A day in the life of a Dollar bill
     Fiction by Andre - Written  for my kids.

I am telling my story from what looks like a big silver safe, probably a bank around the corner.. Man, You thought you had it rough?? 

First let me introduce myself.. I have many names that people call me.. Buck, Dollar, Single, Green back, Small one and many others..  I personally like to be called by the photo I have on .. George Washington.. GW for short.. And to feel individual, I even have my own number.. Not too many people notice it.. like in other aspects of life, we all look alike... 

After the sun came up one day last week, I was spinning and real warm, I found myself in the clothes dryer.. All wrinkled, but I was clean and even smelled pretty.. Deb (My temporary owner) picked me up and a couple of my siblings (2 dimes) dropped my siblings in her pink robe's pocket, and me.. well, she said hey I found a Buck.. Laundering money again said Andre jokingly.. No said Deb with a tinny smile... Annie always leave me a tip in the laundry.. One day I will make a point to check the pockets before the wash.. Andre than answered with a double positive.. "Yeah, Right"...

Deb tried very hard to straighten me up, but some of my wrinkles were as stubborn as she was.. After all attempts, she folded me nicely into a four-folds and so I joined my siblings.. I thought like before, it's the end of the story for that day, I will not see day light until much later.. but I was wrong..

I felt confined and I had a hard time breathing in there, but luckily when she got back to the bedroom, I felt her warm hand reaching for me.. she grabbed all three of us, put me on the night table, my two siblings, ended up in Steven's piggy bank.. After that, I never saw them again... Annie came in and asked.. Deb, can I have money for lunch?  Deb said.. sure, there is a dollar bill on my night stand.. without a second glance at me, Annie picked me up, cringed me like yesterday's newspaper and stuffed me in the side pocket of her back-pack.. this spot was even darker than the rest...

I stayed there for hours, actually I kind of started to like it in there.. I listened through the thin walls of the back-pack to all kind of neat things, first I heard music and many people trying to sing out loud, some of them off key, but as a total, it sounded good. Later on, I heard everyone leaving.   P.E. time someone said.. I am not sure how much time lapsed since then, but Annie picked up the bag and < slam> I got thrown from one side to the other.. I almost felt motion sickness from all that shaking...  

Finally she put the back-pack to rest and opened the zipper next door to me.. pulled some things and closed it back..  That was best time I had..  I learned so much about my family and other members I had no idea I had.. did you know that 10 like me make a Hamilton? Or better known as Ten bucks.. Or that I have a brother called "Two-bucks" or when something is not "Kosher", they compare it to a three dollars bill.. Anyhow, I listened to the Math teacher and enjoyed it.  I heard again that loud sound ringing.. it was lunch time...

My new owner (Annie) pulled me out of the side pocket and stuffed me again.. this time to her own side pocket.. Let me tell you, it was tighter than that time I passed through a counting machine.. but that's another story.. I felt a hand pulling me out and handing me to a lady behind a counter in the cafeteria.. her hands had some red stains and the whole room smelled like spaghetti sauce.. again, she tried to straighten off my wrinkles, and put me in a dark drawer on top of what looked like my twin brothers.. that place was funny, every time it opened and I saw some light, I heard a DING too.. in less than a jiff, that lady pulled me back and said to someone else.. "here is your change" and handed me over after spitting on her fingers and rubbing me on my edges to make sure I was alone and no other GW's were stuck to me and would try to escape her trained hand.. ewww..

I looked up, it was a young boy.. he folded me gently and put me in what looked like a leather wallet.. Ahhh, I thought to myself.. last time someone did that, it took many many days before I saw day light.. But... while still contemplating on a long rest. I heard someone say to my new owner... Yo.. Can I borrow a buck?? I forgot to bring lunch money today.. Sure he said and pulled his wallet out.. The reason I never knew the boy's name is that I didn't spend  enough time with him.. The other little boy just closed his big hand around me.. before I knew what was happening, he opened his hand and here I was... back at the lady with the red sauce on her hand.. Long time no see I said, but she was too busy stuffing me back in that dinging machine... 

I was there less than minute when that yuck ritual took place again.. she pulled me out, spit on her fingers, rubbed my edges, handed me to someone and said.. "Have a nice day".. I am not sure if she was talking to me or to the girl that traded me for another big bill that made 5 like me in trade.. I looked up, behold... It's Annie again!!! I was really happy to see her.. I was on top of all my twins, she kept me in her hand for a minute or so, put my GW twins back in her side pocket straighten me up real good and tried to slide me into a very narrow slot.. I went in one time and came back out.. she pushed me in and I came back out again.. 

She pulled me out completely held my bottom edge, and scratched my back on the corner of a large machine.. I curled a little.. it tickled.. Again I found myself in that narrow slot.. this time I went in to what looked like a long maze.. and I heard a thump and than some noise like my old siblings would make.. She traded me for a can of soda as I found out later peaking from the cracks.. About five days passed, one morning, a huge man opened the large door, I finally saw all the GW's that were scattered all over a metal drawer motionless.. he stuffed all of us in a cloth bag.. 

Later on that day, I passed though one of those counting machines at a great speed.. after a big bunch of my twins and myself were stacked neatly, they put a paper ribbon around us, threw us back in that bag and that's how I got here...

At the bank, I heard them say later that some of my family were going somewhere to be shredded.. I don't know what that means.. but I heard after they leave, they never come back.. Lucky me, tomorrow I am taking a trip to a department store..

And that my friends concludes a day in my life of a one dollar bill. If you read my story, I sure hope that one day we will meet so I can have an adventure with you too.. just in case... my number is - A 147663642 B- For now, I feel sleepy.. So it's time to say good night...