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Lori and Kolulu
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It was a snowy day. Everyone was doing their last-minute Christmas shopping, because it was four more days until Christmas. They were so busy, coming in and out of malls, carrying dozens of bags, and looking very happy. But, what is this? A little pink-haired girl is on the snow crying for some reason, and everyone is just walking right past her, not seeming to care. They were too busy to even notice.
The girl sees someone walking towards her, about eleven years old, with long black hair and kind eyes. "Hi, little girl. Where are your parents? Did you get lost?" she asked.
The girl says nothing, so she asks, "Would you like to go to my house?" and the girl nodded.
At the extremely nice girl's house, she introduces herself. "My name is Lori, and this is where I live. What's your name?"
"Kolulu," she responds.
"Kolulu. What a nice name. Could you please wait here while I get your hot bath ready?" Lori asks, pulling out a chair for Kolulu.
Kolulu nods.
"I'll be right back," Lori said and disappeared behind a door.
Kolulu was looking around the room and saw a note on the refrigerator that said: 'Lori, we are going to spend a year in California. We left money on the top of your study desk. That will be hopefully be enough for the essentials. Use it wisely, and most importantly of all, stay safe. Love, Mom and Dad'.
'So Lori's parents are gone on a trip. She's all alone ... Like me.' Kolulu thought.
"Kolulu! Your bath is ready. You can come now," said Lori from the bathroom.
Kolulu nervously walked over to the bathroom, where she found a bathtub filled with steaming hot water.
"It's really comforting, especially now in December," Lori said, "I saved my clothes from when I was five. Good thing I did. They are over there in the place where you hang your towels. You can pick whichever one you like. When you finish, come into the kitchen; I'll have some soup ready for you, OK?"
Kolulu nodded, and Lori left the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, Kolulu sat on the chair she had in earlier.
"Oh! What great timing. I just finished your soup. Be careful, though. It's very hot," Lori told Kolulu as she sat down next to her.
"Mmm ... This is so good!" Kolulu said.
"Glad you like it."
"I saw that note on the refrigerator. Are your parents really gone for a whole year?" asked Kolulu.
"Yep. It kind of makes you feel lonely. My parents never really did pay much attention to me. They were always so busy. What about your parents?"
"I ... I don't have any."
"What? What do you mean? What happened?" Lori asked, really concerned.
"My parents didn't die. They didn't abandon me, either. They just ..." Kolulu tried to find the right words. "They just aren't here. Actually, right now, I don't have a home."
'Aren't here? What could she mean?' Lori decided to ignore that comment. "Well, you could stay here."
"Really? I can? You mean it?"
"Sure. You'll have a home, and I won't be so lonely anymore. It's good for both of us!" Lori replied happily.
"YAY!"
"And, from now on, I'll be your big sister."
Kolulu blinked. "I have a big sister now!" She exclaimed. They were both feeling very happy.
Later that night, Lori was unrolling a sleeping bag and said, "Kolulu, you can sleep here, beside my bed."
"Alright."
She starts searching all around the room, looking very worried, for something, so Lori asks, "What are you looking for? Did you lose something?"
"Do you know where my backpack is?" asks Kolulu.
"Oh, sure. It's right there by the chair."
"Phew! I thought I had lost it."
"Is it really special to you?" Lori asks.
"Well ... Kind of. Yeah, it's 'special' to me. Yaaawn. I'm so tired. What a long day it was, don't you think, Lori?"
Lori was lost in her thoughts about this strange little girl that appeared from nowhere, doesn't have her parents here at the moment, was so sad when she found her in the snow, and be so happy, like nothing ever happened. Like it's a normal day. "Huh? Did you say something? Sorry, I wasn't really paying that much attention. It's just that ... That I'm so tired, I couldn't hear you that well."
Kolulu stared at her strangely. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah. Come on. Let's go to sleep." Lori said as she was turning off the lights. "Good night, Kolulu."
"Good night, Lori."
The next morning, Lori said, "Kolulu, I've got to go to school today."
"You have to go to school? B-but it's so cold outside. You can't possibly go to school in this weather. Besides, there's only three more days until Christmas is here!"
"I know, but unless the school calls to tell me it's cancelled, then I have to go."
"What can I do while you're at school hitting your head against the desk trying to figure out a simple problem like what a is in 3a + 4 7?"
---Flashback---
BANG BANG BANG! BANG BANG!
"Lori, why are you banging your head against your desk?" asks the math teacher.
"I can't figure out what a is in 3a + 4 equals 7... It's too hard!" says Lori, very dazed.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you on a test."
"Grrrrrrrrrr..." BANG! "Ow!"
---End Flashback---
"I don't do that!" Lori says turning a little red with embarassment. 'I remember I got a zero on that test... But I have to admit that test was hard.'
"Ok, maybe you don't bang your head on desks, but what can I do while you're at school?"
"Well, you can go to the park."
"It's snowing outside."
"Oh yeah! I forgot. You can ... Watch television."
"Hmm ... Alright," Kolulu said, disappointed. She was hoping she could go to school with Lori.
"Do not go outside or you'll freeze out there.Well, I've got to get going or I'll be late. See you at three fifteen."
"Bye!" said Kolulu, just as Lori closed the door behind her. Then she started talking to herself. "Ok, so I'm going to watch TV from now, six o'clock, to three fifteen. That's one, two, three ... Nine hours and fifteen minutes! I can't watch TV for that long! What was she thinking when she said I could watch TV for nine hours and fifteen minutes? I could turn into a television myself if I stare at the screen for so long. I wonder what else I could do? Maybe there's a book I could read somewhere around here to pass the time. Or a Nintendo DS or Gamecube? A PSP? XBox360? Maybe I could go outside and play in the snow. Oh, what am I thinking? Lori told me not to go outside or I'll freeze to death, and I don't want to disobey her. She did take me in, after all. And she's very kind. I guess I'll just watch television like she told me to ..."
As Kolulu was flipping through the channels, she saw that AFV (America's Funniest Home Videos) was on. She stayed on that channel until three o'clock watching that show, because they were giving a nine-hour marathon.
"Ha ha ha ha! Oh, that was way too funny. Who ever heard of a talking cat? And that was so funny when the kid's sock got stuck in the lady's braces! And when the people were going fishing, a gigatic wave came and everyone in the boat went flying four feet in the air! Mya ha ha ha ha! Oh my goodness, that was the funniest show I have ever seen in my whole entire life! I wonder what time it is?"
She walks over to the clock. "Wow! Three fifteen already? Now, where did the time go? Lori will be home at any second."
At that time, Lori comes home looking very exhausted. "Ohhhh ... What an awful day!"
"Lori, what happened?" Kolulu asked very concerned.
"I had math class the WHOLE ENTIRE DAY! It was a nightmare!"
"... That's it? Math class the whole day? It doesn't sound so bad."
"NOT SO BAD? I have twenty-two math problems for homework! Take a look at the worksheet. Its huge!"
Kolulu looked at the worksheet. It looked like:
NAME: Lori DATE:2/22/06 QUARTER:3
Practice: Skills
Solving Two-Step Equations
Solve each equation. Use models if necessary.
1. 2a + 4equals 6 2. 3b + 4equals 10
3. 7 equals 4c - 5 4. 3x - 3 equals -6
5. 4y - 2 equals -14 6. 3 equals 2g +5
7. 1 equals2f - 7 8. 2 equals3h + 8
9. 5z +1 equals16 10. 7m - 5 equals 9
11. 1 equals8n - 7 12. -11 equals 9s + 7
13. 4t + 7 equals15 14. 4v + 10 equals -6
15. 6 equals 2x - 10 16. 3w + 5 equals-7
17. 2r - 5 equals3 18. 5 equals 2z -9
19. Fourteen less than four times a number is six. What is the number?
20. Two is four more than twice a number. What is the number?
21. Nine less than three times a number is zero. What is the number?
22. Two is seventeen more than three times what number?
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill p.454 Mathematics: Applications and Concepts, Course 1
"Huh? This is what you're worried about?" Kolulu asks Lori.
Lori nods sadly.
Astonished, Kolulu says, "Lori! This is so easy a french fry or even a peanut could understand. What grade are you in?"
"Sixth."
"You're in the sixth grade? Then this should be easy for you, considering that you go to a private school and all. I don't even go to school, and I understand it clearly ... Oh! I've got a marvelous idea! Why don't I teach math to you? Come on, it'll be fun! Just the two of us, working on math, me tutoring you. So what do you say?" Kolulu was starting to get very excited about the idea, but it looks like Lori is thinking it over. To convince her, Kolulu starts on the first math problem:
1. 2a + 4 equals 6
...-4 -4
...2a 2
...2 2
...aequals1
"Well ... I feel kind of weird about a seven-year-old girl teaching a sixth grader, but you do seem to know what you're doing. And if it helps my math skills, then ... You've got yourself a deal! When should we begin?"
"Yes! We can start right away!"
So Kolulu started tutoring Lori from that moment on, which was pretty weird because who ever heard of a seven-year-old that doesn't even go to school teaching a sixth grader who's been in school since kindergarten? It's very strange ...
----To Be Continued ... ----
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