Marissa Laven
5/10/10
The things they carry
89ACE
Mrs. Laven spends most of her time at home, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of her family. She always carries her purse with her everywhere; inside her purse there is her wallet that has every picture of her family. She also carries with her a lipstick case, lifesavers, pens, checking book, aspirin, brush, cigarettes, and her keys. All of these things she uses at least once a day. She also has her own personal datebook that keeps track of all of her doctor appointments and her kids. Her keys contain all of her favorite key chains, her favorite one is from Orlando Florida, which reminds her of the warm sunny days she spent there when she was younger. Now she is stuck in colder climates, because her daughters are still in school and her husband is unemployed. Her husband is a middle age man who never carries anything that is important to him, except his father’s watch. The watch no longer works, but he won’t replace it. Her daughter Amanda has moved into her college but that doesn’t mean she stopped carrying her picture of her recently dead dog’s picture. Whenever she looks at the picture, she thinks of the day Amy came to live with her family and how she wagged her tail and smiled up at her on the day she died. Marissa, the younger daughter, carries with her the picture of her dead grandfather. She carries his picture with her everywhere because her family keeps telling her how much she is like him, although she never knew him. She shares the same eye color as him and shares his good nature. Once every year Mrs. Laven’s family goes to the cemetery to visit those that they had lost and they spend the day remembering them. “Why did grandpa die?” Marissa would ask her Mrs. Laven, when she was younger. “Grandpa died because he was sick and couldn’t be fixed.” “Can
you tell us more about our family and what they were like.” asked Amanda. “One day when you are older I will.” replied Mrs. Laven. “We are a family and always will be.”