A Lucky Boy

A Lucky Boy  (E) Kids just don't appreciate what they have. #1537098 by Timothee

"You're CRAZY!", Jed yelled, ducking as an old shoe whooshed past his head and thunked on the wall. He made it safely into his room and pulled the chain overhead, lighting the single fluorescent bulb. In the stark light, he sat on the edge of his bed and caught his breath. He wondered if he was the only teenager with a nut for a mom. She really seemed to blow things out of proportion, screaming and throwing things. Luckily, he had learned to move fast and rarely did any of the projectiles connect with their intended target.

The two of them lived better than most since the Great Depression of 2010. Even though they lost their house a few years back, they were able to afford an apartment with two bedrooms. His mom worked as a genetics lab engineer and his father was in Iraq. When his mom came home she was irritable and tired. Today, she had to go stand in the grocery line for their weekly ration tickets, then get in the gas line. Jed sat in his room and decided maybe this wasn't the best time to tell her that he wanted to quit violin lessons. They had sacrificed the premium channels on TV so they could rent the violin. He was talented and it was a great privilege to be chosen to play. But Jed would rather just chill out after school, not practice that old violin. Jed heard his mom's hybrid start up. His eyes automatically found the window and he watched her pull away in the winter's early darkness. His parents had even given him the room with the window. Feeling guilty, he picked up the instrument and began to practice.

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