Terrible Day

The day started with my mother and father going to 

Gene’s. My dad, a dedicated man, would open that store 

in the middle of a snowstorm. Here is where I discovered 

my opportunity. My brother and sister were in school, and 

I stay home because I was sick. They told me to stay in the 

house. Mom came to me and said: “Don’t leave the house.” 

In my seven-year-old mind I saw a door open. That door 

allowed me to walk in and prove to my mom I was a smart, 

independent girl who could take care of herself and could be 

what she wanted me to be: someone who could be responsible

and inexpensive.