My Own Four Cents [2016]

Chapter 12: The Animal Shelter

I take notes in my horse notebook as Tanisha researches the animal shelter on the computer. It is a lot, so she doesn't bother to sign it, she just lets me sit near the computer and copy it down.The shelter is called Westborough Animal Shelter and it's an animal rescue center that takes care of animals and people adopt them. It doesn't kill animals people won't adopt, and I like that.

Can you email the shelter and see how old people need to be to work there?

Sure. Tanisha points to a link on the website that says Email us Now.

Cool!

Tanisha clicks on the link and then steps aside so I can sit in the chair.

Me? I say to her.

Yes, you!

I sit down and start to type slowly- I don't get much practice.

Westborough Animal Shelter,

I am a fourteen year old girl who is good with animals and I am trying to find a way to raise money. I can't hear. If you have a job opening that doesn't require talking or hearing, that would be awesome.

-Maria Valasquez

I know it sounds dumb.

I have to try something else to get money. The animal shelter said I'm too young and I have to study in college or something. anyway I wasn't accepted. What can I do to help my parents and Veronica?

I close my journal and sigh. I got an email yesterday from the animal shelter. They said they need someone more experienced. I know better. They need someone who can hear.

I hate my life.

No, I don't. I hated it a lot more when I was at the orphanage, still believing Veronica was dead and no one loved me. My life is a whole lot better than it used to be. 

See, I can think optimistically if I try!

My coloring supplies are on my dresser and they are very tempting. When I'm upset, happy, nervous or angry I doodle with colored pencils or crayons and stick the drawing in my emotion album, a very old leather book that I fill with my emotion drawings. Today I draw with colored pencils and it's filled with dogs, horses and hearts. Dogs for Beau and the animal shelter, horses for Liberty and hearts for Veronica. I also do a page of swirls of different colors. Green for the envy I have for Tanisha, the fact that she can hear and she has a rich family, and NORMAL PEOPLE who live with their real parents and their sister. Red for the anger that I don't live with Veronica. Blue for the sadness that my parents are gone (there's a little of that every day) and the disappointment that I wasn't accepted. One yellow swirl for the happiness that Veronica is alive.

Tanisha seems different on the bus. She seems far away. When I ask her what's up, she looks out the window and then turns to me.

The vet came yesterday to check out Tundra and Liberty.

What? Is there anything wrong?

No! Nothing wrong. But we found out that... that...

Tell me!

Tanisha pauses dramatically. Well... we found out Tundra's pregnant!

PREGNANT?

Yes. It means she has a baby horse growing inside of her-

I know what 'pregnant' means! It's just...

I know!

With Liberty?

No, silly. Liberty's already born!

You know what I mean! Is Liberty its father?

Yes. It's too early in the pregnancy to tell what gender it is.

A baby! That's awesome!

I know. She's actually been pregnant for a while- a couple of weeks and we never found out!

Wow!

I have trouble concentrating. I have a page of horse doodles before Mr. Seay notices. His face shows confusion. I take out my horse notebook and hand it to him.

What's going on, Maria?

Tanisha's horse is having a baby... I was thinking about it.

Is your sister okay?

Yes. Apart from the fact that she's in an orphanage and I haven't seen her in at least two months, she's fine.

I hope you see her soon. For now, try to concentrate.