Geff and Jerald

Bad Start

Jerald said nothing on the walk home. I kind of worried for him, which is something you don't see in me every day. I was kind of ready to face the big argument that Mom was gonna have with me... but she didn't. By the time we were home, she was taking a nap and the dirt outside was already tilled. I went upstairs to talk to Jerald. "Hey, bro." He looked at me. "Look, I'm sorry--" 

"Don't be. It's fine."

I was confused. "What happened? Did they do something to you in school?" I asked. "Yeah, that first day really gave me a kick in the butt." Jerald rolled up half of his shirt, revealing a red mark on his stomach. "Hey, what happened?" 

"Some kid punched me."

"Well, did you punch him back?"

"Of course I did. I'm not a moron."

We both laughed for a moment. "Say, we should ask Mom if we can go to the city. You know, just to look around." I told him. Jerald hesitated. "I don't think we should, Geff. We should stick to school for now and think about all the big plans later." Hmmm. He was right. "Well, at least I brought some instant 'ramen', I think it's called." I grabbed a small cup from my bag. "Is that the 'instant food' you were talking about earlier?" I nodded. "Hey, as long as it's not cabbage stew, I'll eat just about anything right now. " 

So after we ate the food I had,  Mom woke up and told us she needed a favor. "Hey. Geff, sweetie. Can you go and bring the groceries? I forgot to get them on the way back from work, and now I'm too tired to go back out now..." I scratched my head. "Sure thing, Mom. Hey Jerald!" 

"Oh, and be back before dark. I don't want you two out there for too long. Got it?"

"Got it." I went upstairs and got my other shoes that I normally didn't wear. I then reached under my head and got a hat. It was round, and had a felt dome on top, with a green string around the rim. Adjusting it, I went downstairs to get the list from Mom.

Jerald put on some new overalls and we headed out. I got out the list that Mom gave me. "Alright, let's see, eggs, milk, bread, fruit..." I shoved the piece of paper in my pocket. "Hey!" 

I jerked around, seeing a dark-haired kid coming up to us. "Hey, aren't you the kids who family makes that corn maze?" Ummm... Okay. this is completely random..."Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?" He gets out a notebook. "I'm the interviewer for the school's newspaper. I haven't been able to dig up any dirt lately, so now I'm pretty much desperate." And he was. So I told him about the corn maze, and he ate it all up. After I answered a few more questions, Jerald tugged on my arm to remind me of our task. "So how does the--" I interrupted him. "Hey, we really gotta go now, so I'll tell you more about the maze tomorrow--" "But I still need more info! The due date is tomorrow!" Plus, I really need this job... say. Last question! That hat you have is really cool! Where'd you get it-- here. Lemme see..." He reached for my hat, but I smacked his arm. "Hey. Hands off, hotshot." He looked scared. I gave Jerald a nudge for him to move. 

Soon, when we were close to the market. "Why is that hat so important to you, anyway?"                 

"Nothing. Don't worry about it.