Just Another Piece of Junk | Teen Ink

Just Another Piece of Junk MAG

November 2, 2010
By lemontreeleaves SILVER, Port Dover, Other
lemontreeleaves SILVER, Port Dover, Other
6 articles 2 photos 7 comments

She strung the beads on one by one, her crooked teeth sore from breaking the string with them. Her fingers were aching from hours of braiding the cheap string on which the wooden beads were hanging. It was a simple bracelet, handcrafted from recycled thread and bits of wood. For a good cause. No money to pay for paint or varnish, she let them hang limp, and then she sat in the street and begged for money.

Pedestrians walked past her with long strides, arms laden with groceries, cell phones raised to their ears as they giggled to someone on the other end. No one even stopped to look at her, save the children, who were quick to point and yell “Look!” to their parents, who pulled them away and whispered ferocious words about strangers on street corners begging for money or food. She was poor and lonely, so why wouldn't she be dangerous?

One little boy stuck his tongue out at her. She had thought she wanted children, once when she was very young and hopeful. (Pure and innocent in body and mind, a child of sorts herself.) Now she knew better about people and about the world.

Finally, a man stopped and peered down his nose at her, glasses perched on his nose and hair still gleaming from a fresh cut. A button boasting a few dollars given to some charity was pinned firmly to his sweater.

“A trade?” she asked, hopefully. Bread would do. An apple. Even a few dimes or quarters were better than ­nothing.

His eyes stopped their exploration of her lack of curves and worn coat. He licked his lips and walked away, sneering.

“Who would want that piece of junk?”

It wasn't the jewelry he talking about.


The author's comments:
She wasn't an alcoholic, had never been keen on trying drugs. She had been a good person, once, but the economic crises had killed her department, and the bills had been too much.

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This article has 6 comments.


on Apr. 12 2016 at 10:21 am
LittleRedDeliriousPrince SILVER, Parma Heights, Ohio
7 articles 0 photos 100 comments
This is amazing. It shatters my heart in the only good way possible.

juneday GOLD said...
on Dec. 6 2012 at 6:03 pm
juneday GOLD, Barrington, Rhode Island
16 articles 1 photo 27 comments
really like this although you repeat some words too much in the first paragraph and you don't need as many adjectives, it is on the whole beautifully written and really thought - provoking.

on May. 6 2012 at 11:34 am
maizyiscrazy GOLD, Washington, District Of Columbia
10 articles 53 photos 261 comments

Favorite Quote:
I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe in miracles. ~Audrey Hepburn

Wow, this is beautiful. Heartbeaking. Favorited, and you totally deserved to be published.

aem312 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 29 2012 at 10:46 am
aem312 BRONZE, Richmond, Massachusetts
4 articles 0 photos 43 comments
Whoa. I feel bad for her :(. This is a great story though.

on Nov. 22 2011 at 5:44 pm
LifesIllusion BRONZE, Cicero, Indiana
4 articles 0 photos 127 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't let your fears slow you down. Instead, chase them down and beat them."

love it! really inspiring and sad though. check out my work? thanks:)

on Nov. 11 2010 at 1:39 pm
Arachnophobia BRONZE, Park Falls, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” -Stephen King

I love it, it is incredibly moving. :)