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No Luck at All
By Allen Livingood
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Allen Livingood
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-5552-0
Chapter One
"It's not fair!" yelled Lil' Al as he heard Pastor Steve ask Victoria to be a greeter at the entrance doors of the sanctuary.
Lil' Al's mom saw him enter the sanctuary stomping his feet and asked, "Honey, what on earth is the matter?"
"It's not fair!" Lil' Al spat. "Pastor Steve likes Victoria more than he does me! This is the third time in four weeks she has gotten to shake hands and welcome people as they enter. It just seems like nothing ever goes my way!"
"I'm sure Pastor Steve has reasons, Lil' Al. Just try to have a good attitude," Lil' Al's mother answered warmly.
Later that week at the baseball game, Lil' Al was all upset again when Coach Bruce switched Trey from playing outfield to his position at first base. "It's not fair!" steamed Lil' Al. "I've played first base all season, and now Coach just let someone else have my position!" Lil' Al turned to his friend Carter and said, "Coach is wasting my talent in the outfield! The team needs me playing first base in order for us to win! I'm a much better player than Trey! He has to practice a lot more than me, too."
"Give it some time, Lil' Al, and try to do a good job wherever Coach puts you," said Carter.
"I will, but Coach better hurry up, or I'll just quit! Things just aren't going my way!"
The next day after school, Lil' Al saw several kids gathered around Kevin. When he saw their jaws drop and their eyes light up with excitement, Lil' Al just had to walk over and see what the big deal was. He, too, stood in amazement as Kevin showed an autographed baseball card of last year's major-league MVP. Kevin had pulled it out of a pack of cards that his dad had bought him at the local card shop. In anger, Lil' Al began gritting his teeth and shaking his fist in the air. He grumbled, "Why can't I ever get a card like that? Good things always happen to everybody else! Nothing exciting ever happens to me! I wish I could get lucky like everybody else!"
Lil' Al walked home alone that day and decided it was time to have a little talk with God. He lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed, "God, maybe you could just sprinkle a little luck on me sometime like you do everyone else."
As Lil' Al walked in the door from school, he smelled his favorite meal baking in the oven: lasagna! "Hi there, Lil' Al," said his mom. "Did you have a good day at school?"
"No, not really," Lil' Al replied with a sad look on his face. "Things just haven't been going my way lately."
"Well, I am sorry to hear that. Oh! Papa and Granny are going to eat with us tonight. They're in the living room. Go and say hello to 'em."
Lil' Al moped into the living room only to be greeted with annoying hugs and kisses from Papa and Granny. Granny, who had a keen eye for unhappiness, said to Lil' Al, "You look like something is bothering you. You know you can talk to us about it. Papa and I might have some good advice for you. Now ... is it about girls?"
"Nooooo!" screamed Lil' Al.
"Oh well. Are your shoes too little? My, my, my! You have grown quite a bit lately! Sometimes that can make you a little grumpy."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from No Luck at All by Allen Livingood Copyright © 2012 by Allen Livingood. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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