked out, wiping my face over and over.
The stupid armbands had caused me more trouble than they were worth. But I will make everything better. I will go to school, and bring my family back to the top, and take the armbands down on my way.