Selling Soda

A boy whose major concern is food, is very aware of a difference between his mother's house and his father's. His mother lives on state assistance. Even so her cupboards are often bare. His father lives a different life. He has a good job which allows a certain amount of convenience. There is always plenty of food. At first, the author compares the set two experiences by looking at the amount of food that is available to him. Then he realizes that really the difference is money. He decides to make some of his own. He comes up with a scheme. He and a friend bring soda to school and sell cans for a dollar. At first they each bring a cooler to school, but that creates unwanted competition. Soon the writer has a few workers under him having a devised a scheme that works to everyone's advantage. Once he gets a "real" job, he realizes that working is a far ore efficient way to make money. He learns that he likes to work and he takes pride in the job he does. He ends the piece with "I don't want my children (when I have them) to worry about finding a snack between meals."