Words of Wisdom

by Tanea Reed
Grade 5
IDDS

Chapter One:  The Beginning

It all started on December 5, 1995.  That's when I was born.  I was a gift from God to my grandfather.  He and I were best friends, until the sad death of him three years later.  It seemed that he died because he was really sick from smoking.  he had diabetes.  I never knew that it would be him that would die.  Tow years later, my little sister was born.  Her name is Lisa, but I call her Big Head because she has a head the size of Jupiter.  

You want to know about my life?  Well, to me my life isn't that perfect.  I mean, yeah, I have two wonderful parents that love me and buy everything I need, take care of me as best they can make sure I'm safe.  It's just that people say that I should wear certain types of clothes and stuff and I don't think any boys like me because of that.  

Well, you are going to go into the life of me, Vanessa Louise Johnson and maybe you'll understand.  Today's date is October 31, 2006.

"Hurry up Vanessa!" Yelled Lisa.  "Mom's outside waiting."

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute," I said as I tried to fix my micro braids into a style.  

"Come on Vanessa!  Your mom's outside waiting."  Dad impatiently stated, as I ran out of the bathroom into the living room where my dad was playing his PlayStation 2.

"Give me a kiss," Dad, a tall man of 6'3", a man of thirty said as I gave him a kiss on the cheek and rushed out the door.  As I got into my mother's Chrysler, my aunt Maria, twenty-two and as mean as a snake, dramatically said, "it's about time."  She was in the front seat.  My mom, a taller, much older figure of myself, and one year older than my father, was holding the steering wheel waiting for me to get in.  I thought that we were on our way to take pictures but then my mother suddenly said as she laughed, "Vanessa, I thought that you said tome that you would get a cute outfit."

I was wearing some new jeans, a black and pink shirt that said beautiful, and a brand new black sweater.  That looked pretty decent to me.  " I thought this was cute."  I said looking down at my obviously uncute clothes.

"We're about to go back to Maria's house to change ya'll clothes."  My mother calmly mentioned.  If you are wondering who my Maria is, she's my aunt on my mom's side.  Actually, she's my mother's sister.  Of course you already know she is young and has a baby.  Her name is Angela, but everyone calls her Angie.  My other aunt is named Tracey.  She's one year younger than Maria.  Well, the pictures weren't too bad.  Today is Sunday and I have school tomorrow.  Our mom picked us up from Maria's house and we drove back home.  We live in Brooklyn Park in an apartment.  My aunt Tracey was out with her friends.  After we are dinner, we had time to watch TV because it was 8:30 p.m..  We go to bed a t9:30.  We watched "That's so Raven".  The one where she doesn't want to spend time with her mother and tries to do things with her friends because it was the weekend.  That was my favorite episode.  Then came 9:30.  We said goodnight, our prayers and feel asleep.  Now its time for a rough school day.

Chapter Two:  Rough Schooldays

The next day was horrible as usual.  I wasn't surprised.  Everyday is the same thing, people making fun of how i dress, and how I look.  My tow best friends say that I should wear things like them and make-up and stuff.  I want to buy cute clothes, not make-up though, its ugly to me.  I've always hated it.  My cousins say the same stuff, talking about how when they want to make me over and things but I don't listen.  I tell them almost everyday what I want to wear clothes like them, but mom doesn't have enough money yet.  I love my family for giving me such confidence though.  I have two best friends.  Their names are Camille and Samantha.  We've been friends sine the first grade.

"Come on guys," Camille said to Sam and me while running up the playground stairs.

"Where are we supposed to be going?" I asked, confused.  Sam ran up the playground stairs right along with Camille.  I didn't want to go up there because the boys who always made fun of me were up there.

"I don't want to go up,"  I said.

"Why?" both Camille and Sam asked, stopping and looking back at me.

"You know why," I said angrily.

"Why are you yelling at us?"  Camille walked over to me.

"You need to watch who you are talking to," Sam yelled to me still on the stairs.  We spent five minutes arguing.  At lunch, Camille and Sam sat with the boys.  I sat alone.  While I was sitting down at my desk trying not to think about Camille and Sam, I just wrote how I felt inside.

I wish that I could just keep my mouth closed sometimes.  I should've told them why I didn't want to go up there.  I need to do something about this issue.  I just don't know what.

Sincerely Vanessa Louise Johnson

I put my pencil down.  The school bell rang.  It was time to get on my bus and go back home.  I gathered all of my things up into my backpack and went to my bus.  Today was a rough day.  

When I went back home, Lisa's big headed self was bragging to me on how well she did on her test and that mom was going to take her somewhere for sinner.  I ignored her because I knew it was a lie.  She makes things up just because she thinks I get to do things better than her.  I tell her that I don't, but will she listen?  Of course she wouldn't listen to me.  Tomorrow I'm going to see a psychic to discuss my problems too.  Her name is Ms. Harvest.

The Wisdom of Ms. Harvest

When I got to Ms. Harvest's house, she looked at me as if I was a ghost.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"  She said shivering.  Ms. Harvest is sometimes forgetful, so I just acted like her yelling at me was nothing.

"Ms. Harvest, it's me, Vanessa Johnson, your main customer."

"Oh it is you, the one with the ugly voice,"  She said combining laughter and rudeness.

"Yep, here I am," I said. 

well come here, let's talk," she said patting a pillow in front of where she was sitting.  I did as I was told and came to sit by her.  When she asked me what was wrong I told her about my friends and about how I wished I looked like them.

"Vanessa, don't you know that you are supposed to not care what everybody else thinks, you are you.  Nobody has to deal with what you have to deal with.  Just tell them to mind their own business."

"Ms. Harvest, you're a psychic, you're not a mir-

"Child, you're missing the point.  Yes, I am a psychic but you don't' need a psychic to tell you your future."

"I don't?" I asked confused.

"No.  You'll be okay as long as you stand up for yourself, be who you are.  Then people will respect you."

"
okay, I said as I nodded.  And walked back home feeling confident and free.  When I got home I was a brand new person.  And that's my story. I'm new and brave thanks to the wisdom and courtesy of Ms. Harvest.

The end.