Rich or poor?

by Carrie Montgomery, age 12

    The screen door slammed behind Megan Henderson as she scurried outside of their house to the waiting car.

    "Sorry I'm late," she apologized hurriedly as she hopped in.

    "Seems like we've been waiting for hours," her younger sister Emaleigh rolled her eyes in disgust. Seeing Mom's frown, she quickly lowered her eyes to her book again. It seemed that Emaleigh was always reading something or other.

    "Watch your tone, Emaleigh," Mom admonished. She turned back to her driving, and soon they turned down the road to school.

    Megan glanced down to her shoes. They were a bit scuffed up, she decided. "Mom, can you buy me more shoes?" She looked hopefully at Mom.

    "No, dear. You just got those a few weeks ago, and money is a little tight right now," Mom explained.

    Disappointed, Megan was quiet the remainder of the car ride.

    When they arrived at their destination, a large brick school, Megan energetically jumped out of the car, her usual good spirits returning.

    The morning breezed by in a hurry, and lunch hour made its appearance. Megan slid into her favorite spot beside her best friend Melissa. Other girls came, too, and soon a lively conversation was going. Quickly, though, it turned to a rather unwelcome subject.

    "Our family got a new pool this summer," wealthy Victoria bragged.

    "Oh, and did I tell you about my classy computer that I got for my birthday?" Ashtyn added, glancing at some of the girls she knew were poorer than the rest. She turned to Megan. "What did you get for your birthday?" she questioned curiously.

    Megan bit her lip, sure that her gift was not half as special as Ashtyn's. "I got a skateboard," she smiled, hoping that would pass as okay.

    It did, but Megan's mind was still troubled by the incident. "Why are we so poor?" she wondered miserably. "It's just not fair," her mind protested further. "Ashtyn and Victoria can have anything they want. Their parents don't say,'Money is a little tight right now,'" And Megan became grumpier and grumpier as her mind continued to dwell on that subject.

    After she got home from school that day, she stomped up to her room and threw herself on her bed. She lay there complaining to herself for quite a while.

    "Megan! Where are you?" Mom called a few hours later. "Dinner is ready."

    Megan trudged into the kitchen and heaved a loud sigh as she sat down. Dad frowned at her, but he did not comment.

    Dinner consisted of vegetable stew, bread, and cheese. Megan scowled at the soup in her bowl.

    "If we weren't so poor," she mumbled under her breath, "we wouldn't have to eat dumb things like vegetable stew." She quickly stopped muttering, however, when Mom raised her eyebrows at her.

    The following Sunday, Dad announced that they were going to go visit Kenneth and Lydia Johnson, an elderly couple that lived nearby. The Henderson's climbed in the car and were off, driving the few miles to the Johnson's tiny cottage. When they arrived, Kenneth hobbled slowly out to meet them.

    "Welcome, welcome," he greeted, his face all smiles. "Lydia is inside, feeling a bit poorly."

    "I hope we did not come at a bad time, with Lydia sick and all," Dad worried.

    "Not at all, not at all. I do declare, we are always glad for company," Kenneth hastened to reassure him as he led the way to their cramped cabin.

    Upon entering the house, Megan was surprised by its barrenness. There was hardly any furniture, save a few of the more necessary items. The worn tile floor and faded walls did not help its appearance any, either.

    They found Lydia lying on a rickety couch in the main room. She was pleased to see them, too. Greetings were exchanged, news was told, and songs were sung. The enjoyable visit passed by quickly, and all too soon it was time to go home.

    As soon as they got home, Emaleigh headed up stairs to her room. Megan plopped down on the couch and picked up a magazine. Soon Mom and Dad joined her in the living room and started reading books of their own.

    "Mom?"Megan asked. She walked over to Mom with a puzzled expression on her face.

    "What?" Mom asked, looking up from her book.

    "Who are these children playing in the dirt? And how can they look so happy if they have to play in the dirt?" She showed Mom the pictures of the kids in the magazine.

    "Well, Megan, those are African children. And as to why they look so content, I think they have learned the secret of being cheerful even when they own so little. Think of the Johnson's. Do you remember how content they were?"

    "Yeah, and their house was really small and their furniture was really old," Megan agreed, nodding her head vigorously.
    Dad joined them on the couch. "Mom and I have noticed that you have been complaining a lot recently about how 'poor' we are," He added soberly. "We have decided that to help you learn to be content with what you have and not be greedy for more and more and more, you should not receive your allowance this week to remind you of those that can be happy even when they live in poverty."

    Megan promised herself when she went to bed that night, "I'm sure this punishment will teach me to be satisfied with what I do have, and not wish for what I don't."