Merrick: "Mom, when do you get paid?"
Matron: "Friday."
Merrick (SHOOTS UP, LIT): "FRIDAY! You get paid on FRIDAY?!! What are we going to DO! How are you going to spend that money?! Are we getting a new van finally?"
Matron: "Well, no. We're going to pay some bills and buy groceries. As usual. Why?"
Merrick: "But that's an AWFUL lot of money. Don't you get like $XX,XXX thousand dollars? On Friday?!!! We get $XX,XXX thousand dollars on FRIDAY!"
Matron: "Actually, honey, I don't get paid my entire year's salary all at once."
Merrick: "What!?!! You're kidding me."
Matron: "No. It gets spread out all year long. I get a little bit every two weeks."
Merrick: "Why does your college do that? Does the government know about this? That doesn't seem right."
Matron: "That's the way salaries work in America, Merrick. Everybody pretty much gets their money spread out over a year. Inver Hills is absolutely like every other college and company that way."
Merrick (shocked): "That is SUCH a strange system.It seems wrong. I mean, if it's your money, why does someone else manage it? And I was really happy about that $XX,XXX on Friday."
And so goes the slow slide into reality. Sorry, Merrick.
Folks -- it's not $XX,XXX thousand dollars, but it's free. And good! Leave a comment and I'll randomly pick someone to receive a copy of Melissa Westemeier's Kicks Like a Girl.
Perfect book to slip into a purse and pull out in a grocery line, on the beach, at the red light (okay, maybe not that). But I kept reading, stayed up late to finish it, and laughed out loud -- a lot.
Just like I often do in the minivan . . .
