Myshuno! 2013 Prompt: “‘Money doesn’t buy you happiness’” (245 words)
The prompt for this story was “‘Money doesn’t buy you happiness’” submitted by mzyra. This story fits in between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 of Auspicious It Ain’t, which is my Nickle & Dimed Challenge story.
Rating: G
Dramatis Personae
Genevive Rossi, a Teen.
Ygraine Rossi, her mother.
Setting
The living room/dining room in the Rossi trailer. Genevive is sitting at the table surrounded by books and notes.
YGRAINE: Still studying?
GENEVIVE: I have to. I have to keep my grades up, and I want to get a promotion.
YGRAINE: But it’s eleven at night.
GENEVIVE: I’ll go to bed in a minute. I just want to finish this chapter.
YGRAINE: Okay. Oh, hey, do you want to go to the music festival in the park this Saturday?
GENEVIVE: Can we afford it?
YGRAINE: It’s free, so yes. (pause) You don’t need to worry so much about money, you know. Money doesn’t buy happiness.
GENEVIVE: No, but it can buy you clothes that other people haven’t worn before you. (with increasing agitation) Dinner that isn’t Ramen. Furniture that isn’t made of particle board. A trip to the movies. A book that belongs to you and not the library. A visit to the doctor when yo’re sick, instead of drinking lots of tea and praying it doesn’t get worse. A house that doesn’t have wheels under it. A car with real windows, not plastic sheeting and duct tape. Orthodontia so you don’t get called “Snaggletooth” all the time. A vacation to somewhere that you can’t get to on the city bus. An end to the fear that you will starve to death in an attic somewhere, old, cold, lonely, and alone. And maybe that isn’t happiness, but I bet you can see happiness from there!
(Long silence. Genevive dashes away tears of fury and frustration. Finally)
YGRAINE: Okay, well. Don’t stay up too late.
Rating: G
Dramatis Personae
Genevive Rossi, a Teen.
Ygraine Rossi, her mother.
Setting
The living room/dining room in the Rossi trailer. Genevive is sitting at the table surrounded by books and notes.
YGRAINE: Still studying?
GENEVIVE: I have to. I have to keep my grades up, and I want to get a promotion.
YGRAINE: But it’s eleven at night.
GENEVIVE: I’ll go to bed in a minute. I just want to finish this chapter.
YGRAINE: Okay. Oh, hey, do you want to go to the music festival in the park this Saturday?
GENEVIVE: Can we afford it?
YGRAINE: It’s free, so yes. (pause) You don’t need to worry so much about money, you know. Money doesn’t buy happiness.
GENEVIVE: No, but it can buy you clothes that other people haven’t worn before you. (with increasing agitation) Dinner that isn’t Ramen. Furniture that isn’t made of particle board. A trip to the movies. A book that belongs to you and not the library. A visit to the doctor when yo’re sick, instead of drinking lots of tea and praying it doesn’t get worse. A house that doesn’t have wheels under it. A car with real windows, not plastic sheeting and duct tape. Orthodontia so you don’t get called “Snaggletooth” all the time. A vacation to somewhere that you can’t get to on the city bus. An end to the fear that you will starve to death in an attic somewhere, old, cold, lonely, and alone. And maybe that isn’t happiness, but I bet you can see happiness from there!
(Long silence. Genevive dashes away tears of fury and frustration. Finally)
YGRAINE: Okay, well. Don’t stay up too late.