Jasmine — #AtoZChallenge

Jasmine is 9. She loves school, especially her language arts class because her teacher, Miss Gregory, has a lot of creative writing assignments and Jasmine loves creative writing. She is writing the story of her life.

Today, she is at home, not at school. She couldn’t go to school because her mother is asleep and can’t get up to take care of Jasmine’s little brother, Danny. Danny is almost 5. Sometimes, when her mom goes out at night, Jasmine takes care of Danny. Her mom doesn’t believe in spending money on a babysitter. Most of the time, her mom gets home very, very late and Jasmine has to help her mom get to bed. That’s when Jasmine knows her mom will be too sick and sleepy to take care of Danny so Jasmine knows she will be staying home.

Jasmine doesn’t like to stay home and miss school but it’s okay because she doesn’t want Danny to be alone all day while their mother sleeps. Besides, it gives her a chance to wash her clothes. Jasmine doesn’t have a lot of school that still fit her. Her shoes are tight, too, but her mom says there is no money for shoes or clothes so Jasmine has to wash her clothes every day after school or she will have to wear it dirty. Sometimes, when she’s at home with Danny and their mom is in her room, Jasmine wonders why her mom can’t get money for clothes and shoes for her and Danny at the same place her mom gets money to buy clothes that fit her and money to go out and to drink and come home sick. Oh well, Jasmine will stay home and take care of Danny this year but next year Danny will be in school so Jasmine won’t have to stay home. She hopes her mom will have money for clothes for Jasmine next year because Jasmine is growing very fast. She doesn’t want to have to stay home all the time again.