Girl Meets the Forgotten

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Mom, Maya, and I were sitting at the table waiting for Riley so we could eat our breakfast. She walked into the kitchen taking a piece of toast out of my hand. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you wake me? It's electives' day, the earlier we sign up the better the chance we have at getting the good ones." Riley said, "I tried to wake you up three times." I told her. "You know I don't know you're serious until six times." Riley replied. "You know the first three times she's still checking for chicken pox to see if she can miss school." Mom said and I nodded in agreement.


"Hey I tickled your toes." Maya told her. "Well that explains the Lucas dream." Riley stated dreamily. "These are things you should keep to yourself Gummy Bear." I told her. I knew it was bad for me to feel jealous when my sister talks about her crush. She didn't know I felt the same way so it was insensitive for me to be angry about her always talking about Lucas. "So what electives are we hoping for?" Mom asked. "We are hoping to get out of them." Maya answered. "Actually it's not going to happen sister." Riley told her. "These are service electives." I interjected. "Not only do they expect us to be students, but now they want to give us jobs." Riley said. "Could be worse." I said with a simple shoulder shrug.

"How are we supposed to work and go to school at the same time?" Maya asked. "Yeah who does that?" Riley asked. I looked at my father and smiled. "How ya doin?" Cory greeted. Mom stood up to greet him. "Whoa hey honey, where you going?" She asked. "I'm going to school." He answered. "Oh, Whatcha gonna do there?" she asked. "I'm gonna work." He told her.

"You're gonna go to work and school?" Mom questioned. "At the same time." Dad replied. "Wait, but just for a couple of days, right?" Mom asked. "No, no, no this is forever. But Topanga surely your responsibilities are temporary, right?" Dad said. "Oh no I have to do everything all the time." Mom told him.

We started clapping for them. "Bravo!" I said. "No more, no more." Maya said. Mom and Dad bowed. "Thank you." They thanked and Dad then picked up his briefcase. "We will be here for the rest of your lives." Dad told us. "Ain't that the truth." I said. "Have a good day honey." Mom told him. "I hate Parent Theater." Riley told us. "Well, we'll have to deal with it for the rest of our lives so might as well enjoy it." i said. "You did set them up pretty good." Maya told them.

"You know when I went to law school I held down two part time jobs." Mom told us. "Yeah now your life is a piece of cake." Riley said. "Would you make us cake?" Maya asked. "Get to school." Mom instructed. "Bye mom I hope you have a wonderful day" I said. "Thank you son, I love you." Mom said. I got up hugged her and put my dishes in the dishwasher.

"You'll be here making cake." Maya said. "Hey Riley you could put your dishes in the dishwasher." Mom said. "Later mom I promise. Job and school, job and school." Riley told her as we walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who here knows about the Great Depression?" Dad asked. "I thought it was called the Grand Canyon." Riley stated. "Excellent." Dad said sarcastically. "Who here knows about the Great Depression?" He asked again. "Maya." "Nothing's going to beat that sir." Maya told him.

"Farkle, Kayden save me." Dad pleaded. Farkle stood up. "The year was 1929, the stock market crashed, everyone lost their money and their jobs." Farkle said. I stood up and began talking. "The people who were comfortable were now lost and became known as," I trailed off waiting for dad to finish. "The forgotten." Dad finished pointing at the board.

"Working class people, the heart and soul of our country, basically taken for granted in the first place and now discarded and forgotten." I explained. "How could that happen, sir?" Lucas asked. "It shouldn't happen Mr. Friar." Dad told him. "But that could never happen to anyone in the Grand Canyon today, could it?" Riley asked.

"I don't know Riley. I'm sure you would never take anyone for granted right?" Dad questioned. "I would never." Riley replied. "And do you think there's anyone who cares about you that goes underappreciated or overlooked?" Dad asked. Riley turned to Maya and I. "Maya, Kayden, my life is so much better for having you two in it." Riley told us. "I know pumpkin." Maya replied. "Not what he meant but I'll take it" I said.

"Thank you dad for the first time I actually understood something you tried to teach me." Riley told our dad. "Please bell ring. Ring. Ah." Cory said, grabbing his briefcase and leaving the room. "You could do that?" Maya asked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I wonder what electives we're going to get." Riley told Maya and I as we stood in the lunch line. "I hope we get good ones." I said. "Why do they call them electives if they make us do them?" Maya asked. "I don't know and why do they call it shop class. That was the biggest disappointment of my little life." Riley said. "As I tried to explain to you before its WOODshop." I said.

We moved forward in the line and received a plate from one of the lunch ladies. As we continued through the line we received mashed potatoes from Miss Geralyn Thompson. "Yum blob." Riley said. "No blob for me please. Not because it's not good. Because there's not taste and no flavor." Maya told her. She plopped the potatoes on her plate. "Okay." she said. "You know I made that myself." Miss Thompson told us. "What is it?" Riley asked. "I call it Tuesday." Miss Thompson answered. "But it's Thursday." Riley told her. "Mmm hmm." She replied.


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