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Autobiography of a Dustball
by Chad Norman
2009-02-12 10:00:14 |
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I was born a few years ago into a well-to-do family under their bed, in a corner where the leg meets the spring frame. The owners were a recently married couple and for obvious reasons they kept me awake all night. They both worked, so it was very quiet during the day. I took advantage of nobody being home; I slept all day.
This is the story of my life which has been for the most part uneventful – until the day she became pregnant and nine months later, a baby girl arrived. Everything changed from that day on. It seemed as if that girl cried and screamed day and night, without stopping – I could not get used to it. Sometimes I wished I could had disengaged from under that bed and float away to get some peace and quiet, but being a dust ball is very restrictive as far as moving is concerned. I had to stay put.
Months passed and the baby girl was now crawling all over the house, creating lint and dust under the bed which in a way it made me happy because I was growing rapidly. I was almost one inch in diameter and was not afraid of losing my spot; the lady would rarely broom or vacuum under the bed. Only once, I thought I was going to be gone when the baby girl crawled right under the bed and saw me eye-to-eye, but all she did was smile as her mother pulled her out – she was full of dust. Starting that day, the lady started mopping the floor under the bed. My growing in size was diminished for the time being.
It did not take long for this couple to have another baby, that is when one day I heard the bad news (for me) : they were moving out ! – they needed a bigger house. I figured that was the end of my placid life, they would have to take the bed apart and God only knows where I would end up; I might be thrown out with the garbage and dumped into a landfill somewhere far from civilization. I panicked and all kinds of terrible thoughts were going through my head, but I prayed and prayed until I fell asleep.
The next day everything was quiet. The man of the house got home late, apparently, he had made a deal for the new house, but the best part was that they were not taking any of their existing furniture, including “my” bed – what a relief! I guess all that praying paid off.
I was sad to see them go, after all, they provided me with a comfortable life, but I was also sad because I was not sure what the future would hold for me. I was nervous not knowing who the next occupant will be.
It was all very quiet for two weeks, when I heard people coming into the house. They were the new owners; two grandparents, a couple and their three children. All they brought with them was what it seemed to be like a hundred cardboard boxes, they did not bring any furniture.
They all spoke with an accent. I could not tell where they were from. They were happy people – that is for sure. The first thing they took out of the boxes was a boom box and started playing “mariachi” music. Their meals contained a lot of spices. They ate tacos, tortillas, enchiladas with guacamole every day.
I think I am going to stay put for many years to come. I could not be happier.
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