User blog:Spikewitwicky/July 22, 1984 - Spike's Journal Entry



Dear Mom:

Well, they haven't demoted me back to the janitor shift yet. I mean, sometimes they still have me mopping floors, cleaning toilets, and doing garbage duty, but I'm spending more and more time above - where I can actually see the ocean. It's nice. Although I do miss home, and my friends, and yes, even Buster. But some of the stuff I'm working on is starting to become easy, and I've actually had workers talk to me like I'm not a kid. I've already told you, but I'm not on dad's crew - Roland was worried about favoritism.

Anyway - you're not going to like what I'm going to write next. But hear me out. I know before this job, I planned on going to school to be a writer, or a reporter. But this type of work just feels like what I'm supposed to do. Roland said I could even make more money right out of high school doing stuff I'm doing now as opposed to being a teacher or a writer. He also said I'd only need to take a few classes at a community college, like welding or heavy equipment repair. He even said I could do writing on the side - he said a lot of writers like Kurt Vonnegut and Agatha Christie had "day jobs" like this, and it even made their writing better.

Roland told me not to tell dad, but he said to me that he thinks he can help dad open up his own mechanic shop. I know that's been a dream of his. And if that happens, it would just make sense to help him with that. But Roland told me if I brought up the topic, he would throw me overboard. He wants my dad to bring up the topic if it's brought up.

Anyway, I know I've said for a long time I wanted to be a writer and make you proud. But I think if you were here today, and you really were honest, you would also see that maybe I'm just not cut out for college. Besides, you and I know that if anyone in the family's going to be a writer, it's going to be Buster.

After the past two weeks, I think I've come to the realization that I'm never going to write the "Great American Novel" like Great Expectations or White Fang or The Shining. Some people are destined for that. And some people are destined to fix those author's cars and build their houses. And that's okay. That work needs to be done. Dad does that work, and he is the best dad in the world.

I hope you understand. I hope you're not mad at me. And I hope in your heart, you know that I was always destined for this type of career. But thanks for having enough faith in me to think I could make it as a writer and not a mechanic or a construction worker.

Love, Spike