Chapter Thirteen: Girl Meets the Forgotten
I was seated at the table with Maya and Topanga waiting for Riley. She walked in and took the toast out of Topanga's hand. "Why didn't you wake me?" She sat down beside me. "It's electives' day, the earlier we sign up the better the chance we have at getting the good ones." "I tried to wake you up three times." Topanga told her. "You know I don't know you're serious until six times." Riley replied. "You know the first three times I'm still checking for chicken pocks to see if I can miss school."
"Hey I tickled your toes." Maya told her. "Well that explains the Lucas dream." Riley stated dreamily. "Yeah we don't need to know about that." I told her. It felt weird when Riley talked about Lucas like that. "So what electives are we hoping for?" Topanga asked. "We are hoping to get out of them." Maya answered. "Actually it's not going to happen sister." I told her. "These are service electives, not only do they expect us to be students, but now they want to give us jobs." Riley said. "It's not that bad." I muttered to myself, but I think Topanga and Cory heard me.
"How are we supposed to work and go to school at the same time?" Maya asked. "Yeah who does that?" Riley asked. I turned to look at Cory. "I have an idea who." I said. "How ya doin?" Cory greeted. Topanga stood up. "Whoa hey honey, where you going?" She asked. "I'm going to school." He answered. "Oh, Whatcha gonna do there?" she asked. "I'm gonna work." He told her.
"You're gonna go to work and school?" she questioned. "At the same time." Cory added. "Wait, but just for a couple of days, right?" Topanga asked. "No, no, no this is forever." Cory answered. "But Topanga surely your responsibilities are temporary, right?" "Oh no I have to do everything all the time." Topanga told him.
We started clapping for them. "Bravo." Riley said. "No more, no more." Maya told them. Cory and Topanga bowed. "Thank you." They thanked. "Thank you." Cory picked up his briefcase. "We will be here for the rest of your lives." Cory told us. "Have a good day honey." Topanga told him. "I hate Parent Theater." Riley told us. "Well you did set them up pretty good." I told them.
"You know when I went to law school I held down two part time jobs." Topanga informed us. "Yeah now your life is a piece of cake." Riley retorted. If only she could be more wrong about that. "Would you make us cake?" Maya asked. "Get to school." Topanga commanded. Before I walked towards the door I went and put my dishes in the dishwasher. "Thank you Caroline." Topanga thanked me as I past her. I just gave her a thumbs up as I grabbed my bag.
"You'll be here making cake." Maya said. "Hey Riley you could put your dishes in the dishwasher like Caroline." Topanga suggested. "Later mom I promise. Job and school, job and school." Riley told her as we walked out the door. Riley closed the door while her mom was talking to her. I shook my head and caught up with Maya.
"Who here knows about the Great Depression?" Cory asked. "I thought it was called the Grand Canyon." Riley stated. Oh Riley, Riley, Riley why would you think that. "Excellent." Cory said sarcastically. "Who here knows about the Great Depression?" Cory asked again. "Maya." "Nothing's going to be that sir." Maya told him. Please pick someone who will actually answer the question. I love Maya and Riley, but sometimes I don't think they are able to retain information.
"Farkle, Caroline save me." Cory pleaded. Farkle stood up. "The year was 1929, the stock market crashed, everyone lost their money and their jobs." Farkle started to explain. I didn't stand up, but I continued his explanation, "And the people who were comfortable were now lost and became known as," I trailed off looking at Cory. "The forgotten." Cory finished pointing at the board.
"Working class people, the heart and soul of our country, basically taken for granted in the first place and now discarded and forgotten." Cory explained. "How could that happen, sir?" Lucas asked. "It shouldn't happen Mr. Friar." Cory told him. "But that could never happen to anyone in the Grand Canyon today, could it?" Riley asked. I shook my head at her.
"I don't know Riley." Cory answered. "I'm sure you would never take anyone for granted right?" "I would never." Riley replied. "And do you think there's anyone who cares about you that goes underappreciated or overlooked?" Cory asked. Riley thought for a minute before she turned to look and me and Maya. "Maya and Caroline, my life is so much better for having you two in it." Riley told us. "I know pumpkin." Maya replied. "I don't think that's what he meant." I mumbled.
"Thank you dad for the first time I actually understood something you tried to teach me." Riley told Cory. "Please bell ring." Cory prayed. "Riing. Ah." Cory grabbed his briefcase and left the room. "You could do that?" Maya asked.
"I wonder what electives we're going to get." Riley told Maya and I as we stood in the lunch line in the cafeteria. "I hope we get good ones." "Why do they call them electives if they make us do them?" Maya asked. "I don't know and why do they call it shop. That was the biggest disappointment of my little life." Riley said. "Because it's woodshop or shop for short." I explained to her. I remember when I saw Riley in there she looked so sad and disappointed. Not me though I love shop class, it was so much fun.
We moved forward in the line and one of the lunch ladies gave each of us a plate. Then we moved over and Miss Thompson gave us her potatoes. "Yum blob." Riley cheered dully. "Do blob for me please. Not because it's not good. Because there's not taste and no flavor." Maya told her. She still gave Maya potatoes. "Okay." "You know I made that myself." Miss Thompson told us. "What is it?" Riley asked. "I call it Tuesday." Miss Thompson answered. "But it's Thursday." Riley told her. "Mmm hmm." She hummed.
"No throwing rolls." Miss Thompson yelled. I moved over and she put some potatoes on my plate. "Thank you Miss Thompson." I thanked. "You're welcome Caroline." She replied. "Well she's in a good mood today." I heard Riley say when I sat down next to them. I saw the boys making a volcano. "That's the happiest I've seen her." Maya replied. "I don't care what elective we get as long as we end up in," Maya started. "Dun-dun-dun." Farkle sang. "Cafeteria duty." Maya finished. Maya, Riley, and I all shuddered.
I had to agree with Maya. No matter how much I liked Miss Thompson and respected her job I did not want to end up in cafeteria duty. "Do you guys actually ever eat the food?" Cory asked. "No." Farkle, Lucas. Maya, and Riley answered while I said, "Sometimes." Cory nodded and walked away. "Hey how do you guys actually make this thing erupt?" Maya asked. I saw her put something in it.
"Maya don't." Farkle shouted. "She's gonna blow!" The volcano did erupt, but it wasn't as dramatic us Farkle made it out to be. "Why do they build their villages so close, why?" Riley asked. I got up and threw away my food since I knew I wasn't going to eat any more of it. I walked back over to the table when the bell rang. We all got ready to leave when Cory stopped us.
"Hey, hey, hey. Where're you guys going? What's the rush?" Cory asked. "Geralyn, janitor Harley can you come over for a minute?" Miss Thompson and janitor Harley came over and stood by Cory. "So you guys don't think you should have to clean any of this up?" Riley looked at Maya, but nobody answered. "Geralyn, do they realize when they waste their food like this it makes you feel bad?" "I feel bad." Miss Thompson told us.
"And janitor Harley, do you think they realize that when they make a mess in the cafeteria it makes you feel bad?" Cory asked. "I actually feel I deserve what I get." Janitor Harley admitted. "But I have all kind of different issues." "You know in just a few minutes you guys played with your food and you left a mess without any regard or respect for anyone else, except for one of you." Cory said. "It's not just us." Maya defended. "I know and you're the good ones." Cory replied. "I'm gonna go ahead and assign you your electives now. Girls you elective will be, and I don't think anyone saw this one coming." "Oh no." Riley said.
"Cafeteria duty." Cory told us. "How ya doin?" Miss Thompson asked hugging as. "I've been better." Maya answered. Maya and Riley went into the kitchen, but I had to ask Cory something. "Dad?" I asked. "Yes Caroline." Cory replied. "Why was I put in kitchen duty?" I asked. "I didn't waste any of Miss Thompson's food and I didn't leave a mess for janitor Harley." "I know, but Maya and Riley are going to need you there." He explained. "And I know you're capable of this."
"Okay." I replied. I walked back to the kitchen and Miss Thompson handed me my uniform. "Thank you Miss Thompson." I thanked. "You're welcome Caroline." She replied. I walked towards the girl's locker room to change.
Maya, Riley, and I walked back into the kitchen. "Hey pretty lunch ladies." Maya complimented us. "You are killing this thang." Riley and I told Maya. We stopped and flipped our hair behind out shoulders. "Stop it." We said in unison. "What about me? Am I not the cutest thing ever?" Miss Thompson asked. Riley slowly walked closer to Miss Thompson. "Actually these are being worn on the back of the head this season." Riley explained while adjusting Miss Thompson hair net. "I have my own distinct sense of fashion." She shouted. Riley moved to stand next to me and Maya.
"Welcome to the cafeteria." Miss Thompson told us as she poured out a bag of potatoes. "We have a lot of fun here and by fun I mean potatoes and by potatoes I mean we peel them and by we, I mean you." Riley had her back to the many bags of potatoes when she said, "Well this actually doesn't seem so bad. There's more aren't there?" "Look behind you scare crow." Miss Thompson told her. "Oh I have a nickname." Riley said then she turned to see the potatoes.
"That's a lot of potatoes." Riley commented pointing towards the bags of potatoes. "When you have completed the peeling of the potato, you place the potato in the pot that is all you do." Miss Thompson told us. "Now I will finish preparing tomorrow's lunch, you ladies will do what?" "Peel the potatoes." Riley and I told her. "Put them in the pot." Maya told her. "What do you do?" Miss Thompson asked again. "Peel the potatoes." Riley and I said. "Put them in the pot." Maya said. "What do you not do?" Miss Thompson asked. "Anything else." Riley answered.
"I believe we have communicated, except one thing." Miss Thompson said. "This is a one week class for you for a grade, but this is my world and I care very much about what happens back here. Understand?" "Yes Miss.-." Riley trailed off not knowing her name. "Thompson." Miss Thompson and I told her at the same time. "Thompson, sorry." Riley apologized. "We should've known that." Maya added.
"Mmm hmm." Miss Thompson hummed. Riley held her hand out. "My name is-." Miss Thompson cut her off while shaking her hand. "Riley Matthews, loves fish stick Fridays." She said. "Who are we?" Maya asked referring to me and her. "Caroline Howard, the only student who thanks me every day. Maya Hart, I always give you extras to take home." Miss Thompson answered. "I know all my kids. Well I will leave you ladies to it." She walked out of the kitchen.
Riley and I started to peel some of the potatoes. "So this is easy, what could possibly go wrong?" Riley said. "Look at all these spices." Maya said pointing at the spice rack. "You know what these are?" Maya asked. "What?" Riley and I asked as we continued to peel potatoes. "Taste and flavor." Maya answered walking back over to the table. "The kids will love us." "Peel the potatoes, put them in the pot." Riley reminded her.
"I can't here you. Ba-da-da-da, da, da-da spicy!" Maya sang. I continued to peel potatoes while Riley tried to get another bag of potatoes, but she ended up making some of the bags fall.
Riley and Maya were laid across the couch while I sat in one of the chairs working on my book. I noticed that Riley didn't clean off the table like she told mom that she was going to do. I honestly thought that Maya and Riley were overreacting about having cafeteria duty. Topanga walked in with grocery bags. "Hey girls would you like to help me with the groceries, please?" Topanga asked. "Sure." I answered.
"We worked all day for 45 minutes." Riley complained. "Could you rub my back?" Maya asked. "Oh sure Maya I would love to rub your back right after I bring in all the groceries by myself and then cook dinner for the entire family." Topanga told her, sarcastically. "Okay hurry up." Maya replied. Topanga looked at the dirty table. "Riley I asked you to clear off the table this morning." Topanga said.
Riley and Maya sat up on the couch. "Mom you're not being very sympathetic to us." Riley said. "We worked." Maya told her. "In a kitchen." Riley added. "45 minutes." Maya said. "In a row." Riley added. "Which isn't a lot." I pointed out. "Rub my back." Maya said. "I'll do it." Riley told her. "No when you do it, it's like spiders poking at me." Maya told her. "But that's my spider move." Riley replied.
"Girl could you please help me bring in the rest of the groceries?" Topanga asked. "Other people had a hard day too." "Yes Farkle and Lucas had to clean." Riley told her. "45 minutes." Maya added. "In a row." Riley added. "Wow I had no idea. Poor, poor kids. I'll just go get the rest of the groceries by myself." Topanga said. I got up and followed Topanga downstairs.
I grabbed some of the bags and helped her bring them back into the apartment. "Thank you Caroline." She thanked. "It's no problem, unlike those two I can handle hard work, but it wasn't even that hard." I told her. We walked back into the apartment. "Wow Maya, you know that lesson about the "forgotten" this morning?" Riley asked. "Um yeah." Maya replied. "It's us." Riley told her. They laid back down on the couch and I helped Topanga put the groceries away.
"Alright the potatoes prepared yesterday will be served today." Miss Thompson told us, the next day in the kitchen. "When do we get paid?" Maya asked. "The grateful looks in everyone's faces will be pay enough for me." Riley said. "What grateful looks?" I muttered to myself. "You want a pat on the back you better get a longer arm. This is not the job for "atta boys" or "you go girls"." Miss Thompson told us.
"Yesterday was the hardest day I've worked in my life." Riley admitted. "I have no doubt in that." Miss Thompson told her. "Now for the actual hard part." "That's a joke, you're funny right?" Maya asked. "When that lunch bell rings brace yourselves rookies. It's about to get real in here." Miss Thompson explained to us. "You're in charge of the potatoes." She moved the potatoes to the window. "You scoop them up, then plop them down. Scoop then plop, say it."
"Scoop and plop." Riley and I said. "Say it." Maya said. "After the plates go out you know what happens next?" Miss Thompson asked. "We can go home." Riley guessed. Miss Thompson started laughing. "You can go home." Riley and Maya nodded. "No!" Miss Thompson shouted. "Those dishes come back with twice the furry. They come in here. You scrape, you rinse, they go on here were they go on their little dish journey where they are reborn as clean dishes for tomorrow." She explained. "Hallelujah, say it."
"Hallelujah." Riley and I said. "Say it." Maya said. The bell rang. "This is it. You ready?" Miss Thompson asked. "How bad could middle school lunch get?" Riley asked. "Goodbye tiny little girls." Miss Thompson said. If that was any indication then it must be bad. "Let's do this thing." Students came into the cafeteria screaming, Maya and Riley screamed while moving over to the window. I just walked over to them to start.
"Whoo, they have been served." I announced. "By us." Riley added. "The servers." Maya said. "Except no one smiled." Riley said. "And nobody said thank you." Maya added. "And nobody even knew my name and I go to school with these people." I added. "Welcome to my world." Miss Thompson told us. "Well at least the hard part is over." Riley said. "No, now here comes the actual actual hard part." Miss Thompson corrected her.
"Why do you keep making that same joke?" Maya asked. "Look over here, wait for it, here it comes, wait for it." Miss Thompson told us. We looked at the assembly line as one plate came in. "What? This is it?" Riley asked as she moved over and grabbed the plate. "Oh I got this. This is nothing. I'll do it all. Scrap, rinse. Hallelujah." Riley said as she did everything Miss Thompson told us to do. "Maya and Caroline you might as well go home."
"How bad do you think this is going to be?" Maya and I asked. "That was only the first raindrop." Miss Thompson told us. "Before what?" Maya asked. "Noah." Miss Thompson answered. Right after she said that a big mountain of dishes came in. "Maya! Caroline!" Riley screamed. We held on to Miss Thompson.
We were finally done with the dishes and I felt so tired. "We did it." I said. "Please tell me there isn't another actual actual hard part." Maya pleaded. "No you're done." Miss Thompson told us. "Hallelujah." We grumbled. "Why don't you three go to the locker room, hit the showers and freshen up." Miss Thompson suggested. "I'm filthy." Riley stated. "We don't want anyone to see us like this." Maya said. "Well I don't see where you have another choice." Miss Thompson said.
"There is." I said. "There is another way." Maya said. We went and sat on the assembly line that sent the dishes to get clean. Maya pressed the button and we started moving. "Yeah as curious as I am to see what would happen to you. I've grown to like you three. I'm very proud of you, you did me and my kitchen proud today. So no." Miss Thompson said. She stopped the assembly belt and we crawled back out and stood up.
"Thank you Miss Thompson." I thanked. "I think you three can call me Geralyn." Geralyn told us. The boys and janitor Harley walked in. "Ha, you girls are a mess." Farkle commented. "We got the school so clean yesterday, today was the easiest day ever." Lucas told us. "And janitor Harley said it was the least pukey day he's ever seen." Farkle said. "Wait a minute boys." Janitor Harley said. "What's the matter?" Lucas asked. "There's a storm a brewing." Janitor Harley answered. "What kind of storm?" Farkle asked. His question was answered by the sound of puking.
"We're too late." Janitor Harley said. "Oh Farkle run." Lucas shouted. "I am running I'm just not a good athlete." Farkle shouted. "Save yourselves. They're about to blow!" Janitor Harley shouted as he closed the window.
Geralyn picked up the spoon that had the potatoes we made on it. She ate the potatoes and looked at us. "All you had to go was peel the potatoes and put them in the pot." She said. "That's what I did." Riley and I told her. "Peel the potatoes, put them in the pot." Geralyn repeated. "Funny story." Maya said.
We were sitting by Riley's windows after our job in the kitchen. "Wow." Riley said. "Yeah." Maya said. "Geralyn is really good at her job." I stated. "We are not good at Geralyn's job." Maya pointed out. "Yeah." Riley and I agreed. "Wow." Maya said.
I stood in front of the class the next day with Maya, Riley, and Geralyn. While the boys stood with Harley. "In 1929, our country fell apart." Riley started. "Not only because the economy suffered, but because we neglected the working class people who served us with pride and dignity." I continued. "And because we never cared enough to know them they were easily taken for granted and became the forgotten." Maya added. "Can anybody tell us who this is?" I asked.
"The lunch room lady." Sarah guessed. "I think she has a name." Cory stated. "I do three taco Sarah." Geralyn said. "This is Geralyn Thompson," Riley started. "And she knows all of you names." I added. "She's worked at this school for twenty years and I can tell you that he job is not easy." "Because she has over a thousand children and when you feed over a thousand children you have to make sure it's something everybody can eat." Maya explained. "And even if she would like to spice things up a bit she knows not to because it's what is right for everyone." Riley said. "She takes pride in her work, her kitchen, her cooking, and us." I added.
"And I'm proud that I was able to stand in her shoes for a day." Maya told the class. "This lady right here does it every day for us." "Geralyn remember that name." I told them. "Whatever we end up doing in life we have to do it with the same pride and enthusiasm as her."
"Boys." Cory said pointing at them. Farkle was on top of Cory's desk hugging his knees while Lucas was standing just staring into space. "We've seen things." Farkle stated. "You don't know man, you weren't there." Lucas spoke up. "Then went in as boys, they came out as I don't know. I don't know what they are now." Harley told us.
"We'd be lying if we told you janitorial services was our first pick, but I wouldn't trade this experience for a trip to the moon." Lucas told us. "That was an elective?!" Farkle shouted. "Janitor Harley is a good man. You have no idea what he goes through for you." Lucas told us. "You may not even notice that he's there, but I promise you this you would notice if he wasn't there." Farkle added.
"The clean tables, the immaculate classrooms, the shiny floors they don't magically happen. They take a ninja" Lucas explained. "Ninja." Harley said. "People who go through things for you, people who pour their heart and souls into the jobs because they care should be valued and embraced. You should look them in the eye and say thank you." Cory said. Lucas and Farkle turned to Harley. "Thank you." They thanked. We turned towards Geralyn. "Thank you." We thanked her. "I appreciate that." She said as she pulled us in for a hug.
Riley and I were waiting for Topanga to get home from work. When we heard the door open we got up and Riley took her briefcase while I took her coat. Topanga closed the door and we wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "We peeled potatoes for one day and I almost died." Riley admitted. "I love you." We told her. "I love you too." She told us.
We sat down on the couch and Riley started to do her spider move. "Ooh, spiders." Topanga said. "What is this for?" Topanga asked us. "We get up in the morning you're already up." Riley stated. "We go to sleep, you're still up." I added. "There's food on the table." Riley said. "Clean clothes." I said. "You take us where we need to go." Riley added. "You have a job and you still make time to take care of me, Riley, and Auggie." I said. "And we know now it may not be so easy." Riley said. "So if we forgotten to say thank you, we're saying it now. Thank you." Riley and I said.
"Aw." Topanga said as we hugged. We turned to look at Cory. "Oh and you to dad." Riley and I said to him. Cory mouthed 'oh' and saluted us. We continued to hug Topanga.
Riley, Maya, and I stood in the lunch line the next day. "Thank you." Riley thanked. "How are you today Geralyn?" I asked. "I'm fine Caroline, thanks for asking." Geralyn replied. The three of us whipped our hair back as Geralyn whipped her imaginary hair since her hair was in a hair net. "Stop it." We all said in unison.
We walked over to our table were Farkle and Lucas sat. "I got this." Harley told them about to pick up their plates. "No." Farkle stopped him. "We got this." Lucas said. He got up and threw the plates away. While he was over by the trash can some kid threw a banana peel and missed. "Ah you missed." Lucas told him. The kid picked up the banana peel and threw it away.
Cory walked over to us and started to give this big speech about how we should appreciate our teachers. During the speech we grabbed our things and walked out of the cafeteria. As we walked out I could still hear him talking probably thinking we were still there.