Laura Cerroni
American Lit 010
The Value of the Little Everyday Things

"Don't worry, Cooper ol' boy. I'm awake."

At the response, the dog's shaggy, honey colored head settled back down on the edge of the bed. His loppy ears relaxed. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, patiently waiting for movement from under the comforter, almost with a little smile on his face.

The room was dimly lit, but gradually becoming brighter as the sunlight trickled in through the frosted window panes. A brisk wind blew through the leafless branches and seeped through the seams of the old farmhouse, finding its way to the bare cheeks and nose of an otherwise covered body. Amy lay between the pale green flannel sheets that had been worn to the point of ideal softness and comfort. Her fluffy down comforter was bundled warmly around her body up to her rosy, freckled cheeks. The depression in the tattered pillow cradled her head perfectly.

Something cold and moist nudged the hand that hung over the bed's edge, followed by a warm tongue lapping at her fingers. Amy slowly opened her eyes, reached to tousle Cooper's silky head, then turned to the nightstand to look at the glowing red digits of the clock. 6:26. Still four minutes before the alarm would sing its dreaded tune. She closed her eyes and lay in the coziness of her warm bed, trying to recreate the forgotten dream that had left with her only the feeling of contentment.

She glanced again at the clock, reading 6:29. Before the alarm's relentless, pulsing beeps could disturb her state of half-sleep, her fingers fumbled for the 'off' button, and she reluctantly dragged her body out of the comfort and security of bed. She planted her feet on the scratchy wool carpet and stumbled forward over various books, clothes and shoes that littered her path to the door. Her bare arms and feet tingled as the chilly air reached her skin, making her stumble all the faster toward the bathroom where the hot shower awaited her.
She emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later still sluggish, but at least dressed and ready to face the world. She was of pretty average height, about five foot six, and wore a pair of worn but comfortable blue jeans and a sweater that matched the blue-gray of her eyes. Her mass of wavy, dirty blonde hair was tied back carelessly from her face, save the few bothersome wisps that swayed before her eyes and tickled her nose. She threw her overloaded backpack over her shoulder and walked down the stairs.

Cooper was patiently seated in front of the door in the hallway waiting to be let outside to investigate the happenings of the morning. He greeted her with a wagging tail and a friendly nudge of his nose, then turned and pawed at the door.
"Alright, boy. Go on, now," said Amy as the dog bounded into the backyard towards the trees.  

She continued into the kitchen and set her backpack down on the counter next to a stack of papers and books. On top of the pile were a five dollar bill and a note from her mother with her signature smiley face;

Amy,
I'm working until four today, so I will see you late this afternoon. Remember to  feed Cooper and let him out. Good luck with your presentation. You're going to    do great!

Amy's heart jumped and her hand slapped her forehead. Her economics presentation! How could she have forgotten when she had spent so much of the past three days preparing for it? She had spent all of yesterday afternoon typing the report and had stayed up until 1:15 that morning finishing the visuals. During the few hours that had been left for sleep, she had been rehearsing her oral presentation in her mind and worrying about the posters and the report. When it came down to it, she had probably slept a total of four hours, yet she still had managed to forget about all the work this morning. What had she been thinking?
As this thought process had taken place, Amy had already run back up the stairs to her room, thrown open her closet and changed her clothes from the grubby jeans to a clean and acceptable pair of khakis. She hurried to the bathroom, yanked a brush through her tousled hair and pulled it neatly from her face. Returning to her room again, she scooped up the decorated poster boards and finished report, then ran down the stairs and out the front door to deposit the pile on the front seat of her truck. She paused for a moment to look at the clock on the dashboard. 7:06. She was already six minutes behind schedule. She sighed, then called for the dog as she walked quickly to the door.

"Cooper! Come on inside now, boy. Let's go."

Cooper came prancing out through the trees, satisfied with the condition of the world this morning. He followed Amy through the front door and to his water dish. He lapped at the water as Amy poured his dry puppy food into the other dish and scratched his neck. She kissed the top of his soft head, then took her backpack onto her shoulders and her keys and jacket into her hands before walking out the door.

"Okay, Coop. Be a good boy now. I'll be back soon. Take care of the house for me. See you later, bud."

Amy shivered as she crawled into the cold and frosty truck. 7:11. The engine hummed as it bumped through the ruts of the driveway and onto the familiar road to school. She hummed the tune that played on the radio as a warm blast of air finally reached her icy face. She drove through the little town of Madison, still barely awake save the visible life coming from the little coffee shop and general store on Main Street. Yet the empty roads began to fill as the school approached, climaxing as Amy crawled into the busy school parking lot with little patience for anyone in her way. She grabbed her bag and her posters, climbed out of the truck, and started for the school. 7:24. She had six minutes to get into the building, make her way through the crowded hallways and get to class by 7:30. It would be tight but she would make it.

"Hey. Good morning, Amy honey. How's it going?"

At the sound of the familiar tiny voice, Amy grinned and spun around in the hall to find herself face to face with her friend, Seanna, a small, mousy girl with dark hair, dark eyes, and sharp facial features.

"Morning, Seanna. Here, walk with me, will you? I've got to get to Biology before the bell to talk to Ms. Walker. It's on your way anyway."

"Um, not really, dear. My class is completely in the opposite direction. But I'll walk with you anyways because I'm nice like that." She wore a short denim skirt and a clingy pink sweater, not especially seasonal, but still typical of Seanna. As she walked her fast paced walk down the crowded hall, her six inch heels clicked on the hard floor, her head snapped back and forth, and her inquisitive eyes darted from one person to another, all while her tiny voice kept chattering away. Amy laughed watching her little friend.

"So listen. I guess what happened was that Alex was staying at Zach's for the night, but he didn't tell anyone, including me, believe it or not. No one was picking up at his house. No one was picking up his cell phone. I leave messages but he never returns my calls. He is impossible to get in touch with and it's driving me crazy. What am I supposed to do?"

"Sean, I wouldn't worry too much about it. They were probably out somewhere last night and didn't get back until late. You'll see him at lunch and clear everything up, no big deal. Stop stressing out over these little things. You'll drive yourself crazy."

"No Amy, you just don't understand. This happens all the time and nothing ever changes. Do you know how long I've been dealing with this sort of thing from him? It's really irritating and I…"

"Seanna, I've got to go. Tell me about it at lunch. You're going to be late to class anyways."

"Okay, fine. Where am I going again? Oh, God. It's only first block. How did I get stuck with math first thing in the morning? I really can't function this early. Oh, shoot, and I skipped yesterday, so Mr. Bland will be looking for a pass. How am I going to pull that off? Oh. Bye, Amy. I guess I'll see you at lunch." She flashed her energetic little smile and with that she hurried off, still watching everyone and everything, and mumbling to herself about something or another.

Amy smiled back an overwhelmed smile and laughed quietly to herself. Seanna was a character, if nothing else. She turned and walked into the confining and windowless classroom.

Eleven thirty found Amy dozing in math class with a grumbling stomach and gnawing hunger pangs. Amidst the chaos and lateness of this morning, she had forgotten to eat breakfast. And thinking about it, she hadn't really had more than an apple for dinner last night, with all of the time she had spent working on that project. She sighed and looked to the board, where a scrawny beanpole of a man stood waving his arms and slapping the blackboard, trying to make his point. Amy rolled her eyes. She had to survive fifteen more minutes of this useless babble before lunch. She looked down at her paper on which she had written three lines of some obscure formula over which the red faced teacher was getting so excited, then continued the decorative doodles that bordered the formula and took over most of the paper. Her mind began to wander back to that presentation she still had to make during last block. She felt she knew the economy of Greece up and down, more than anyone would or should ever need to know about something so uninteresting. It was just the idea of standing in front of thirty of her peers and relaying this useless information to them that got her. She was not one for public speaking, but supposed that it was a part of school that she had to deal with regardless of her dislike, and so she was ready to face it. She still had lunch to relax before last block, if you could call it relaxing to listen to the chatter of five hundred students sitting in a single crowded room. She glanced at the clock for what she would have guessed to be the 73rd time in the past hour. 11:38. Mr. Bland was still jumping around, taking advantage of his final seven minutes of enlightening the future about sines and cosines. Amy tilted her head, pretending to listen and comprehend.

The incessant din and commotion of the cafeteria settled around Amy like a thick fog as she sat eating her egg salad. She tasted something gritty and sand-like in the bread, but she was so hungry she pretended not to notice. She wanted to put her head down somewhere for a few minutes as the lack of sleep began to catch up with her, but seeing her only option was the sticky lunch table, she just closed her eyes instead. She thought longingly of her warm, welcoming bed that awaited her at home, not even three hours away. Yet she was quickly brought back to reality as a balled up napkin hit her square in the face.

"Wake up, sunshine. Your face is about to fall into your food."

Alex made a face across the table from her and threw another napkin. Amy picked it up and threw it back at her goofy redheaded friend. He sat tall at the table littered with the wrappers from his eighteen course lunch, wearing a roomy basketball sweatshirt and a ratty pair of jeans. His perfectly straight white teeth gave him a brilliant smile that he was always flashing.

"I'm awake, I'm awake. Don't worry. And no, I'm not going to finish this sandwich. It's all yours." She wrapped up the rest of her sandwich and slid it across the table into his eager and open hands. Seanna shook her head and giggled next to him.

"I don't think you ever stop eating, and I can't understand how you do it."
"I'm a growing boy. What do you expect? Just because I'm not a little elf like you doesn't mean I'm a beast. I'm just a hungry boy." He nudged her playfully as he proceeded to inhale the remains of the sandwich.

"Hey Amy," said Seanna, in her little girl voice. "Do you want to practice your presentation in front of us? I find the ecology of Greece really fascinating, and I'd love to know more about it."

"Well, I can tell you about the economy of Greece, but unfortunately, it's not that interesting, and I'd rather not think about it any more than I already have. But thanks for the offer. It was almost genuine," Amy replied jokingly.

"All right, dear, but don't say I didn't offer."

Amy began to gather her things as the bell rang and the masses flooded the doors. Only one class left. Granted it was her least favorite class and she was making a presentation, but it was only an hour and a half. She would survive. She stood up, hoisted her bag onto her back and loaded her arms with posters.  
"I'll see you two later. I'm going home right after school to crash for a bit because I'm completely exhausted, but I'll give you a call when I wake up. Okay, Seanna?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want to do, Amy. I'll have my cell phone on me."

"Great. I'll talk to you later then. And good luck tonight, Alex."

"Thanks Ames. You should come. It's the last home game, and it should be a good one. 7:00. I'd love to see you there." He smiled that catching smile.

"Alright, thanks. I'll try to make it. See you later." She returned his smile with her own subtle but warm one, then turned and headed for economics.

"Amy Salisbury. You're next. And what is your topic?" Ms. Miner's ever enthusiastic and interested face turned to face Amy.

"I'm going to be talking about the economy of Greece."

"Great. I'll give you a minute to set up and I need just a minute to organize myself here. Alright, and just let me know when you're ready."

Amy turned to look at her display. It looked great, very professional. She took one last look at the report in her hands, then handed the evidence of her hard work to the teacher. Her hands were beginning to shake. She could feel her ears and cheeks burning like a fire. She took a big breath a looked out to the class. Ms. Miner gave her a little nod and smile of confidence. Then she began.
"Greece in a small country in the Mediterranean made up of many small islands, called an archipelago. The economy is dominated by…"

On and on she went, making sure to keep her speech slow and clear, repeating the information that had been floating through her head for the past week. As she continued, it seemed to get easier, as it always did. The thirty pairs of eyes, some focused, some wandering, some closed, did not seem as daunting and overwhelming anymore. She had everything under control.

The final bell rang and everyone made his way to the door. Amy felt as if a hundred pounds of dead weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had done it, and had done it well. She was ushered out the school's front door by the herds of students heading for cars and buses. The outside air was cold, crisp and fresh. A light breeze blew through her hair as she unlocked the truck and turned on the familiar humming engine. She cracked the window to let the fresh air blow through the cab as she pulled onto the traffic-filled road towards home. The town of Madison was happily bustling and full of life as she drove through the little village. The cars thinned as she reached the outskirts of town and finally pulled into the bumpy driveway. As she got out of the car and went up the front steps, she saw Cooper's smiling face peeking through the window. He bowled her over in greeting, with his shaggy tail whipping back and forth, hitting the backs of Amy's knees.

"Hey, Cooper ol' boy. Have a good day? Did you take good care of the house buddy? Yeah, I bet you did. Go on outside now. Go get the birds out there."

He bounded out to his spot in the woods, barking his puppy bark as he went. Amy laughed quietly and dragged her bag and her weary self up the stairs to her room, where she dropped the bag and plopped herself onto the unmade bed. Off with her shoes, off with her jacket. She laid down on the worn but comfortable green flannel sheets, set her head down on the tattered pillow that cradled her head perfectly, and pulled the fluffy down comforter around her body and up to her chin. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Amy began to relax in comfort and security after a long day. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The End



       This short story follows a day in the life of a busy and hardworking high school student who lives a simple and independent life, but must overcome several challenges, such as preparing a presentation for school, battling the clock, maintaining relationships, and taking care of herself. Yet she still maintains discipline, poise, and self-awareness amidst these challenges. Through realistic development of characters, setting, and plot, this story becomes something to which the targeted reader, in this case a person of high school age or older, can relate. This is an effective tool in making the story interesting to the reader.
My focus in describing the characters and setting was to choose something that I knew well enough to fully describe. I chose to describe the protagonist's bedroom as a very comfortable and familiar place in which she would relax and feel secure. Amy's character is developed through the physical descriptions, her interactions with Cooper, Seanna, and Alex, and the thoughts that go through her head.
By integrating a symbol into the story, the author allows the reader to interpret a deeper meaning or truth, perhaps based on her own experiences. I put emphasis on each character's smile to further describe the character. For example, Amy's smile was described as subtle but warm, Seanna's as energetic and little, Alex's as brilliant and catching, and Cooper's as just a slight puppy smile. Amy's mother, who is seen only through the note she left on the counter, signs the note with her signature smiley face. This shows that perhaps Amy and her mother have a distant relationship expressed through notes and drawn smiles and not through human interaction. This allows the reader to see each character on a different level and interpret his traits.
Time and looming clocks are recurring symbols that appear as Amy just wakes up in the morning, then rushes to school, sits through a long and tedious class, prepares for her presentation, and then finally returns to the comfort and security of home. This element of time, or lack there of, is another aspect of life to which everyone can relate.
My message in writing this piece was to notice and appreciate the value of little things in life, such as a friendship, the security of home or even a smile. It was told through the experiences of someone with whom I, the author, can also relate.