PEANUT BUTTER GOES TO THE LIBRARY

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Congratulations, Mia!

I left a phone message for you a few weeks ago to let you know that your piece "Peanut Butter" has been chosen to be published in Young Voices Magazine. The magazine will come out in October, and we'll hold a celebration to mark its launch. You're welcome to bring friends and family to the launch on Thursday, October 18, 7:00 pm at the North York Central Library. ( I'll be in touch again to repeat this invitation in the fall )

I'm a librarian who helps put the magazine together and you may contact me with any questions you have.

Congratulations again on your publication!

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

( signed )

Susan Kernohan

Librarian

North York Central Library

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Peanut Butter

It started off like any other morning for Jake. ‘A bit gloomy for a spring day,’ He thought to himself. ‘Mom’s not downstairs. She must’ve left for work early today with Charlie.’ He got dressed and prepared his lunch of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as he did the day before and would do the next. He ate the same cereal as he did yesterday: Lucky Charms. Something didn’t seem right to him today. It’s normally the first sign of a bad day ahead. Jake glanced at his watch. 8:26 it revealed. This meant that if he didn’t hurry he’d miss his bus. He ran upstairs to grab his bag.

"Here, Pea." Jake said as he piled some pellets into his tiny hamster’s bowl. Jake rushed off and ran outside. The bus had already left. The worst was yet to come.

That was only the start of Jake’s misfortune. He had left his homework assignment on the kitchen table which gave him detention. During lunch, he realized that the bread he used for his sandwich had gotten moldy, and didn’t have enough money to buy a cafeteria lunch. He ended up buying a chocolate bar instead. Then he realized that he had lost his pencil case in homeroom, and the golden rule of ‘Finders Keepers! Losers Weepers!’ rang in his head. Jake was in a very terrible mood now. It seemed like the weather was just as miserable as he was because it started raining cats and dogs and became foggy pretty quickly. He was indoors for recess yet again. He thought of what he’d do when he got home. His stomach growled from hunger pains. He couldn’t bear skipping a meal. He craved a peanut butter sandwich. This made him think of his hamster Peanut Butter or ‘Pea’ as Jake would call her. He hadn’t paid much attention to her lately because homework had doubled. Peanut’s wheel had broken and hadn’t been replaced yet. The indoor bell rang, but Jake’s mind still wandered around Pea.

‘Peanut Butter has been my pet since the fourth grade. That’s 2 years. Wow. That’s really long for a hamster... well, in my family it is. I’m actually glad she’s a girl hamster now….’ Jake remembered how his father brought Pea home by surprise. Jake thought that she would be the perfect boy and he would be named Super-Ham. His dad told him it was most likely that she was a girl, but they didn’t know for sure. He hoped for a boy but as time went on, he cared less and less about whether Pea was a girl or boy.

‘Peanut Butter could have been Super-Ham. Mom wanted to name her Petunia or Lily. Some sort of flower. Lily would’ve been my name if I were a girl.’ Jake shuddered at the thought, but he kept thinking.

‘I’m glad Peanut Butter’s a girl. I already have two fish that are supposed to be boys. Their names: Fluffy and Waylon. I have my brother Charlie who’s also an untrained male pet. Jeez! I hope pea will be alright without her wheel for one more day. What am I talking about? She’ll be fine! At least I fed her a little this morning. She seemed fine then….’

"Jake are you asleep? Jake, wake up! Get your backpack! You have to go now. Your mom’s waiting for you at the office." Jake’s teacher interrupted. "You have the homework for today I assume?"

Jake didn’t feel like properly answering so he gave her a muffled "Yes’m". He stuffed his backpack with the needed papers and textbooks for home as he wondered why in the world he would have to come home.

‘Is grandmother sick again? Is Charlie hurt? Sick? Did someone die? The fish might’ve. Little Charlie would want a proper burial but that’s no reason to come home from school early.’ Jake still didn’t know why he had to leave as he wandered down the halls, but he was glad he did. He was still really hungry.

‘Maybe some news from dad,’ Jake’s dad was on a business trip, but it was still not a reason.

"Let’s go Jake. I already signed you out." Jake’s mother said to him. She walked him to the car in silence.

"Why am I coming home early?" Jake asked suspiciously.

"Well, I can tell you’ve had a bad day, so I’ll tell you when we get home."

"Just tell me now!" Jake almost yelled. He seemed angry at his mother.

"Later, honey." His mom protested. She looked him in the eyes and could tell he really wanted to know.

"Peanut Butter… died today." His mother said quietly. Jake sat in silence all the way home. He realized that Pea didn’t come out of her tower this morning, and she never would again. --#

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FYI, Mia is my grandaughter. She will be 15 years old next month. She is now in Mayfield School of Arts in Brampton, Ontario,