The Money Jar
(A narrative memoir prose/poem)
The shiny, silver coated coins
shimmered through the translucent,
thick glass of the commercial size
mayonnaise jar. Mixed with crisp,
green bills of varied denominations,
the money jar was neatly tucked
away under my bed and soon
became my prized possession
at the unseasoned age of fifteen.
Working at Bell’s Restaurant six days
a week for tips and no pay at my folks
little downtown eatery… I would
watch in absolute awe and wonder
as the two gallon jar piled to the brim
with money.
Very early each Sunday morning,
I would pull the draperies close that
hung at the foot of my bed,
separating it from the rest of the
‘L’ shaped bedroom, for privacy.
Gently placing the money jar on top
of my bed, I would quietly unscrew
the tin cover and carefully spill the
coins and bills over the bedspread,
beginning the exciting yet exceedingly
long, arduous count.
Five, ten fifteen, twenty,
Twenty-five, fifty, jar of plenty.
Higher and higher, soared the amount;
two thousand dollars… quite the count.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sunday preceding Labor Day of 1962.
The chosen day for the final count, at last
had arrived. An incredibly dark and dreary
early Sunday morning, did not allow me to
see the money jar underneath my bed. I
tiptoed to the kitchen returning with a
flashlight.
Lifting the red and white chenille bedspread
and flashing the light underneath, I knelt
beside the bed, catching a glimpse of
the money jar leaning against the wall.
Retrieving it from beneath the bed, I
quickly realized it was empty. All the
money I had worked so hard to save to
surprise my mom with her dream trip to
Hawaii, was gone.
A folded piece of paper containing a hand
written note, rested on the bottom of the jar.
Recalling as best one can from scattered
memories, it read simply as follows:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Jerry,
I must relocate to Florida for the winter. I will
return in the spring and pay back what I owe
you. Hopefully, someday you will understand.
Dad
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dad did return in spring.
And I understood everything.
I realized he was a very selfish
man who didn‘t know how to
love anyone, least of all himself
and his family.
Dad never did pay me back...
And mom never made it
to Hawaii.
© Copyright 2008 Gerard Lebel
All rights reserved
You narrate the story so poetically, my attention was caught from the title of the poem, which drew me in to read it, Gerry. My heart was filled with sadness when you found your money jar was empty, just as it beamed with happiness as it filled up and I wondered what you might spend it on. You worked so hard to give your beloved Mom a very special gift and that was denied to you by your Dad. I feel 'gutted' for you! I am so sorry you had that experience, it leaves an imprint on one's mind which time will never erase. You have captured the detail so meticulously, the story unfolds in pictures for your reader, in this excellently penned and expressed write. I admire your gift very much, you have a very special way for imparting knowledge to your reader. I am sorry your dear Mom didn't get to Hawaii, I know it would have been a dream come true for both you to be able to give this super gift to your Mom and your Mom because her dream would have become reality. Thank you very much for sharing this very poignant write, Gerry. Blessings and Happy New Year of The Dragon too......
What a terrible disappointment! Difficult to believe a parent could be so uncaring and cruel, but there are some who fit that description perfectly. On another note, by ex-mother-in-law would put money into a jar for each of my sons on holidays. It was for "important things". She would sign their cards "P.S. - you're money's in the jar". How they hated that, especially when they were little. All they wanted was a simple little toy to play with.
Excellent narration of a very sad event...too many parents do this.
You have no idea just how much I can relate to this story Jerry and there can be no excuses made for such behavior by one who is supposed to be the one settin examples. At least you have the pride in knowing that you were able to have the self-control to save up all the cash. Your friend in words, Pete
such a sad story of what greed can do excellent story
A heartbreaking story Jerry. What a very selfish man to do this to his son but I am sure your Mother's love made up for having such a father. She must have been very proud of how caring you were and the fact that you saved as you did to give her such a surprise would have made up for the lost holiday. God bless you...... Pat