Editor’s note: Below is the an excerpt from the children’s book, “Danny Dollar, Millionaire Extraordinaire, The Lemonade Escapade, ” written by Ty Allan Jackson and reprinted with permission via Newspaper in Education. To catch up on the story, read the previous excerpt in the e-paper edition of Friday, April 3.
I know it’s a lot to swallow; you should have seen me trying to explain all this to my parents. Their heads are still spinning. But when they’re sitting in the skybox watching my team win a championship, I’m sure they’ll say to each other, “That Yola-Cola stock really paid off!”
Yep, one day I’m gonna be a millionaire. I’ll be a successful Wall Street investor who owns a professional basketball team; who gives to charities and helps those less fortunate; who conquers the global financial industry. I’m gonna achieve all my goals and dreams. But being a future millionaire isn’t easy. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes with being “Dan, the Man.” Responsibility and sacrifice. Until I become a millionaire, I’ve got poop to pick up.
Let me explain, just the other day, I was playing basketball with the guys when the alarm on my watch went off. It was four o’clock and time for me to walk Mrs. Gonzalez’s dogs. We were winning thirty to twenty; the game was intense. The guys begged me not to go, but I made a promise to Mrs. Gonzalez that I would be on time. It was her bingo night and she couldn’t be late, so I couldn’t be late. That meant leaving before the game was over. I had my friend Noogie take my place playing ball, which did not make the guys on my team happy. They called me a peanut head. Can you believe that?! But I would rather be called a peanut head than be called irresponsible. Because of Noogie, my team lost the game thirty to forty. After I left, they didn’t score another point, and they called ME a peanut head?!
When I got to Mrs. G’s house, those dogs were buggin’ out! There are three of them, all Chihuahuas: Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.
Walking them was a nightmare. First, Nina picked a fight with a huge pit bull. She was barking like that dog owed her money. The funny thing was that the pit bull backed down. You had to see it to believe it. Then, Pinta had an accident on Pablo’s new sneakers.
Pablo is the neighborhood bully. He was furious and vowed he would get me back. I told him that it wasn’t my fault; a dog’s gotta do what a dog’s gotta do. As I walked away, I shouted, “Pee you later.” HAHA! He didn’t like that at all.
To make things worse, Santa Maria got loose and decided to chase pigeons. Then, the pigeons decided to use her as target practice. Guess who had to give Santa Maria a bath? Yep, peanut head! Did I mention having to pick up their poop? Oh well, it was worth it. Mrs. G. gave me ten bucks for walking her dogs plus a five dollar tip for washing Santa Maria. Cha-ching! That’s fifteen dollars for about one hour of work. Not bad, but that’s nothing compared to the money I’ll make with the lemonade stand that I’ve got planned.
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