Better Work Stories - It's a No-Money Day

Whaea Laura picked this book out of the picture book section of the school library one afternoon. Nobody had read it before, well, not in class. Crissi the National Librarian had recommended this book and I had gone to great lengths to find it. Ironically it was sold out, and I'd spent all the books budget, so I couldn't buy it even if I wanted to. 

Crissi managed to come across a copy and donated it to the library. I covered it and put it in the collection, then forgot all about it. It was the rich kids who needed to read about this the most, I thought.

One day the Principal hauled me off to her office, and I knew whenever she wanted to 'chat' with me, it was never for anything good. Being given the 'pink slip' or rather, official letter of 'get lost, we don't need/want you anymore' was rather....upsetting.

After several rounds of pussyfooting and fake smiles ( a week or so after the 'fake tree' incident * more about that later) she let me have it. Hatchet woman job done.

I'd never been so let down in my life, but then I'd expected T to do the firing, or at least own up to it. The witch. 

I faced the foodbank scenario head on. This book makes me cry, said Whaea Laura.

I said, I know the feeling. I read 'Ida Always' and that book had me in tears. Who knew that I'd feel so sad about a polar bear dying? Trying to read out loud with tears rolling down my face is never a good look with the Kererus, and I'm an ugly crier too, I don't just cry/bawl my eyes out, my nose runs, and everything is a mess.  

Most teachers don't like mess, or clutter. This is hard to achieve in a library that has around 7000 books. Libraries don't really do 'minimalism'. 

Whaea Laura read It's a No Money Day' to her class. She said she loved the library because it was always a place you could go if you didn't have any money.  It was all I could do to scream, next year will be a 'no money' year. There will be no budget for new books in the library, and I would have to go on a benefit, because there would be no job for a librarian anymore. But I said nothing.

In the story, the daughter has a wish jar. In the library, I had my wish box. The children had all written their wishes and deposited them in my box. Before school ended, I took all the wishes home with me thinking, one day, when we win lotto, all those wishes will come true. 

I have stuck them under my bed, and I'll sleep on them every night. Dad is buying the lotto tickets.