Paper Routes are for Boys

By Jada Bradley

Eleven-year-old Leela has just moved to a new neighborhood with her mother and brother but she is sad that her father no longer lives with them. When she sees an ad for newspaper carriers in the free neighborhood weekly, she decides to sign up, but will delivering papers prove to be too much of a challenge?

The paper route is not exactly what Leela expected but to her surprise her family and friends rally around her when she needs them the most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jada Bradley
• Release date: Aug 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301956227

Jada Bradley

Jada Bradley lives on the East Coast, where she writes and reads a lot online, but still makes time for books and newspapers.

Book preview

Paper Routes Are for Boys

Jada Bradley

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Jada Bradley

This e-book is a work of fiction. It is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

Leela was lost in thought as the schoolbus pulled up to her stop. Why is he stopping here? she wondered.

Leela, your stop! Brian, the bus driver, bellowed from the front of the bus. Leela blinked and realized that for a moment, she was thinking that the bus would take her to her old neighborhood. She picked up her bag and turned back for the book she had been reading. The bag was open, so she had to make sure it didn’t fall open as she reached back for the book.

Sorry! she called as she ran up to the front door of the bus. Brian grunted.

When she was off the bus, Leela sighed. It has been two months since they’d moved and sometimes she still forgot.

***

In the kitchen, there was a peanut butter jar with a knife stuck in it and bread crumbs on the kitchen counter. The jar was almost scraped clean.

D.J. Leela muttered to herself. She looked for the butter that must have gone into the sandwich with the peanut butter, but she didn’t see it. D.J. must have put it back. Leela’s brother, D.J., liked strange food combinations. Peanut butter and butter sandwiches were his favorite. He also like to dash out of the house after leaving a mess.

Leela stopped to think. If she left the mess, and waited to tell her brother he should clean it up, they would argue for sure. If the mess were still there when her mother got home, her mother would fuss.

"Oooooo, girl, whatcha gonna doooo?" Leela stopped thinking to sing a line from a song that had been on the radio when she’d left home that morning. Singing the song jogged her memory and she quickly looked at the wall clock. It was 3 pm. She had been nodding her head to this same song while that morning her mother was telling her what to do about dinner.

Turn the crockpot down to warm at 4:30. Then you take the cornbread out of the refrigerator and put it in the oven to warm, too, was what her mother had said.

***

Leela Davidson!

Leela sighed and put down her pen. She was almost finished with her history homework. When she reached the kitchen, Leela could see her mother standing with her hands on her hips. Mrs. Davidson was glaring at the counter and when Leela came in, she turned to look at her. One of her eyebrows was raised.

Why is there a mess all over my counter? And why is the cornbread still in the refrigerator?" Leela hung her head. She’d forgotten everything. From the corner of her eye she glanced at the clock. It was 5pm.

I forgot about the crockpot and the cornbread, but that mess isn’t mine, she protested.

Clean it up so I can finish dinner, since you didn’t do it. Lord, I hope the chili didn’t burn. What were you doing all this time?

My homework, Leela answered, frowning. She hated cleaning up after D.J.

Her answer was mostly true. She was almost finished with her homework. And she had only listened to the radio for a little while before starting it. She would have watched TV, but her mother always seemed to be able to tell. Leela wasn’t supposed to watch TV until after dinner.

Her mother’s eyebrow was raised again. Well, I hope you finished. She lifted the crockpot lid. Good thing I put this on a low temperature. It doesn’t look too bad. Your uncle James thought the crockpot would save me time, but I don’t know. She was shaking her head as she went to get the cornbread. It had come from Aunt Ruth’s house, where they had eaten dinner the day before.

At the sink, Leela found that the peanut butter did not want to leave the knife, so she turned on more hot water. She was daydreaming a little as she watched the water clear away the peanut butter, but her mother’s voice broke in, I know I told you not to do homework in front of the television set, but you can’t stay holed up in your room and forget your chores. Next time use the timer on the microwave to remind you. Her mother sighed and sat on a chair at the table.

Okay, Leela replied. Chores. Only her mother would use a word like that, as if they lived on a farm or something.

Hey Ma. Hey Sis, D.J. dumped his newspaper carrier bag on the kitchen floor. He was grinning and chewing on a stick of beef jerky.

Hello. What is that you are eating? Get that bag out from the middle of the floor.

Oh, my bad, He saw his mother’s frown and continued more formally, Mother, this is the culinary delight know as beef jerky.

Dinner is almost ready, so the two of you can wash your hands. D.J. was almost out of the room. And Daniel, the next time you make one of your culinary delights, don’t leave the kitchen a mess.

Their mother always called him Daniel, but everyone else used his nickname, D.J. It was short for Daniel James. Leela didn’t think the name Daniel fit her brother at all. It seemed so formal.

Alright Ma, D.J.’s voice echoed a little as he made his way to his room.

Leela made her exit as well. On the way to the bathroom, she could not resist calling out, Yeah, Big Jerky, clean up after yourself. She was greeted by a flying sneaker and she jumped out of the way so that it just missed her.

Chapter 2

The next day when Leela got home from school she saw a