Apostoic

A Story for the Covenant Christian Kids – By D.S Cook for Apostoic.com

In the rolling countryside, there once lived twin brothers, Jerry and Jankerson. They were fond of one another; they played together well, shared their friends, and both were strong and healthy. One day, when they were eight, their mother said, “Boys, I think it would be good if you learned to earn a little. I’ll tell you what. If you’ll both go and pull all the weeds in my garden, I’ll give each of you a crisp new dollar. It should take you about two hours.” The boys groaned. Of course, it was not the first time they’d had chores to do, but like all boys, they loved to play and hated to work.

 Jankerson mumbled aloud, “A dollar! That’s not very much at all! What can I buy with a dollar? It should be TEN.” His mother’s eyebrows furrowed just a little, but she said nothing.

Jerry however began to think. He thought and thought, so hard that sweat began to appear on his forehead, and he made funny faces. “Eureka!” he finally exclaimed. “I did the math, and made a discovery!” Jankerson looked at him quizzically. “I have discovered that one dollar is MORE than zero dollars!” Jerry piped. “I have zero dollars now, and will still have zero dollars if we play all day. But I if do the job, I will have MORE than zero!” Jerry, it turned out, was a pretty bright kid.

So, both kids went out into the hot sun and began to pull weeds. They had been working about five minutes when Jankerson stood up and sighed. He looked down at how much they had done, a little patch of about two square feet of garden. He looked up and around at how much they had left to do, about sixty square feet. “This is going to take forever!” he complained in his thoughts, but what he said out loud was, “I need to get a drink of water.” He stood up and went inside. Jerry kept weeding. Five minutes later Jankerson came back out again, and reluctantly started to pull weeds, slower than before.

Another ten minutes passed, and they had weeded another small patch. Jankerson stood up and sighed. “I need to go to the bathroom” he announced, and turned heel again. Jerry kept weeding. This time it was ten minutes before Jankerson came out again, and started to weed slower than before. He looked over at the little patch his brother had cleared, and that’s when it struck him. “While I was inside, Jerry kept going. He did another small patch all by himself.” He began to think as he weeded. He thought so hard that sweat appeared on his forehead, and he made funny faces. “Eureka!” He thought silently. “When I stop, Jerry doesn’t. That means… I think… that work gets done while I’m not working. If I do this right, Jerry will do most of the work.” So, every five or ten minutes Jankerson found some reason to stop.

“I need to go to the bathroom again!” he’d say.
“Whoops, I left my gloves inside!” a few minutes later.
“I found a bug! Look how cool it is!”
“I think I need a hat.”  

And so it went. Each time Jankerson returned to work, he worked just a bit slower than before, his eyes always on all the work that had yet to be done. The hours passed, and slowly the patch of finished garden grew and grew. Jerry made it more fun by telling a story while he worked, about a giant ogre who carried off the princess and rescued the gallant knight. He worked steadily, and only went to get a drink and go to the bathroom once, both in the same trip. Finally, they were finished. It had taken them three and a half hours instead of two, with one brother only working half the time, and half the speed. Jankerson stood up and looked around. “That was horrible.” He thought. “It took forever. I’m hot. I have dirt in my shoes. I hate work. I hope we never have to do that again!” Jerry on the other hand looked out over the work they had done, and felt something that he wasn’t sure he had felt before. He started to think. He thought really hard, until sweat appeared on his forehead and he made funny faces. “Eureka!” he said to himself. “I think I feel proud of myself. I’m proud of the good work I did, and glad to be a real help mom, who works almost every hour of every day and never gets to play. I’m proud that I earned a dollar with my own hands, and now it’s really mine. I feel just a little bit more like a grown-up, and it feels good.”

 Sure enough, after inspecting the garden, their mother paid each of them a crisp new dollar.

Jerry and Jankerson spend a dollar

Excited, the boys jumped on their bicycles. They pedaled fast as lighting up the country road, laughing and joking. They rode through the meadow. They rode through the woods. They rode through the creek. And finally, they got to the store. Jankerson bought a big juicy gumball, large enough to fill his whole cheek. It was strawberry-orange with swirls of lemon, and tasted delicious. Jerry bought a little plastic dinosaur, with a tab on its tail. If you pushed down and released the tab, the dinosaur would jump two feet in the air. It was very fun. Jankerson enjoyed his gumball, and Jerry enjoyed his dinosaur, and soon the day was over.

The next morning, the boys were at the table eating breakfast with their father. He looked up from his newspaper. He took a big slurp of his coffee. Then he reached out and patted both boys on the head. “I noticed the garden was weeded yesterday” he said through his bushy mustache. “Thanks for your good work. Did you get a dollar?” The boys beamed with pride. “We did, we did!” “Ah good,” said their father. “What did you buy?”

“I bought a giant gumball!” said Jankerson. “It was strawberry-orange with lemon swirls and it filled my whole cheek!”
“Ah” His father nodded wisely. “Gumballs are delicious.”

“I bought a plastic dinosaur!” said Jerry. “It had a tab in the back and it could jump up two feet in the air!”
“Ah” His father stroked his mustache wisely. “Dinosaurs are lots of fun.”

He sipped his coffee once again. Then he said, “Jankerson, where is your gumball?” Jankerson looked surprised. “What do you mean Dad? It’s gone now, I chewed it yesterday.” “Ah,” said his father, nodding wisely. “Jerry, where’s your dinosaur?” “It broke” Jerry said. “But it’s ok, I was bored anyway.” “Ah,” said their father, stroking his mustache wisely. He slurped his coffee. “Boys,” he said, “Where is your dollar?” They both glanced at each other like he was crazy. “What do you mean dad?” they asked. “You know, the dollar you made yesterday. Where is it?” “Uh… it’s gone dad! We spent it on the gumball and the dinosaur.” “Ah.” Their father nodded wisely and stroked his mustache.
“So, you don’t have a dollar?”
“Not anymore dad.”
“You have zero dollars?”
“Yes.”
“Ah,” said their father. He went back to reading his newspaper, nodding wisely and stroking his mustache.

Jankerson chewed his breakfast and followed a fly with his yes. Jerry began to think. He thought and thought, until sweat appeared on his forehead and he made funny faces.

 Jerry and Jankerson make another dollar

Another day came and Jerry and Jankerson had another job to do. “Boys,” said their mother. I want you to go out and clean up all the sticks and leaves in the yard so your father can mow. Rake the leaves into piles and put them in bags. Gather the sticks into bundles, and we will use them to start our campfires. If you do, I will give you each a crisp new dollar.” “Ok mom!” said Jerry. “It should be ten dollars” muttered Jankerson. The boys went to work and the job played out just like the one before; Jankerson taking lots of breaks and finding many reasons to stop, and Jerry doing far more of the work. Once again it took up much more of their day than it would have if both boys were working steady. This time, to make it more fun, Jerry told a story about a terrible dragon who devoured the prince and rescued the kingdom. When they were finished, Jankerson thought “That was terrible! It took forever. It was so boring. I hate work. I hope we never have to do that again.” Jerry was strangely happy, and that same feeling came back to him again. He felt pride that he had done a good thing for his mom and dad, who worked so hard all the time and never got to play. He felt a little more like a grown-up. He felt pride that he had earned a dollar with his own hands, and that it was really his. “I like this feeling.” He thought. “It feels good.” When they were done, their mother gave each of them a crisp new dollar.

The boys jumped on their bicycles, and pedaled off as fast as lighting. They rode up the country road, through the meadow, through the woods and the creek to the dollar store. Jankerson bought a plastic dinosaur, because he thought Jerry’s had looked like fun. Jerry was just about to buy a giant gumball, but he stopped. He thought really hard, until sweat appeared on his forehead and he made funny faces. Then he put his dollar back in his pocket. “What are you going to buy?” Asked Jankerson. “Nothing” said Jerry. “Nothing! Are you crazy?” his brother exclaimed. “Yep, nothing” said Jerry. They rode back home. Jankerson enjoyed his dinosaur, and Jerry played with his old toys, and soon the day was over.

The next morning, the boys were eating breakfast with their father. He looked up from his newspaper, and sipped his coffee. Then he reached out and patted both boys on the head. “I noticed the leaves and sticks are all cleaned up lads” he said. “Thanks for your good work. Did you get a dollar?” The boys beamed with pride. “We did, we did!” “Ah good,” said their father. “What did you buy?”

“I bought a plastic dinosaur!” said Jankerson. “Jerry’s looked like so much fun.”
“Ah,” said his father, nodding wisely. “Dinosaurs are very cool.”

“I didn’t buy anything.” said Jerry.
“Nothing at all?” said his father, pretending to be surprised.
“Nope.”
“Ah,” said his father, stroking his mustache wisely. He took a big slurp of his coffee. “Jankerson, where’s your dinosaur?”
“It’s in the toy chest with my other toys. I got bored of it.”
“Ah. And where is your dollar?”
“What do you mean? It’s gone. I spent it on the dinosaur.”
“So you don’t have a dollar?”
“Not anymore.”
“You have zero dollars.”
“Yes.”
“Ah.” Said their father. “I see, I see.” He nodded his head and stroked his mustache wisely. “Where is your dollar Jerry?”
“It’s in a safe place, in a coffee can.” Said Jerry.
“So how many dollars do you have?”
“One dad, I have one dollar.”
“Ah.” Said their father, nodding wisely. He went back to reading his newspaper.

Jerry becomes a man

Half a year passed. The autumn was in swing, and winter coming on. The season of gardening and lawn care was laid to rest, and there was little promise of dollar-a-day jobs for the next many months. Jerry had grown muscular. There were callouses on his hands. He had done many jobs. He had played with his old toys and read books, and added zero cheap boring toys to his toy chest. And for his efforts, he had amassed the staggering sum of one hundred dollars. Jankerson looked skinnier and weaker than his twin. His toy chest was full of cheap plastic toys and gumball wrappers with jokes on them. He had one dollar, from the previous day’s leaf raking.

Onto their bicycles the boys hopped again. They rode through the meadow. They rode through the woods. They rode through the creek. And finally, they got to the store. Jankerson took out his dollar and bought a plastic ninja man with a spring loaded arm for throwing paper stars. It was awesome, for a dollar. He turned to his brother, pity and exasperation on his face. “You’re going to put your dollar back in your pocket again aren’t you?” He said. “Nope!” piped Jerry, to his surprise. Jerry took out fifty dollars, walked over to the lawn and garden section, and bought the sturdiest snow shovel there ever was. “What on earth are you going to do with that?” Said Jankerson. “That’s stupid!” “You’ll see.” Said Jerry.

The next morning at breakfast, their father was reading his newspaper.
He took a big slurp of his coffee, then reached out and patted both boys on the head. “I noticed the leaves were raked yesterday. Did you boys get a dollar?”
“We did, we did!”
“And what did you buy?”
Jankerson spoke up. “I bought a ninja guy who can throw paper stars!”
“Ah,” said his father, stroking his mustache wisely. “Ninja guys are awesome. Jankerson, where is your dollar?”
“Gone dad! We’ve been through this. I spent it on the ninja guy.”
“Ah,” said his father wisely. “So you don’t have a dollar?”
“No dad.”
“You have zero dollars?”
“Yes.”
“Ah.” Said their father. I see, I see. And you Jerry? Do you still have your hundred dollars?”
Jerry grinned so wide his cheeks hurt. “Actually Dad… I only have fifty bucks now.”

His father’s head snapped up. “You spent fifty dollars! Interesting. On what?”
Jerry just pointed proudly out the window. In the driveway stood the brand-new, heavy duty snow shovel, gleaming like a knight’s sword.
Their father raised one busy eyebrow, understanding and pride creeping into the corners of his mouth. “Ah. A shovel. Interesting choice.”

That very afternoon the first snowflakes began to fall. By morning the whole neighborhood was buried under a thick white blanket. Jerry marched out with his shovel over his shoulder like a soldier going into battle. He knocked on the first neighbor’s door. “Need your driveway shoveled, Mrs. Pickleberry? Only five dollars!” Mrs. Pickleberry clapped her hands. “Bless you, child! My back isn’t what it used to be.” By lunchtime Jerry had shoveled four driveways and made twenty dollars. His arms ached, his nose was red, and snow was melting down his neck… but he was grinning like a pumpkin.

Jankerson, meanwhile, sat inside playing with his new ninja guy. He threw paper stars at the wall until he got bored, then wandered over to the window. Outside, Jerry was halfway down old Mr. Grumbleton’s extra-long driveway, singing a silly song he made up about snow monsters who carried off the princess and rescued her prince-fiancé. While he worked. Jankerson watched for a long time. Then he started to think. He thought and thought, until sweat appeared on his forehead and he made funny faces.

“Eureka!” he shouted suddenly. He ran outside in his slippers, slipping and sliding all the way to his brother. “Jerry! Jerry! I just figured it out! While you’re out here making money, I’m inside doing… nothing! That means if I keep doing nothing, you’ll keep making money and I’ll still have zero! That’s… that’s terrible math!” Jerry leaned on his shovel and laughed so hard he almost fell over. “Took you six months, huh?” Jankerson looked down at his cold, wet slippers, then at Jerry’s shiny new shovel, then at the long line of driveways still waiting to be cleared. He sighed the biggest sigh in twin-brother history. “I wish I hadn’t spent all my money. I wish I had a shovel, and could be out here making more dollars with you” he said, crestfallen.

His brother just grinned. “Why do you think I spent only fifty?” he said. “Go get another. It’s on me.”

And so the two brothers shoveled side by side all day, one singing about snow monsters, the other grumbling but secretly smiling every time he earned another crisp five-dollar bill. By the end of that first snowy day, Jerry had 35 new dollars in his coffee can. Jankerson had 15… and for the first time ever, his toy chest stayed closed while he counted his own money with proud, blistered hands.

Their father watched them from the window, newspaper forgotten, coffee growing cold. He stroked his bushy mustache one last time and chuckled deeply.
“Ah,” he said to no one in particular. “Now that… is a dollar well spent.”

The End.