danie41i

The garbage man came and so it must be Tuesday. Mom keeps Max locked in the house so he won’t chase anyone or bark.

    Stupid dog.

    On Tuesdays my brother has baseball practice. He thinks he’s so cool. He walks around in his uniform. Mom says some day I will play baseball too. My brother says kids like me don’t get to play baseball.

    I’m outside because they made me feel stupid again. Mom said to take the bathroom trashcan and empty it into the big trashcan, then to take the bathroom trashcan upstairs.

    I heard her, I really did, but I forgot. I left the trashcan with the big trash and the garbage truck took it away.

    Stupid garbage truck.

    “Reese, it’s time for dinner.” It was my mom. She told my brother and sister not to laugh at me, but when she isn’t looking they do.

    We had pizza for dinner. Pizza with sausage and pepperoni like my sister likes, not cheese pizza like I like.

    Stupid pizza.

    The nest day it rained. I had to wear my yellow raincoat to school. Yellow is a girl’s color. Doesn’t my mom know that?

    I hate school. I have to get off the bus in my stupid yellow raincoat and go to breakfast. My teacher, Miss Lavonne, is nice. Most of the kids are nice. But some of them are mean. Like if I go to the bathroom by myself, they might ask me, ”What’s it like to be in the retarded class?” I’m not retarded. I can read. It’s not my fault I’m in the small class.

    On Saturday I saw my father. He likes my brother and sister more than he likes me. I can tell. He took us to the zoo and bought us churros. I got the broken one. If it’s broken or smaller or uglier, I will probably get it.

    On Sunday, my brother broke his arm. Serves him right. He was trying to catch a ball and he missed. Now he has a little bell that he rings every time he needs something. My mom hates that stupid bell. Me too.

    When I was watching TV on Tuesday, I heard my sister scream, “Mom! Max is gone!”

    Suddenly, everyone went crazy. My mom went out of the house calling his name. My sister went after her screaming it. Even my brother, who said he couldn’t walk because he had a broken arm, came downstairs.

    I said, “He was probably chasing the garbage truck,” but noone heard me.

    My mom and my sister came back. My sister was crying. My mom was upset too, I could tell. She said she would call the Humane Society in the morning. My brother started to cry.

    We sat down together to eat, but noone was hungry and noone wanted to talk.

    “On Tuesdays the garbage truck comes,” I said. “Max likes to chase the garbage truck.”

    At first, noone said anything.

    “Are you sure, sweetheart?” my mom asked.

    “Yes. He always tries to get at the garbage man,” I said.
    My brother and sister looked hopefully at my mom.

    “Lets go kids,” she said. We left our dinner on the table and got into the car. No raincoats even.

“The garbage truck goes that way and then it turns left,” I said.

    My mom drove down the street, then turned left. After a few blocks, we saw a dog walking toward us. It was Max.

    My mom stopped the car and we all ran out crying, “Max! Max!”

    Max ran to us and we all crouched around him and hugged him. A car honked and drove around us, but we didn’t care.

    “Now Max, no more chasing the garbage truck, do you hear?” Mom said.

    We all got into the car. My brother and my sister wanted Max to sit next to them, but he sat on my lap. He was heavy.

    Smart dog.

Fiction