Girl 12 - October 26, 2019
I don’t know why it happens, but sometimes I dream entire novels. It might be a science fiction; it might be a “slice of life.” I tell Laur about these and he tells me I should write a book or two or ten. But I’m not a novelist. I’m a 1000-word weekly humour writer.
This was my novel dream last night. Any aspiring novelists out there – especially “tween” lit – you’re welcome.
Girl-12
So, there are these two dads who get along really well. They’re in their thirties. They live in a poorer part of a town somewhere.
Dad-A is a stay-at-home Dad. His wife, Mom-A, has a really good job. The As wanted to have kids but were unable to have bio-kids so they adopted lots of kids.
Dad-B cannot hold down a job. There are a variety of reasons for this. He is a good dude but things tend to take bad turns. Mom-B has a job at a local grocery store. She hates it. Her hours are all over the map, but it’s a job.
The Bs have two kids. A girl around age 12 and a boy around age 8. And they get along well enough. Boy-8 has a bike he rides to school. It’s very second hand, but he doesn’t care. He rides beside his sister or, to annoy her, around her. She secretly wants a bike but knows her family can’t afford one. So she walks, sullenly.
Dad-B likes to hang-out with Dad-A and he too is really good with kids. The Bs cannot afford to adopt children, but if they foster, they will get a daily rate that will cover what the kids need and provide a little income.
So the B household is filled with lots of gooey-nosed toddlers and preschoolers. Dad-B is in his element and kids are very loved and cared for.
Making supper always lands up on Girl-12’s plate. The Mom wants nothing more to do with food by the end of the day and often is too tired to even bring home groceries.
The Dads take the adopted and fostered kids to a Play Centre pretty much everyday and this centre provides lunch. There is always more food than can be eaten and the Centre would normally just throw it out, but agrees to let Dad B take it home.
Most days Girl-12 ends up with the task of looking into the fridge, seeing what’s there, and making supper based on that. And usually, it’s pretty easy pickins. But today all there is, is iceberg lettuce.
“Oh great!” she says, and starts to make up a pasta and canned-sauce supper with a lettuce salad. They have a tube of parmesan. That will pass for the protein part. And she is miserable – even with all these happy little kids running around having a great time.
Somehow, over the course of making supper, she finds out that her mom is putting aside $25 a month to buy Girl-12 a bike. Girl-12 knows it’s going to be a used bike and that she’ll have to get a book from the library on doing bike repairs. But she’ll have a bike!
All of a sudden she feels happy, or at least happier. The next day she is walking to school while her goofy brother rides circles around her on his used bike. But her perspective has changed. She “gets it” that everyone is just trying to do … maybe not their best … but good enough.
Even her backpack feels lighter.
(Note: Girl-12 has super short hair; Boy-8 has long hair.)
This was my novel dream last night. Any aspiring novelists out there – especially “tween” lit – you’re welcome.
Girl-12
So, there are these two dads who get along really well. They’re in their thirties. They live in a poorer part of a town somewhere.
Dad-A is a stay-at-home Dad. His wife, Mom-A, has a really good job. The As wanted to have kids but were unable to have bio-kids so they adopted lots of kids.
Dad-B cannot hold down a job. There are a variety of reasons for this. He is a good dude but things tend to take bad turns. Mom-B has a job at a local grocery store. She hates it. Her hours are all over the map, but it’s a job.
The Bs have two kids. A girl around age 12 and a boy around age 8. And they get along well enough. Boy-8 has a bike he rides to school. It’s very second hand, but he doesn’t care. He rides beside his sister or, to annoy her, around her. She secretly wants a bike but knows her family can’t afford one. So she walks, sullenly.
Dad-B likes to hang-out with Dad-A and he too is really good with kids. The Bs cannot afford to adopt children, but if they foster, they will get a daily rate that will cover what the kids need and provide a little income.
So the B household is filled with lots of gooey-nosed toddlers and preschoolers. Dad-B is in his element and kids are very loved and cared for.
Making supper always lands up on Girl-12’s plate. The Mom wants nothing more to do with food by the end of the day and often is too tired to even bring home groceries.
The Dads take the adopted and fostered kids to a Play Centre pretty much everyday and this centre provides lunch. There is always more food than can be eaten and the Centre would normally just throw it out, but agrees to let Dad B take it home.
Most days Girl-12 ends up with the task of looking into the fridge, seeing what’s there, and making supper based on that. And usually, it’s pretty easy pickins. But today all there is, is iceberg lettuce.
“Oh great!” she says, and starts to make up a pasta and canned-sauce supper with a lettuce salad. They have a tube of parmesan. That will pass for the protein part. And she is miserable – even with all these happy little kids running around having a great time.
Somehow, over the course of making supper, she finds out that her mom is putting aside $25 a month to buy Girl-12 a bike. Girl-12 knows it’s going to be a used bike and that she’ll have to get a book from the library on doing bike repairs. But she’ll have a bike!
All of a sudden she feels happy, or at least happier. The next day she is walking to school while her goofy brother rides circles around her on his used bike. But her perspective has changed. She “gets it” that everyone is just trying to do … maybe not their best … but good enough.
Even her backpack feels lighter.
(Note: Girl-12 has super short hair; Boy-8 has long hair.)