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Matthew Licht
Jodie's Daddy is a Garbageman!
Funny how you can always tell when somebody's laughing behind
your back. Jodie hadn't really heard anything, maybe a whisper,
but when she turned around, the girls in the back row of the class
were looking at her, trying to hide smiles and giggles. She looked
back at her teacher. r Swales was talking about what people do
all day. !e also wanted to find out what his students wanted to be
when they grew up. !e called on "illy it#er first.
$y daddy works in a bank,$ "illy it#er said. $% guess % want to
work in a bank too. &here's lots of money in the bank.$
$y parents have a grocery store,$ 'mmy (iSalvo said. $)apa's
behind the counter and ama keeps the cash register. "ut % want
to be an airline pilot.$
Jodie liked it when r Swales asked them *uestions like this. !e
was about to call on Jodie when the girls in the back row burst out
laughing.
Shirley (anes yelled, $Jodie's (addy is a garbageman+
)ee-yoo+$
'verybody in the class laughed out loud. 'verybody e,cept
Jodie, that is. She felt her face turn bright red. She looked around
the whole classroom. 'veryone was laughing. Some kids were even
holding their noses.
Jodie looked at r Swales. !e was angry. !e almost never
raised his voice, but now he did.
$Silence+ % want everybody *uiet this instant.$
&he laughter stopped immediately. &he sound of cars and
people going by out on the street came through the windows. $-ou
should be ashamed of yourselves,$ r Swales said. $"eing a
garbageman...% mean, er, uhm...a Sanitation 'ngineer, is a difficult
and enormously useful .ob. /e should all be grateful to r. !arris.
/here would we be without him0 1p to our ears in garbage, that's
where. !ow would you like that0$
$)ee-yoo+$ somebody said. 2 few kids started laughing again.
$%t's not funny,$ r. Swales went on. $3arbage is a serious
matter. % think you all owe Jodie an apology. 2nd after that, you're
all going to write Jodie's father, r !arris, a nice letter to tell him
how much you appreciate what he does for all of us. %n other
words, keeping our city clean.$
< 2 >
oans and groans. 'veryone said $Sorry, Jodie$ but Jodie could
tell they didn't really mean it. She also knew nobody wanted to
write her father a letter. She wished r Swales wouldn't make
them do it. !er face was burning red and she felt like crying. r
Swales came to her desk and patted her shoulder. $4et's go out in
the hall while everyone's writing those letters so we can have a
private talk.$
Jodie started crying out in the hall. She didn't want to cry in
front of everybody, but she couldn't hold back any more. r Swales
was tall. !e knelt and gave her his handkerchief to blow her nose.
$%'m sorry this happened,$ he said. $"ut remember, hard work done
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Short Stories: Jodie's Daddy is a Garbageman! by Matthew Licht http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/JodiDadd908.shtml
1 of 4 03-11-2014 23:30
well is something to be proud of. &here's nothing wrong with being
a garb...a sanitation engineer, absolutely not.$
Jodie's father came to walk her home from school as usual. She
didn't run up to him the way she always did. /hen they were up in
their apartment, Jodie went to her little room and cried for a good
long time before she did her homework. !er father must've heard
her.
!e came into her room. $/hat happened, Jodie0 /hy are you
so sad0$
Jodie didn't want to tell him at first. She was embarrassed and
didn't want to hurt her father's feelings. !er father sat on the bed,
put his hand on her shoulder. $%t's 56, sweetie. -ou can tell me.
-ou can tell me everything, you know. "ut you don't have to tell
me your secrets, if you don't want to. %s this a secret0$
$%t's not a secret. &he other kids laughed at me because you're
a garbageman. &hey said your .ob was dirty and you smelled bad.
&hey said % smelled bad too.$
Jodie looked at her father. !e didn't seem angry, hurt or sad.
!is big white teeth gleamed under his walrus moustache. $/ell
then,$ he said. $% guess those kids .ust don't know how much fun it
is to be a garbageman.$
< 3 >
For some reason, that made Jodie start crying again. !er father
hugged her tight. $&ell me honestly, Jodie7do % smell bad0$
Jodie sniffed. $-ou smell good, like laundry soap.$
$8ome on, Jodie. -ou can tell your old garbageman (addy he
stinks.$
Jodie smiled too. $% mean it. -ou smell nice. -ou always smell
nice.$
$-our friends at school were right, though. "eing a garbageman
is a dirty .ob. 3arbage is7filthy. 'very day % see stuff so disgusting
it'd make your head spin. 2nd man, does it ever stink+ "ut then me
and the guys % work with come along, grab the slimy, stinking
garbage and throw it in the truck. &he truck's a big green monster
who growls and gulps nasty garbage. &hen everything's nice and
clean, the way we like it. 2nd when % get home, % take a long hot
shower so %'m clean as the day % was born. % like my .ob, Jodie.
2nd % like the people % work with, too.$
Jodie's mother yelled dinner was ready.
$&ell you what, Jodie. &omorrow's Saturday, but as you know,
sometimes % work on Saturdays. 3o to bed e,tra-early tonight and
tomorrow you'll come to work with me. % want you to see what
your garbageman daddy does.$
Jodie was of two minds as she fell asleep. She was e,cited her
father was going to take her to work, but wasn't sure she wanted
to see or touch disgusting, stinking garbage.
9e,t thing she knew her father opened her window to let
morning air into her room. %t was still dark outside. !er father
picked her up out of bed. $4ook Jodie,$ he whispered. $ost people
don't get to see this.$
5ff in the dark distance, Jodie saw clouds slightly pink
underneath. 8ity lights shimmered. &he hori#on line beyond the
river glowed blue and green. Jodie pulled on .eans and a sweatshirt
and was ready to go.
< 4 >
$/e'll get breakfast on the way to work,$ her father said.
&he garbage trucks depot wasn't far away. &he place really
didn't smell too good. Jodie wrinkled her nose.
$(on't worry, kid. -ou'll get used to it. %n five minutes you won't
smell a thing. -our nose is smart enough to know when to turn
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Short Stories: Jodie's Daddy is a Garbageman! by Matthew Licht http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/JodiDadd908.shtml
2 of 4 03-11-2014 23:30
itself off.$
en and women were at work in the depot even though it was
so early in the morning. 'verybody was yelling and the truck
engines were loud, but they seemed to be having a good time.
3arbagemen and garbagewomen came over to say hello to Jodie.
&hey said her father was a nice guy.
"ig 2l was Jodie's daddy's partner. !e drove the truck. "ig 2l,
as his name implied, was big. !e had an unlit cigar in the side of
his mouth, didn't say much.
Jodie's father handed her a thick pair of gloves.
$/e're going to ride in back today, Jodie. &he thing to
remember is7hold on tight. "ig 2l will go slow, but you have to
hang on until he stops. %f you're scared, tell me. &hen %'ll drive
instead and you can ride up front with me.$
Jodie said, $%'m not scared,$ but she was, .ust a little.
Jodie held on tight. She held on so tight she almost didn't
notice the smell of sour, rotten oranges, lemons, banana peels and
coffee grounds coming from the back of the garbage truck. &hey
rode nearly twenty blocks before the first stop. Jodie watched cars,
people and trees shoot by. She looked up at buildings and early
morning blue sky.
"ig 2l stopped the truck. Jodie and her (addy .umped off. 5n
the curb was a big pile of plastic bags full to bursting with foul,
reeking garbage, metal garbage cans with the lids barely on. $%'ll
get the big stuff, Jodie. -ou get the little plastic bags and throw
them in the truck hard as you can. % mean really throw them.$
< 5 >
Jodie's (addy was strong. !e picked up garbage bags that
looked like they weighed ;<< pounds and tossed them into the
garbage truck like nothing. !e hoisted garbage cans, shook and
slammed them against the back of the truck until they were empty.
She heard bottles crash, tin cans crunch. &he garbage truck took
and gobbled garbage. )retty soon no more garbage was left. Jodie
helped put the garbage cans back where they belonged, then she
and her (addy grabbed the iron rails on the back of the truck and
they took off again.
"ig 2l drove slowly, as promised, but as soon as Jodie and her
(addy hit the ground everything went fast.
2t one stop, Jodie's dad held up a sagging gray garbage bag.
$!ey Jodie, feel this. %t's totally gross.$
Jodie gave the bag a s*uee#e. Something inside was oh-so-
s*uishy. $'w+ Feels like overcooked spaghetti+ 4ots and lots of
overcooked spaghetti. /hat is it, (addy0$
$2h7we'll never know, will we0 2ll part of the mystery of
garbage, honey.$ !e threw the garbage bag into the truck and the
truck snaffled it down, whatever it was.
)icking up garbage and throwing it in the truck was fun, but
also hard work. Jodie's arms got tired. &hat's when her (addy said,
$&ime for lunch.$ "ig 2l honked the horn and headed for the diner.
$/ash your hands e,tra carefully, Jodie,$ her (addy said.
Jodie had a cheeseburger and a vanilla milkshake. She thought
it was fun to eat lunch at ten o' clock in the morning.
"ig 2l and Jodie's (ad had coffee and then it was time to get
back to work. Jodie couldn't believe how much dirty, filthy garbage
fit in the truck. Finally it was full.
$&ime to hit the dump,$ Jodie's (ad yelled.
"ig 2l honked the horn again. 5ff they went. &he dump was
way out of town. "ig 2l drove faster. Jodie held on tight. She was
e,cited to see the world race by, the road whi##ing along under her
feet.
Short Stories: Jodie's Daddy is a Garbageman! by Matthew Licht http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/JodiDadd908.shtml
3 of 4 03-11-2014 23:30
< 6 >
&he garbage dump was huge. -ou could smell it from a mile
away. &hey drove through a gate in a big chain-link fence. Jodie
wondered why there was a fence. /ho steals garbage0
Seagulls flew all over the dump. &hey screamed, cawed and
fought, in the air and on the ground. &hey found stuff to eat at the
garbage dump. &he fence couldn't keep them away.
Jodie and her (addy got off and watched "ig 2l drive the truck
to the top of the garbage heap.
"ig 2l got out, took the cigar butt out of his mouth and yelled,
$!ey Jodie+ 8'mon up here+ !ow'd you like to dump garbage
today0$
Jodie got to sit in the driver's seat. "ig 2l showed her which
buttons to push. &he back of the truck rose until the garbage
spilled out. Jodie pulled the cord to honk the horn. Seagulls flew
away screaming.
/hen the truck was empty, "ig 2l took over. !e and Jodie drove
down the garbage heap again. Jodie and her (ad rode in the front
with him on the way back to town. Jodie was tired but happy.
$9ow comes the best part of the .ob, Jodie. /hile almost
everyone else is still working, % get to go home, clean myself up,
give your mother a big kiss7and then % get to come pick you up at
school every ding-dong day. &hat's mainly why % like being a
garbageman so much.$
Jodie gave her dirty, smelly garbageman daddy a big kiss. She
said, $/hen % grow up, % want to be a garbageman too. Just like
you and "ig 2l.$
Jodie's (addy said, $&here's plenty of time to decide, Jodie. /e
can talk about it later.$
"ig 2l took the cigar out of his mouth. $-ou're a nice little girl,
Jodie. % wish % had a daughter like you.$ /hen they got back to the
depot, Jodie gave him a kiss too.
< 7 >
/henever someone asks Jodie what her (addy does for a
living, she says, $!e's a garbageman+$ 2nd if they say $'w+$ she
says, $'verybody makes garbage, but my (addy takes it all away.$
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Short Stories: Jodie's Daddy is a Garbageman! by Matthew Licht http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/JodiDadd908.shtml
4 of 4 03-11-2014 23:30