George was having another bad day. This wasn't very surprising. George was always having bad days. Like the time his pet hamster Sparky died and when he buried him in the back yard his cat Sammy dug him up again. Or the time when he was typing his state report on Maine and when he got to his last sentence his computer shut off and he had forgotten to save it and to top it off it was due the next day. But nothing could compare to the time when George was in school and he dropped his pencil. When he bent over to pick it up he split his brand new Levi 501 jeans right down the middle and his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles underwear were showing. The whole class burst into laughter and didn't stop.
But today was going to be the worst for George. About a year before, George's parents had gotten a divorce. His dad moved to Santa Cruz while George lived with his mother in Hollister but he still saw his father every other weekend.. It was very hard on George and he was very confused as to what a divorce was. Sometimes he blamed himself. The reason why it was going to be a bad day was because today was the day George had to meet his mom's new boyfriend, Bruce. George was very reluctant to meet him. He couldn't imagine anybody but his father kissing or hugging his mother. But still he had to go.
George got into the front seat of his mother's Honda Civic. It was missing one of the hubcaps, had a dent in the rear bumper, and a crack in the windshield. George was very embarrassed to be seen in his mother's car. Every time she dropped him off at his fifth grade classroom he could hear the faint voices of his classmates making fun of him. It was George's responsibility to put his little sister Michelle in her car seat. He hated doing this because every time he put her in her car seat she would always call him a gumball head. But he had to do it so he picked Michelle up and placed her in her car seat, trying to ignore her chanting, "Gumball head! Gumball head!" Despite the humiliation he buckled her in.
George's mom stepped into the car and backed it out of the driveway. "Mom, can we go to the Mini Mart and get some bubble gum, soda and some Jolly Ranchers?" George pleaded.
"Gumball head! Gumball head!" George's sister shouted.
"Shut up!" George yelled back.
"George, don't tell your sister to shut up, she's just a little girl!" George's mom said.
"Yes ma'am," George answered.
"I'll only stop at the Mini Mart if you promise to behave in front of Bruce at dinner tonight," she said.
"O.K.," George agreed. But at this point he would have had agreed to anything for bubble gum, soda, and some Jolly Ranchers. They were his favorite.
As they pulled away from the Mini Mart, George's mom started talking to him. "Now George I hope you understand why I'm seeing Bruce."
"No."
"It's because I'm lonely. Ever since your father and I got divorced, I haven't been that happy and Bruce makes me happy."
George thought for a moment. "I guess I understand," he said.
"Please try to get along with him."
"OK."
George began to eat his Jolly Ranchers with his mind full of questions: Will Mom and Bruce get married? Is this Bruce guy nice or mean? They were questions that wouldn't be answered until later.
When they arrived in the parking lot of his mother's favorite Chinese restaurant, Bruce was waiting in the entry way. The wind blew ever so slightly as he approached. When he extended his hand towards George, an icy chill crawled up and down George's back.
"Put 'er there, pal," Bruce said to George .
Unwillingly, George shook his hand. Bruce had a very firm handshake almost crushing the George's delicate hand. But George withstood the pain so he would not look like a weakling.
When they entered the restaurant, it was extremely hot. George's face became damp with sweat. As they were seated in a booth Bruce began to ask questions. First he asked George what his favorite sport was. George was hesitant to answer since he didn't have a favorite sport. He made one up so he wouldn't look like a nerd.
"Football," George answered.
"George! You've never watched a Football game in your life," George's mom exclaimed.
George was looking at Bruce for some kind of reaction, a burst of laughter or perhaps a snigger. Anything. Instead Bruce just gave George a little look, relieving him of embarrassment. As dinner progressed George was starting to kind of like Bruce. He was very funny and very nice. But then things took a turn for the worse. George's bad luck was about to kick in, as unusual.
When George went to get a drink of his Coke he spilled it and knocked it all over his mother. Then when his mother jumped up, she pulled the table- cloth off the table, spilling everything that was on the table. George just stood there waiting for a reaction from his mother. Then his sister broke the dead silence of the room.
"Gumball head! Gumball head!"
George's mother looked at Bruce then took a long cold
stare at George. George didn't even have to ask what his mother was thinking.
But then all of a sudden Bruce let out a big burst of laughter. George
followed and began to laugh also, then George's mother paused and soon
began laughing, too. So they all left the restaurant with smiles on their
faces. After they all went out for ice cream, George finally realized his
mother's boyfriend was not trying to ruin anything between he and his mother.
So maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all.