1 Chapter 1 ~ Just A Girl
Every day was just like any other at the farm: Milking the cows, feeding the chickens, brushing the horses' hair, cleaning the pen. She trudges her tiny feet as she walks across the field.
A voice called out, "Lori! Supper is ready!"
My name is Lori Perez. I am 15 and stuck on my family's farm. The kids at school tease me because I smell like dirty raw animal. Because of this, I promised myself that I would never live like this again when I grow up. My goal was to join the best corporation or at least one of the top ten. As a result, I'm counting down the days left to my graduation. I still have a couple of years before I can apply for a job.
"Lori, are you daydreaming again?" a woman asks as she walks up behind her.
"Huh?" Lori looks up to find her mother frowning.
"You need to stop daydreaming right now. After you finish eating, I want you to run to the market for some batteries. Get a few so you don't have to return anytime soon."
{At the super market}
"Excuse me, sir, where are your batteries?"
He looks up from what he's doing with a stern face. He points to the counter. He then continues to do what he was doing.
She walks over to the counter and begins to look for the batteries she needs for her mother.
"It seems they don't have the ones I need. What should I do?" Lori asks herself.
Lori looks at the man as he walks over to the counter.
The man asks in a stern voice, "What do you want?".
Lori responds, "I need the 1025e flat.".
He reaches for his drawer that was underneath the counter. Grabs a handful of batteries. He smacks it against the counter. "Would any of these work?"
Her eyes move from battery to battery in the pile. "I'll take these." Lori points out to three round batteries.
The man says, "Four bucks.".
Lori handed the man four dollars and ran out of the store. As she walked home, she noticed an ad stuck outside a closed electronics shop. Lori walks up close to the ad and investigate it to see what it was all about.
There is a proposed school for the city? Here is my chance to get out of the village and village life," Lori thinks to herself.
She tears the advertisement from the glass window of the electronics store. Then, she walked home as fast as she could.
Lori calls out to her mother as she enters the house. She shows her mother the ad. "Look!!! Can I apply? Can I go? Please, please."
It doesn't take long for her to nab the ad from Lori's hand and take a good look at it.
"Can I go please?" Lori asks with a pouty face.
I'll think about it," she replied, glaring at Lori.
"Mom, I promise to get my education there, find a great job, and buy you a house!"
Because of all the excitement, Lori wasn't aware of how late it was. Now that it is almost 9pm, she is tired from all the chores she did at the farm, the trip to the store, and her excitement about going to school. As she climbs into bed, she lets out a yawn. After a few minutes, she drifts off to sleep.
The following morning
7am
Lori wakes up the next morning thinking about the opportunities that await her. After searching under her bed, she walks over to her closet. "Where did my suitcase go?" Lori wonders.
She runs out from her room to look for her mother. "Mom!" she yells.
"I'm right here darling." The woman's voice echoes through the living room into the kitchen.
Have you seen my suitcase? I have been looking everywhere for it."
As Lori stands there, the woman looks over at her. "Why do you need your suit case?"
"Mom, you said I could go to the new school in the city." Lori whines.
She gets up from her chair and walks over to the storage room. She reaches in and grabs something. She blows the dust off of the cloth.
"What's that?" she asks her mother.
When the woman unwrapped the cloth, she found a shiny suit case underneath. "This is a very nice suit case that I bought many years ago. Now you can use it and take good care of it."
Lori snatches it from the woman's hands with excitement. "Thank you, mother! I love you! You are the best!" She then hugs her mother and runs upstairs with the suit case.
