Writing The Self 3: Am I Rich?
It was another cold Friday in Regina, Saskatchewan. I was outside at recess with my friends, playing in the snow, chasing each other around.
“Hey Michaela, do you want to come to my house after school?” My friend asked me.
“Yeah, sure! I’ll just have to tell my mom!” I pulled my blue LG Rumour 2 out from my pocket and slide it sideways, exposing the keyboard.
“Wow, you’re lucky you have a phone like that! It’s so cool!” She exclaimed. I just laughed it off and proceeded to text my mother about where I would be after school. I showed her some of the things on my hand-me-down phone from my sister, who recently got an iPhone.
When the final bell of the school day rang, I packed up my stuff and walked over to my friend. We played outside in the trees for a while before walking across the street from our elementary school to her house. It was a very small condo that consisted of her, her brother, and her parents. We played there for a bit before my mom came to pick me up.
“Why don’t you come over to my house for a little bit?” I asked. She agreed and hopped into my dad’s Audi Q5. Once we arrived at my house and went into my room, she said
“I really like your dad’s car. It’s so fancy. Your house is really big too. And you have a big bed. You guys must be rich.” That got me thinking for a moment.
“I don’t think I would say we’re rich. I hear my parents complaining about money all the time.” I explained to her.
“Well you guys own a business,” she said. “Doesn’t that mean you’re rich?” Words I had heard from many people over and over again and would continue to hear over the years as I got older.
“It’s a coffee shop. It’s not like we own Microsoft,” I said with respect to the very popular company of the time.
When my friend left, I said goodbye then turned to my mother.
“Mom, are we rich?” I asked. “Our house is so much bigger than Annabelle’s and people always ask if we’re rich because we own a coffee shop.” My mother smiled at me.
“Well, Mich,” she began. “I work very hard for our money so we can give you everything you need. So does your father. We used to not have as much money and were considered lower-middle class. Now I would say that we are working towards upper-middle class. But that is where hard work gets you. One day, I’m hoping that I can leave all this money to you.”
“So, we’re not rich?” I asked.
“No, not yet.”
“Well that’s boring. Wake me up when we are,” I joked before going to my room to get ready for bed. I put my pyjamas on and brushed my teeth, the mint toothpaste making my mouth feel funny. I swished some fluoride around in my mouth and spit it out. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought I’m gonna be rich one day.
1 Comment
Brianna Kutas · March 16, 2021 at 5:51 am
Hi Michaela,
These types of stories are not ones that we often talk about, but you did a really good job of relating a moment in your life to the topic of socioeconomic status. Your story included many important ideas when it comes to the topic of class and the title instantly caught my attention. I enjoyed when you said “I pulled my blue LG Rumour 2 out from my pocket and slide it sideways, exposing the keyboard,” being that this sentence is full of detail and I was able to picture your phone perfectly in my mind.
The way that you used quotes made the story flow really well and showed how much detail you actually have about this particular memory. As I was reading, I felt like I was there having these conversations amongst these people. I wondered while reading your story if your friend was also having realizations about her class like you were having, being that her comments sparked so much interest in you. As I read your story, I felt quite content since your friend didn’t seem to think poorly of herself after seeing the difference between your lives like some people unfortunately often do.
One thing I noticed while reading your story was that maybe you could have included a little bit more detail about the places you mention in your story. It would be interesting to hear what your friend’s house actually looked like on the inside or what your house looked like in more detail to have the full effect of the comparison of classes that is being made! I also noticed that you mention other people had previously referred to the idea of you being rich because of your family business, but I wonder what was different about this one time that made you decide to ask your mom about it.
I really enjoyed your ending statement when you said “I looked at myself in the mirror and thought I’m gonna be rich one day,” being that it reminded me of when I used to think about having a successful future when I was young as well. I think your story is an important thing to consider since just because someone may seem rich doesn’t always mean they are. It is interesting though how you didn’t find yourself pondering the question, “are we rich,” until your friend began talking about it, being that we don’t often realize our socioeconomic position in life until you can have that visual by comparing to someone else. Overall your story perfectly represents your realization of your class!