Alyssa Pimentel
English 1301-232
Ms. Bullard
October 20th 2013
Journal 2 – Tip Jar There are many dollars out there but none of them have the same serial number as me,
That is why I am unique. Luckily I am not very old, only a couple years old. I have had plenty of homes in my short lifetime. I have almost been caught in a fire, I almost even drowned once. But the day I was finally taken out of the tip jar was the greatest adventure I have ever had. December 30th 1999, I was taken out of an old rusty can tip jar. As I was being stuffed into an envelope I screamed in excitement! “I’ll never have to smell this old bar again.” After being stuffed into the envelope I was thrown into a box, which was eventually tossed into the back of a plane. I thought, “This is going to be a great journey!” The air was hot and musty in the cargo I was flying in. I wished there were other dollars like me to talk to, but all there was were old hundred dollars bills and a couple of checks. The old hundred dollar bill seemed way to high class, hence he didn’t speak to me once, and dollar bills never dare speak to checks. So there I was, all alone in long, hot, boring plan ride. The sun was blazing when a ten year old took me out of his envelope. I lasted about twenty minutes in the hands of this child before I got completely drenched in ice cream. I was handed to an old man immediately after suffocating in ice cream. I was placed into a very old register, it smelt quite bad from what I recall. The old man and I, along with a bunch of change and bigger bills, drove around with creepy “ice cream man” music blaring. I was immediately relieved when he took me out of the register, but began having an anxiety attack when I was placed into a snack machine. “Seriously, you traded me for some measly peanuts?” I was overwhelmed when I found out I was stuck in this machine. I have overheard friends of mine talk about how they have spent weeks, sometimes even months in these old dingy machines. Two weeks letter I was fortunate to see the sun again. By that time I could not tell if it was morning or close to dark, the sun was so bright I was blinded, almost as if I was blind from reality. I was placed neatly into a pouch along with an enormous amount of other one dollar bills.
We all placed bets on where we would end up next, even though we all knew we would never be able to live up to our bets since we would soon be separated forever. “Maybe I will end up at a strip club!” A dollar bill at the bottom of the pile yelled. Every dollar bill in the pouch laughed hysterically, it was obvious this dollar bill was still very young. Even as young as I was I would never make a silly comment like that, any smart dollar bill knows they would never want to end up there. I imagined I would end up at the bottom of an elderly ladies purse, or maybe even under someone’s seat in their car. Just as I was thinking of all the places I may end up I was pulled out of the pouch and placed in a younger mans pocket. “I’ve been stolen!” I yelled. Of course no one heard me. I was enraged, who would want to steal a one dollar bill? “Why was I the only stolen?” I thought over and over again. Just as I was beginning to calm down I was taken out of the pocket and again, placed inside of another envelope. “I can’t do this again” I thought to myself. I overheard the young man whispering, almost sounded as if he was crying, but I was not certain. The next day I was woken to the envelope tearing open and all I could see was pink. I had not noticed there were other bigger bills in the envelope with me. We were all taken out and gently swung around by a woman, a very round woman. I have never seen a pregnagnt woman but I assume she was defiantly one. She hugged and thanked the young thief for the money, and then I realized that all she received was sixty-one dollars and a couple of blankets. “A baby shower” the twenty dollar bill groaned, “don’t be mad at him he had to give her something as a gift.” Ten years later and I am still neatly lying inside of a beautiful frame hanging on
Madison’s wall. “That’s my first dollar bill,” she excitedly tells everyone who asks about me. I never wanted to be left alone throughout my years, but I have to say, this is the best place I have ever been kept. Especially being fortunate to watch and amazing young girl grow up. I never saw myself escaping the bottom of that old iron smelling tip jar, but here I am now, and I have never been happier.