The Cardboard Sign: Kasey's View: The Cardboard Sign, #1

By K.Y. Thompson

Kasey carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. She understands more than most girls her age and internalizes the problems troubling the adults in her life. On her way home from school one day, she bonds with a local homeless person, despite her mother's warnings. Her newfound friendship shows her although life is unpredictable, it can be as sweet as honey.  Fearing no one really understands her concerns, Kasey jots down her thoughts in a series of private journal entries. Take the journey with The Cardboard Sign as Kasey focuses on the bigger picture.

 

The Cardboard Sign is a fictional story written for the young adult reader, but is relatable to people of all ages. Set in North Carolina, the story shows the world through the lens of Kasey, a young girl. She lives with her mother, college-aged sister, and grandmother. Her mother struggles to keep Kasey's reality in check, and fears Kasey's fascination with homeless people will cause trouble for the entire family.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.Y. Thompson
• Release date: May 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098372897

K.Y. Thompson

K.Y. Thompson, a native of North Carolina, wrote her first story and at that moment discovered writing was a creative outlet. She grew up writing tons of stories and reading all genres. With a Master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University, Kenya continued to perfect her craft.  She aims to inspire others to explore their passions and live life to the fullest.  When not reading or writing, Kenya enjoys art projects, spending time with family and friends, good food, and lots of laughter.

Book preview

Chapter 1

October 10, 2013

There is a lady, with tattered clothes and an equally tattered green backpack, standing on the street corner every day with a sign, begging, and pleading for assistance. The sign is made from old cardboard with writing scribbled on it with big bright red letters. Please Help, I need money. Will work. God Bless You. 

I can tell the lady tried her hardest to make the writing neat. The scribbled writing is as neat as it can be for a cardboard sign.

People try not to look at her. When they ride by, they lower their eyes. I know this to be true because I have seen Momma and Granny lower their eyes. No one wants to know her struggles and grief, but for some reason, I do. I look her straight in the eyes and wonder about her life. Her story is just as important as anyone else’s. Right? I asked Momma questions about the lady. Momma said to pray for her. At night, before I go to sleep, I do just that. I say a prayer for the lady on the corner. Her struggle, whatever it may be, makes my heart hurt. No one seems to care about her. People whiz by her in their fancy vehicles, never slowing down to see why she needs help. I want to do something nice for the lady on the corner, but Momma said I should not talk to strangers. She does not feel like a stranger. I see her every afternoon on my way home from school on Woodrow Street around three o’clock.  

October 18, 2013

The weather is extremely cold outside today, with blizzard temperatures. This morning, I wore my heaviest coat, gloves, scarf, and was still frozen to the bone. Momma took me shopping earlier this month for winter clothes. Every piece of winter clothing Momma purchased for me was pink and turquoise, my new favorite colors.

Momma sensed this winter was going to start early and be a rough one. She observed the behavior of the snowbirds and predicted the weather. The first frost is coming tonight, and Momma brought all the porch plants into the house. She did not want the plants to get cold hurt. You know Momma.... She loves her plants and gives them extreme care. Yep, every morning she sings to her plants and greets each one individually with a warm hello. Her favorite plant is a snake plant she named Dora. A few months ago, Dora the snake plant bloomed. Did you know snake plants bloomed? Momma singing to the plants actually works. No one in our neighborhood has plants as pretty and healthy as Momma.

On the nightly news program that Momma and Granny watch faithfully, the weatherman suggested if anyone had pets, tonight would be a good night to bring them inside. Animals should not be left outside when the temperature drops below freezing. The weather report got me thinking about the lady on the corner. If an animal needs to come inside because of the freezing temperatures, what about her? I asked Momma what the lady that stands on the corner would do in such cold temperatures. Momma hugged me, shrugged her shoulders, and mentioned the shelter.

There are tons of people on the street in the city with cardboard signs pleading for help; men, women, and children. Our city has a major problem with homelessness. It is such a problem, the candidates for this year’s mayoral race made tackling the homelessness issue part of their political campaign. Everyone talks about the issue, but no one has a real solution.

I am almost positive the shelter does not have enough space for every homeless person in the city. Last night, I prayed for the entire homeless community and cried myself to sleep.

October 20, 2013

Today was a good day ... absolutely fantastic! I can not believe I was chosen as the lead in the school’s fall play. I practiced very hard, and my dedication paid off! The play is an adaptation of, (drumroll please), ......Cinderella! Of course, I am playing the role of Cinderella. The fall play is similar to the old fairytale, but with a modern twist. There will be lots of singing and dancing. Sissy helped me with my lines. Because of the amount of singing in the play, Sissy refers to it as a musical.

Sissy is now in college and only home for fall break. Because she does not have a car, Sissy does not come home much, and when she does, I try to spend every minute with her.  I told Sissy about the play, and without hesitation, she offered to help me prepare. We rehearsed my lines every evening after school. Even when I got tired of practicing, Sissy would put me back on the right track.

After the roles were posted by the gym hall, my drama teacher, Mrs. Lancaster, passed out flyers to my class to give to our family and friends. She wanted everyone to participate, even if the students were not chosen to be in the play. All the students received twenty flyers each. Some kids were grumbling about being forced to pass out the flyers, but not me.  I love talking to people. Passing them out should be an easy task. 

On the way home from school, I begged Momma to slow the SUV down to allow me to hand a flyer to the homeless lady on the corner. I thought it would be good for her to have a little happiness, and besides, I like her. I do not know why I like her, but I do. Intuition, maybe? Momma did not want to slow down, but she did it anyway. The lady took the flyer and smiled at me. She said, God bless you, sister and for the first time, I noticed she had tiny freckles on her nose, tightly coiled shoulder-length dark brown hair, and the darkest brown eyes behind thick glasses. I beamed with pride exclaiming and waving with excitement, I am the star in the play. I hope she will be able to come see me perform.

October 22, 2013

This morning, I was listening to Sissy talk to her friend on the phone and my mouth fell open. I did not mean to snoop, but I was in her room looking for her red striped college sweatshirt. I wanted to wear it with my black denim skirt to school to impress my friends. I have been bragging about my big sister since school started back, and I wanted to show everyone her college gear. While I was looking in her drawer for the sweatshirt, I heard footsteps and knew someone was coming into the bedroom. I quickly closed the drawer, hid in Sissy’s junky closet, and tried not to breathe or make a sound. Sissy does not like me in her room and certainly does not want me wearing her clothes unless I ask for permission. But I knew if I asked to wear her sweatshirt, she would say no. I asked last weekend and she said, No way.

The juice Sissy was dishing while gossiping on the phone with her college friend Courtney was shocking. Sissy does