Work Ethic

                  The hose echoed throughout the neighborhood as clear liquid splashed against the 1955 Chevy truck. It bounced off of the truck’s side, hitting the pavement on its landing. The rusty, red paint didn’t handle the strong force of the water too well, as the already-rough surface borne new scratches. Jiece’s finger hung over the head of the hose, making a jet stream of water bolt from it.

         While letting out a grunt followed by a moan, Jiece attempted to wash the antique car that was merely a fraction of his punishment for sneaking out last Saturday. The truck was parked on the small driveway of the house, which now had rivers of water floating down it and into the street. The truck appeared old and un-used, like it had been cooped up in a garage for years, only taken out when young boys stay out past curfew.

         The boy moved from the hood of the truck to the rear, skipping the top and the wheels. He also managed to get the nearby mailbox wet, which may or may not have been unavoidable.

         Once his single round of rinsing the car was finished, he dropped the hose to the pavement of the driveway. With his Converse completely soaked, the boy sighed and crossed his arms over his “I am the Center of the Universe” T-shirt.

         “There. The car that is never used is washed. Happy now, Dad?” he said to himself as he headed over to the garage, in which the door was open.

         He had laid his Monster Energy drink and Ipod on the workbench inside the garage, and proceeded to retrieve them. Jiece grabbed the aluminum can and lifted it up in the air to consume what was left of its contents as he played his Ipod on full-blast to Linkin Park. He began to bang his head with the lyrics and sing along. He dragged out his cell phone from the left pocket of his Hot-Topic-brand shorts, and began to text message his buddy Alec. The boy then walked over to the door to the house to go play on the computer, despite his three-month’s grounding.

         The driveway continued to flood behind him.