Lost and Found (Draft 1)

It was the middle of winter and a strong eddy blew at my face. Most people were at home spending Christmas break with their family, but for me I was on the streets all alone. I looked inside a stranger’s window and could see a family. They were giggling and drinking hot chocolate by the fire, just like my family once did. I had to turn away as the memories of my family and the happiness we shared came flooding back. Tears started rolling down my cheeks as I continued down the boardwalk. After my dad died, I prayed every night for things in my house to return to normal, but my mom started drinking and blamed me for my dad’s death, thus nothing was the same. We used to be the perfect family, but now I was on my own. I ran away before, but my mom seemed to find me or I would come back because I didn’t have food or shelter. Right now I was debating whether to go back to her. While I was thinking, I bumped into a man. Of course, he saw that I was all alone and started a conversation.

“Hey there little man my name is Jasper, and I work over at Sarah’s Café, I’m the delivery guy. May I ask why you are out here all alone so late?” he asked with curiosity.

“Just looking, my name is Emmett by the way.” I said shaking his hand; at least my mom taught me some manners before she went crazy.

“Well you look like you could use some food. Would you like to come to Sarah’s Café and have some of her famous cookies and milk?” Jasper asked after noticing my tattered clothes and gaunt figure.

“Sure! Thank you so much.” I knew he realized that I was homeless. I usually didn’t go with strangers, but I had only eaten a paltry amount of food in the past few days so I decided to go with him.

Once in the café, I saw an old lady around seventy years old, who I figured, was Sarah. She took one look at me and retired to the backroom; once I got to the front she had a plate of the most delicious looking chocolate-chip cookies and a tall glass of milk. She put them in front of me and I dove in. In a few seconds, I was done eating and she started asking me questions.

“I heard from Jasper that your name is Emmett, do you have a last name?” Sarah asked.

“My last name is Longbottom. Emmett Longbottom. Nice to meet you” I answered.

“Nice to meet you too, where is your mother?” Sarah questioned.

“Um… well I don’t really know probably at home, drinking” I said with a sigh.

“Drinking? Honey, tell me more and maybe I can help you get out of this quagmire.”

“You are going to help me?” I asked with tears filling my eyes.

“Sure sweetie, tell me and I promise I will get you help.” Sarah said with a benign look.

I don’t know why I told her but I did. I told her about my dad and about what my mother’s malignant behavior. While I talked, she held my hand while Jasper put a comforting arm around me.

“Well I am going to get some more cookies for you and we can talk some more.” She said getting up and running to the back, asking Jasper to come along.

“Okay” I said a little confused.

She was gone for a long time. I heard a fracas, the sound of pages turning, and a dial tone. That’s when I figured she was calling my mother telling her where I was. I couldn’t believe she was doing this after I told her what happened. I knew in a few minutes my mother would come staggering in to pick me up and bring me home to smack me and say awful things to me. I was getting up from my chair, about to walk out of the restaurant, when Sarah called my name.

“Wait Emmett, don’t go!’ she screamed

I looked at her with petulant disgust and asked, “Why would you do this to me? After what I told you I thought you were going to help me, but you don’t care about me! You don’t care if I live or die.”

“You got it all wrong. Sarah is just trying to help you. She helped me and she is helping you.” Jasper said with pleading eyes

Before I could respond I heard my mother’s shrill voice. “Emmett come with me now!” she yelled in her authoritarian tone. I followed her command and went outside. I turned around to see Sarah jogging behind me, with a grave face. I turned the corner I saw red and blue flashing lights. There were ten police cars surrounding the street. One police officer was holding a gun at my mother. I wished he would fire but he at least he arrested her. First, he read her the legal rights, and he told her to lie prostrate on the ground. The officer put handcuffs on my mother and escorted her to the cruiser. At that moment, I knew I wouldn’t be hurt again by her.

I ran to Sarah throwing my arms around her. “Sorry I didn’t believe you, but thank you so much. I’m free! I’m free!”

After that night my life turned around. I lived with Jasper in the apartment above the Café, and I worked with Sarah during the day after school. Also, my mother got sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison, so she could never hurt me again.

The Rescue

Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central Publishing, 2000. Genre: Romantic Fiction

The Rescue is about a volunteer fireman named Taylor McAden and a single mother named Denise Holton who live in a small town in North Carolina. Both meet each other during a terrible storm and start a relationship, although this makes Taylor open up and talk about his life that has been locked up inside him for years. This makes Taylor choose to make the biggest commitment of all; to fall in love with someone.

“Sparks, who is becoming well known as a sophisticated writer of romances, has a beautifully natural way of portraying a complicated and intense love story. THE RESCUE is yet another example of his imagination and skill.” – South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

The Rescue shows Nicholas Sparks telling about men with problems not just the women. We get to see it from both of the main characters sides, Taylor’s and Denise’s. We get to see how their past affects their choices, and Nicholas Sparks writes with strong passion when we see it through the two main characters eyes. Even though this is the first book I read by Nicholas Sparks I saw the movie called The Notebook, which was a book written by Sparks. The Notebook reminds me of The Rescue because of the setting and the passionate love story.

In The Rescue you get to see how some love is complicated and not always a fairy tale. Nicholas Sparks shows people who are afraid to fall in love because they don’t want to hurt anyone. We see that women aren’t the only ones who have problems in their past and women aren’t the only ones to not open up to someone.

I am now a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks after reading this book. I love how Sparks doesn’t make this love story sappy as some other authors do. This showed me what struggles people go through to fall in love because real life isn’t like Cinderella. I really enjoyed the way he writes The Rescue because I would think it would be the woman in the book, Denise who would have the problems to fall in love, but it is really the man, Taylor who does. I am definitely going to read more books by Nicholas Sparks and hope they are as good as or better than The Rescue.

The Lost Boy

First Quarter Reading Book Review

The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer. Health Communications, Inc., 1997. Genre: Autobiography

The Lost Boy, Dave Pelzer’s sequel to A Child Called “It”, is about Dave who is in foster care and the struggles he goes through. The story takes place in San Francisco, California area, mainly in Daly City.

John Bradshaw states, “The Lost Boy stands as the premier book on the unique love and dedication that social services and foster families provide for our children in peril. Dave Pelzer is certainly a living testament of resilience, personal responsibility and the triumph of the human spirit.”

The Lost Boy explains what Dave Pelzer goes through in foster care, and the rollercoaster ride his like takes. Dave tells about his different foster homes and searching for love. Dave is around age 12 through 18 during this book. The Lost Boy is the sequel to A Child Called “It”. Both books talk about his life and his experiences. What Dave goes through in The Lost Boy doesn’t seem half as bad as what his mother puts him through in A Child Called “It”. In The Lost Boy, no one hurts David to the extent that his mother did. This book discusses his life in foster care and how sometimes it is the best thing for some people.

“I could feel my Mother’s radar drill through me. I felt myself leaning to the right, a surge of fear creeping up my back. I took another whiff of Ms. Gold’s perfume.

I held my breath for a fleeting second, then before my courage disappeared I blurted out, “You sir! I want to live with you! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to tell! I didn’t mean to cause any trouble!” (72)

I really enjoyed The Lost Boy probably because I read A Child Called ‘It” before, and I found I couldn’t put the book down. I would like to read more of Dave’s books just to see what happens in the end for Dave. From The Lost Boy I realized I have a really good life. I have two parents, who are still together, and I am surrounded by love of friends and family. It helped me understand that I shouldn’t get upset if I can’t do something or I have to do this or that. Some people don’t even get to see their parents or they are abused by their parents.

Precious and Priceless

I believe the most important things in life are those without a price tag on them. Could you put a price tag on a moment that you cherish? Maybe if our “priceless” moments could be bought, would they be as important to us? In our society today, we stereotype people on a regular basis, mainly on what extravagant items they own. Now as gas prices hit sky rocketing marks, and our economy has took a turn for the worse, do we need the most “in” thing to be accepted by society?

Our car pulls into the parking lot right in front of the Ashworth by the Sea Hotel where a valet comes out to greet us. Long last, we are here at Hampton Beach for our week long family vacation. As soon as the car door opens, you can smell the salt water and hear the sound of the gulls in the distance. We start to unload the car, grabbing our shovels and pails and head right across the path to the beach, leaving my parents to deal with the luggage and checking in at the hotel.

Every summer we usually go to the beach and the weatherman had predicted this week to reach between 90 to 95 degrees with constant sun. This vacation is really special as it is my 13th birthday on Tuesday. My family is taking me out for a birthday dinner at Browns Lobster House. Once we dine on lobster we are planning to go the local ice cream shop where I will indulge in a large vanilla soft serve cone covered in chocolate sprinkles.

The balance of the week I will spend at the beach where I’m working on my tan and playing in the water. My brothers and I built a large sand castle only to see it wash away as the tide came in later that day. In the early morning, I collected a few sea shells which washed upon the shore during the night. It was so great to feel the morning breeze and the sand through my toes as we walked along the shore, but by 9:00 a.m. the breeze was gone and the sun shone brightly.

On the last day of our trip, we saw fireworks which lit up the sky as we sat on the beach for the final evening of our vacation. It was really great to relax and spend time with my family. There were no video games or television this week, just quality time with my brothers and my parents. It was a very memorable trip and cannot wait for next year and our return trip back to make new memories.

I head down the stairs, pass through the kitchen, through the garage, and away I go. I jump on my new 5-speed bike, but not before I put on the metallic gold helmet, a present from my grandmother. The helmet shines in the sun as the rays of sun reflect upon it, as I fly down the hill going faster than the cars.

The bike was designed for quick speed with its sleek design, and wide tires for riding through any type of terrain. Many people comment on the lavender color of my bike and how beautiful it is. I polish it up about every month during the spring and summer. I even wipe down the tires with a special polish that keeps the wheels clean and shiny.

Exercise today is so important and my bike provides this. My leg muscles have gotten much stronger and it helps to work off those extra calories. Sometimes getting up the hill can be tough, but it provides great satisfaction when I reach the top.

The freedom a bike gives me is great! I am able to get around, do things, and see things. I love not having to ask for a ride everywhere I want to go. Sometimes just cruising up to The Commons and doing a little shopping is a real treat. Once I rode down to McCray’s Farm and treated myself to some ice cream on a hot summer day. I find myself lying in bed at night planning my next venture. The one drawback I have in riding my back year-round is during the periods we have snow or icy weather. It dampens my spirit when I have to stay inside and wait for the good weather to return. This is one of my more costly items and I try to keep it in the best condition I can.

Looking at my financial and priceless moments, I realize that both of my items mean a lot to me. Both my trip to the beach as well as my bike give me a great deal of enjoyment. Whether it is enjoying a vacation or my next trip out with my bike, they give me a lot of pleasure and relaxation. I look forward to both and cherish the memories they have provided to me.

I realize that each cost money to enjoy. If I had to make a choice, I would probably give up my bike before a family trip to the beach. The moments that my trip gives me I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world. I realized after writing this essay, I found the real “value” of an item is the value that pertains to you.