September
Three
About twenty minutes after five, my dad walked in my room and plopped at the edge of my bed. “Your mom tells me you’re going to the dollar store after dinner to get supplies for your new start up. Is that correct?”
My laugh was soft, a bit nervous. “Pretty much,” I said.
“Does this have anything to do with my father?”
“Only sort of.”
“Are you going to get carried away?” My dad looked half diverted, half delighted.
“No way, Jose,” I said. “I’ve got a pretty good idea about what I’m going to do…I’ve been planning.”
“Okay.” My dad stood, tousled my hair, looked at me for what felt like forever but was probably no more than a couple of seconds, then left me alone with my thoughts.
I gobbled through dinner, barely avoiding a reminder for my manners, then did the dishes and paced the front door while waiting for the jingle of my mom’s keys
I had no idea why she had to put on make-up just to go to the Friendly Dollar, but I was glad that patience came relatively easy for me. When it was finally time to leave, I charged from the house like a puppy off his leash, out the door and into the car.
In addition to the hundred dollars that Grandpa had given me, which I was determined not to spend, I had another twenty-seven bucks accumulated from various birthdays, allowances, and scrounging through my bedroom for gummy change. I dropped it all in my pockets and returned home a little more than an hour later with just under four bucks left.
With twenty-three dollars spent, I was locked and loaded.
Now that I knew what I was selling, I could finish Ms. Moore’s first homework assignment.
On one side of the tag, I drew my name, perfectly written and decorated. On the other side, if one were to lift the flap I’d expertly crafted, they would find a complete menu with all my various offerings.
If there’s one thing a kid treasures more than anything, it’s sugar, and I returned home from the dollar store with enough to give cavities to everyone on my block. I spent thirteen dollars on candy, which is quite a bit as long as you’re careful.
I bought three bags of chocolate coins, thirty coins to a bag. I planned on selling each coin for ten cents. I bought three packages of miniature chocolate bars, ten per pack. I would sell those for twenty-five cents each. I bought two trays of oatmeal frosted cookies – twenty-four count. They would go for twenty cents apiece.
But my best idea, I believed, were the three one-pound bags of hard candy, filled with individually wrapped pieces.
I dumped the hard candy onto my bedspread, mixed it all up, then repackaged them into three candy assortments inside the sandwich bags I’d bought for an additional dollar. I planned to sell each bag for twenty-five cents, because people love a good deal, even when it really isn’t one.
With the rest of the money, I bought supplies for lunch. Bread, meat, and all the fixings; a three pound bag of apples, crackers, and juice. I even bought my own pack of brown lunch bags.
The last thing I’d added to the cart was a small spiral notebook to keep track of the money I made and the new things I would need to buy.
I was so excited that night I barely slept.
TO BE CONTINUED…
