Hello, everyone. School is back in session, & I've been seeing lots of YouTube & TikTok videos about parents packing up school lunches for their children. I also see some parody video skits about school lunch.
I remember when I was in foster care (since we were considered as a ward of the state), we automatically had free lunch, while the foster sister Joanie had to pay for school lunch. She was already adopted by the foster mom. Joanie is the foster mom's cousin Cricket's biological daughter. I don't remember if Joanie had to pay full or reduced price lunch at the school.
The former foster mom always favored Joanie over us, since Joanie was already biologically/genetically related to her. She always treated Joanie better. When we had field trips, the foster mom used to force us to eat the nasty school lunch, while Joanie was treated with fresh roast beef Po' Boys & Zapp's potato chips & who knows what else.
Here's an example YouTube video of someone (Clementine & the Kiddos) packing school lunch for her kids, & the people in the comments section were joking about how the other kids would get jealous.
https://youtu.be/INpe8Fk0Ml8?si=9aSj6fkFReUCCTJb
& here's me paying homage to Cotton Mouf for their school lunch skit.
https://youtu.be/xs6WMsalC3A?si=PZK5qwiorsbrAZcm
There are some other videos out there. Now, here's my turn. In the form of a fictional short story. I will try my best.
______________________________________________
It's Sunday after church. A Christian homemaker, Rachel just got back from grocery shopping, while her neighbors babysat her 5 sons, Antonius, Andrew, Jr. Anthony, Antavious & Angelino. The boys were ecstatic when she came back. They couldn't wait for the next day. They hovered around their mother, trying to take a sneak peek into what they might have for school lunch the next day. Rachel angrily ran them out of the kitchen, like as if they were eavesdropping in grown folks' conversation. The boys were confused. They wondered why school lunch was supposed to be a secret.
The next day rolled around, & Rachel was fixing their father (her husband), Andrew Sr., his BIG MAN lunch for work. She fixed the boys the same thing. She made a big bowl of cold salad that was like macaroni, tuna, potato & egg salad that was all mixed into one. She used ditalini & bowtie pasta. She also used miracle whip, pickle relish, a little bit of sea salt, crumbled up edible seaweed, freshly chopped granny smith apples, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, dill & parsley. On the side, she prepared cheesy garlic bread with marinara dip, Korean kimchi, some sweet potato brownies, a bag of Late July multigrain chips, a container with 2 tablespoons of raw coconut oil for energy & alertness, 2 bottles of water each, & Dad's favorite. Reed's Jamaican ginger beer. Rachel always has an attitude towards her annoying boys who drive her up the wall, but she's always pretty fancy, extravagant & extra when doing it up for her family meals.
The boys didn't know what's for lunch because Rachel always keeps everything a mystery, so that they wouldn't complain while she's making their lunch. She didn't want to hear about who likes this & who doesn't like that. She knew they would complain about the fruits & vegetables in the salad. That's why she put so many ingredients in there. Hardworking Dad doesn't care what he eats because he's always hungry after a hard day's work out in that hot sun.
While walking the boys to the bus stop, Antonius was complaining about how he thinks lunch might be nasty, & that he thinks the lunch at school is probably better than Mom's lunch. There was a homeless man sitting on the curb, right by the bus stop. The other students were frightened, so he respectfully & humbly moved across the street. He said that he hasn't had anything to eat in almost a week, & that he's diabetic & feels weak, faint, hungry & thirsty. The man was shaking. The man's name is Andres. Andres is from Guatemala.
Rachel asked Andres if he needed medical attention. He said, "No. I don't trust hospitals. They do more harm than good." Then, she offered him to accept Antonius's lunch + gave him $500 cash for a cheap motel room for the week to wash up & get some much needed rest. Antonius started to cry & say, "No! Please, Mom! Don't do this to me!"
Andres devoured that food like an angry BEAST! Before everyone's eyes. He even ate the coconut oil, like most homeless people wouldn't eat. He felt so much better that he didn't need to go to the emergency room, afterall.
Antonius was the only 1 sent to school with $3 for lunch served at the school, & he cried because that lunch REALLY WAS nasty! The kids had bland tofu sandwiches, canned apricots, succotash & spoiled white milk that day. No chocolate milk or dessert. The canned apricots were considered as the "dessert". He couldn't even eat all of his lunch. He cried & felt guilty all day.
Once Antonius got home, his 4 brothers & Dad teased him & rubbed it in his face about how good the cold salad was that Mom made. He learned his lesson to never complain about Mom's school lunch again, & Mom (Rachel) never, ever made that salad again. The delicious recipe ingredients still remain a mystery 'til this day.
THE END