25 Days of Roses

By Mellanie Crouell

Marcus wants to get his mother a gift for her birthday, which falls on Mother’s Day. He doesn’t have enough money in his allowance. He works several odd jobs but time is running out. Will he come up with the money in time? What will he learn while working these odd jobs?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781663220264

Mellanie Crouell

Mellanie Crouell is a multitalented author and poet. She is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University & Full Sail University. She is active in her community, local schools and church. She is a wife and mother. She is a resident of New Bern, North Carolina.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Mellanie Crouell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

844-349-9409

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-2025-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-2026-4 (e)

iUniverse rev. date:  04/27/2021

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Dedicated to my Grandfather

Forest Dick Gatling

A Strong Man

1931-1989

CHAPTER ONE

M y mother’s birthday is in two weeks. Her birthday is on Mother’s Day. I am so excited! I’m going to give my mother two dozen long stem red and white roses for her birthday. The roses cost one hundred dollars. I have fifteen dollars in my allowance. I need to raise eighty- five dollars to get the roses. What am I going to do? Right now, I must finish getting ready for school.

Marcus, Marcus! yells my mom. Your breakfast is ready.

I put on my shoes, grabbed my book bag, and went downstairs to sit down and eat. My mother ends her phone call with Aunt Lydia. I could hear Mom asking Aunt Lydia what will Grandma cook for her birthday? I think that Aunt Lydia did not answer her because she quickly ended the call.

Mom has a special glow about her this morning. She is beautiful. She has high Chinese, Indian cheekbones with the complexion of Beyonce’. She has a shape like Jill Scott and a pearl of wisdom with words like Maya Angelou. I admire my Mom. The challenges of life have given her some blows that no one should even come back from. She gladly tells anyone that it was God who brought her through.

She interrupts my thoughts with a look that says she wants something.

I chuckle.

What do you all have planned for my birthday?

Mom, I don’t know. They told me that I cannot hold a secret. They aren’t going to let me know anything.

She laughs with a sparkle in her eyes. Yes, baby, it is true. Are you done eating breakfast?"

Yes.

Marcus, grab your things so we can go.

We walk out the door and get into the car. Mom starts the car and puts it in reverse. As I am looking out the window, I think that I know where I can get the money. Grandmother can loan me forty dollars. I can pay grandma back by working off the debt.

Dad pays me ten dollars for cutting the grass and taking out the trash each week. That is fifty dollars. I still will be about thirty-five dollars short. I