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Monday 11 May 2009

MULTIPLY United Friends Challenge #143: The School Experiment


Lockerridge's Challenge


Write an amusing story about a homework assignment that you had as an elementary or high school student.
Just write as if you were in your kitchen, relating the story, over a cup of coffee with good friends.



„Anyone else for a coffee or perhaps something a bit stronger?“
“No not for me thanks, but do you mind if I smoke?”
“Go ahead, no problem. I havn’t smoked since my younger years, but my husband has a cigarette now and again.”
“Do you mean since, well since that happened?”
“Go ahead and say it, I have got over it now.”
“Well I didn’t want to stir up old stories. What really happened?”
“It’s a long story, but if you have the time and patience to listen?”
“Yes please, go ahead; after all we have known each other since the school days.”

“It all started when we had a project for homework. Old Miss Jenkins, the biology teacher gave us some bird seed and said to plant it. Then we had to specify what the different plants were. Of course we didn’t have computers in those days, just a load of books full of pictures. For me there were two sorts of plants, the ones with nice flowers that you put in a vase, and the others were weeds. As far as I was concerned the bird seed was weeds. Anyhow she did give us a month to get the stuff growing. It all looked the same to me. Stalks and leaves and no flowers really. Then we had a rainy season. It rained for at least two weeks non stop, so I didn’t bother to look after the bird seed weed patch. When I eventually had a look the stuff had grown quite well. A couple of the plants were much taller than the others and smelt a bit strange. I remember my brother Joe coming into the garden to see what I was doing.
“What are you growing there?” he asked.
“Bird seed for the school; we have to be able to identify the plants and write a report on it all for the biology class, but it just looks like a load of weeds to me.”
“Well no, not really, there is only a couple of weeds there and they are growing quite well. If you like I will l give you a hand.”
Actually it was my fault, when Brother Joe wants to help his sister then his own interests are usually the middle point. Joe kept his word and wrote the report for me. Mrs. Jenkins gave me a good note and congratulated me for being the best in the class. In the meanwhile Joe was still going into the garden and looking after the plants.
“Joe the experiment is now over, you don’t have to bother any more.”
“No problem sis, those plants are growing so well, I thought it would be a shame to pull them out.”
“I suppose you are right Joe, but it seems to me it is only one sort that is growing well. They are very tall and bushy and smell a bit strange.”
“Don’t let the smell put you off. They are not the original plants. They seeded some time ago and these are growing from the seeds.”
“But Joe, I only had two of the sort, now it seems as if it is at least ten.”
“They make a nice corner in the garden. Even mum said they look nice.”
I just left Joe to it. It was about this time that he bought himself a new car. Not second hand but really new. He said he was earning extra money by working for a friend’s father. I remember he bought me a nice leather jacket and paid for a holiday for mum and dad.
One day I got home from school and there was a police car at the door. Joe was arrested for dealing in marijuana. He was lucky really as it was a first offence so they put him on probation for a year. He said that a colleague offered him money for a couple of the bird seed plants, and he thought they were using it to make rope for a school project; after all the stems were quite strong. Joe told the police he really did not know that he was selling something that could be turned into a drug. Somehow the police did not believe him, but he was young at the time so I supposed that did help in the verdict. Of course mum and dad were disappointed. How could anyone believe that such a good boy like Joey would do something like that and it must have been a big misunderstanding.
The plants were taken away and destroyed by the police. Living in such a small town The news soon spread in the school. I never forgave Joey for telling the police where the seeds came from. It was very embarrassing at school especially as old Miss Jenkins was also called in for questioning.
So that was the story of the biology experiment at school.”
“Yes I remember, you and the family were the talk of the school. By the way how is Joe. I havn’t seen him for some time. What’s he doing?”
“He moved away down South.”
“Where, Florida or so?”
“Oh no, to Columbia, South America. He married a girl from that way and they have a farm. They are doing very well.”


United Friends Challenge #143: The School Experiment

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