Jenny

            by Ruby Shapiro

 

            Hi, I have been sitting on this shelf for ten days, four hours, and twenty six minutes.  I arrived at this sporting goods shop in a big brown box.  All I want is to be given to a deserving girl who loves softball just as much as I do.  I am a beautiful golden trophy for a softball player.  I am in perfect batting stance ready to find a home.

 “Hey, today’s gonna be your day. Don’t you even worry.”  The champion baseball trophy said to me.

            “No, no it’s not.  I haven’t gotten chosen yet, and everyone is leaving.  I’m sick of staring at those same brown gloves, white wiffel balls, and gold bats. Pick me, pick me, pick me,” I whispered quietly as the round man walked past me.

 

 

 “Did you hear that?” the man asked turning to his daughter.

            “No.”

            “I think I’m going to get this one for my little girl,” the man told the clerk.

            “What?  Daddy that one is ugly.  I don’t like it.”  

            “We will take this one ma’am. Yeah know I’m getting this for my daughter because she had such a great season.  She hit eight homeruns and was in the newspaper four times.”  He looked towards his daughter with a beaming expression who was making faces at me.  “Stop that Linda. I am buying you your own trophy.” 

 

 

They tossed me in a bag but then Linda started waving me all around in the air.  I was banged around so much I was worried I would break.  Once we arrived at their house, I was Linda took me out of the bag and threw me on the floor.  It slowly got dark and no one was playing with me.  I was all alone with Linda, in my room.  I woke up to Linda’s best friend, Kyla looking at me.

            “Linda, is this the trophy that your dad got you?”

            “Yeah, I hate it though.”

            “Can I have it?”  Kyla asked.

            “Yes, take it.  I don’t like her.  She looks nothing like me.”

 

 

            “Cool, thanks Linda!  I’m going to bring her everywhere I go.”  Yes!  I got a new owner who really likes me, not that mean girl Linda.  I hope Kyla has a pretty shelf for me to sit on, so I can overlook everything in her room.  “But Linda, we should go to school now.  Come on.”

            “Okay, I’m ready.”

            Kyla took me into her mom’s car. But once we got in, her mom snatched me right out of Kyla’s hands. 

            “What is this?” Kyla’s mom demanded.

            “Mom, it’s my trophy that Linda gave me.  She didn’t want it.”

            “You don’t play softball Kyla. I am taking this trophy.”

            “Mom, that’s so mean!”

            “Sorry, Kyla, but you don’t deserve it!”

            Once Kyla’s mom dropped the girls off at school, she dropped me out of her window.

 

 

            I was lying in the middle of the cold street when I saw a little girl walk towards me.  She picked me up,

            “Cool! A softball trophy! I can bring this to our show and tell today!  This is gonna be the best day ever!”  Then my new owner continued to walk to school and began talking to me.

            “Jenny, that’s what I’m gonna name you, okay?  You like it?  My name is Lauren, Jenny, and I’m gonna take real good care of you.  Today, you’re gonna meet all my friends.”

 

 

 

            Lauren and I walked into class and saw all the other toys for show and tell.  But Lauren held onto me real tight and took her seat.

            “All right class, today is show and tell.  But what I want you to do first is write a paragraph about your object.  Why do you like it?  What makes it special to you?  Then you are going to read the paragraph out loud to the class.”

            As Lauren wrote, I looked around the class.  I saw Linda and Kyla in the same classroom!

 

 

            It was finally our turn.  Lauren carried me to the front of the class and placed me on the table. 

 

            This is Jenny.  I just named her, and I know it’s perfect.  Jenny is a star softball player.  I really like her, because I just started to play softball and that’s what she does.  I found her outside on the street this morning.  She looked really sad, because she had no home.  I am going to give her a home.  She’s going to live right next to my bed.  Even though I just got Jenny today, I know she’s always gonna be there for me. 

            The class clapped loudly for Lauren.  As we walked back to her seat, Linda turned to Lauren. 

 

 

 “Hey, Lauren that’s my trophy.  My dad bought it for me…”

Kyla interrupted, “No it’s not.  You gave it to me this morning, remember?  And then my mom threw it out of the car.”

“Oh yeah, but I want it back now,” Linda begged.

“Linda, you can have her back if you really want her just because I found her.  But I still want to be her friend.”

“You really like her, huh?”

“Yes I do!”  A huge smile lit up Lauren’s face.  Linda looked at me and then at Lauren.

“You can have her.  You’re going to treat her a lot better than I ever could.”

“Thank you so much, Linda!”

 

 

            The rest of the day went by so quickly, because I got to sit atop Lauren’s desk in her classes.  She always made sure I was facing something interesting to look at.  We walked home together.  She was the best owner a trophy could ever want.