Lunch Money

“There were about 450 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Ashworth Intermediate School. If even half of those kids had two extra quarters to spend every day, then there had to be at least four hundred quarters floating around the school. That was a hundred dollars a day, over five hundred dollars each week—money, extra money, just jingling around in pockets and lunch bags! At that moment Greg’s view of school changed completely and forever. School had suddenly become the most interesting place on the planet. Because young Greg Kenton had decided that school would be an excellent place to make his fortune.”

An accident alerts Greg to the money he can make at school. He forgets his bag lunch, asks his late-morning class if he can borrow some quarters for the cafeteria, and most of the students offer him some coins. At lunch, he notices little trades everywhere and realizes he can siphon off some of that action by selling things to the other kids. It is a huge insight which launches the main plot of the story.

“‘Is it something we’ve done, to make Greg like this? All he ever thinks about is getting rich. I want him to just enjoy being a kid, hang out with his friends more, have more fun.’ But her husband had told her, ‘As far as I can see, Greg’s definitely a kid. He likes to read and draw, he plays sports, and he gets good grades. I’d say he’s pretty well balanced. And he seems to be having plenty of fun. This money thing is probably just a phase. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make money. Or working hard. If that’s what you call a problem, then I wish some other people in this family had it too!’”

It makes sense to worry if a child seems obsessed with making money, and Greg’s mom is right to bring up the matter. Greg’s dad notes, however, that their kid seems to be enjoying a good childhood, and that his interest in earning cash manifests as an enthusiastic hobby that lends meaning to Greg’s life. There are worse problems than having a son who is industrious and willing to work diligently to accomplish things. Greg is active, not passive: He has agency and the ability to make things happen, and he exercises that talent perhaps more than most people his age.

“Walking back to language arts that day, Greg hadn’t been discouraged. He wasn’t even unhappy. He faced the fact that his novelty toy business had been doomed from the start. For one thing, kids usually get tired of toys quickly. And Greg also realized it was amazing that his toy sales hadn’t been shut down even sooner. If you sell toys to kids at school, that’s where the kids will play with them. And toys and school are a bad mix. Still, even though he hadn’t sold all the toys from the second order, he’d made a small profit.”

Greg has one of the strongest traits of a businessperson: He does npt get too attached to his sales ideas. Instead, he tests them and finds which sell well and which do not. Sometimes this means understanding the conditions not of a sale but of its surroundings—something he learns quickly in his encounter with Principal Davenport. Already, Greg is looking at problems from various points of view. On top of this, he does not quit just because he gets flak from the principal: He is too optimistic about his chances to give up at the first push-back.

“School was like a giant piggy bank, loaded with quarters. Greg was convinced that his new product would be like a hammer—the perfect hammer. He was going to crack the school wide open.”

Greg’s gum and toy sales show him he can make money from the other students, but the sales get him into trouble. His new product—a very small comic book—he must make himself, but he knows how to do it. Greg thinks like a businessperson, always looking for new things to sell. Greg has no intention of slowing down; sales are at the core of who he is.

“Chunky Comics. Greg loved that name. He had chosen it himself. He got to pick the name because he was the author of all the Chunky Comics stories. He had drawn all the pictures too. And he was also the designer, the printer, and the binder. Plus he was the marketing manager, the advertising director, and the entire sales force. Chunky Comics was a one-kid operation, and that one kid was Greg Kenton.”

A highly motivated, very independent Greg devises everything he needs for his comic business. He is quite capable of doing the whole thing himself—for some years, he has been his own little firm, doing odd jobs and selling things, and this new project is not all that different. The comics, however, are the first products he has designed; he loves doing it and is proud of the result. It is the first step in his evolution from a simple vendor to a creator.

“She was thundering around and around her driveway on a Big Wheel of her own—except hers was pink and green and white. And when Greg went speeding out of his driveway and zipped along the sidewalk, she did the same thing, a mirror image. And when Greg stopped at the corner of Tenth Street and headed back toward his driveway, so did the girl across the street. When he sped up, so did she. When he jammed his feet to the ground and slammed to a stop, she did too.”

Maura copies Greg, doing everything he does. It is her way of saying she likes him; it is also an attempt to engage with him in activities together simply by doing, at a distance, whatever he is doing. She also tries to beat him at each activity. If she wins, maybe it will keep him interested. She does not realize that this also annoys him to no end. Thus, their friendship begins in conflict.

“[…] he remembered thinking that making those pot holders and selling them to moms had been a smart idea. And getting dressed up, and putting that nice cloth in the bottom of the basket? Also smart. And Greg remembered that he’d had to admit that the girl he had called ‘brainless’ was actually a good thinker. Maura did have a brain. And not backing down when he had caught her charging three dollars per pot holder instead of two? That had taken some guts.”

Maura is a strong competitor with skills and determination. Even as Greg hates her for moving in on his sales territory with her own minicomic booklet, he must admit she is a worthy opponent. His good head for business tucks away these facts for later use. Greg consciously sees her as a danger, but his deep mind is already brewing up the beginnings of new possibilities. All they need is a good shock—a bloody nose, perhaps—to set things in motion.

“Is that what they all think, that I’m a money-grubber? Everybody wants a lot of money, right? What’s wrong with that? Can I help it if I have good ideas? And that I’m willing to work? There’s nothing wrong with that.”

For years, Greg’s brothers have accused him of being greedy, and now Maura says it, too. He is right that hard work and good ideas are valuable, but he has not yet wrapped his mind around the idea that the constant grasping for cash might offend others. Maura is the only person who confronts him directly about this. In dealing with their conflict about the value of work, Greg begins to understand that there are other ways to look at money and other values that work enhances.

“Mr. Z had been planning what he would say to Greg and Maura all afternoon. He already knew exactly where he wanted this meeting to end up, but he was prepared to take his time getting there. In his mind it was like a math problem: He would add right ideas, subtract wrong ones, divide fuzzy thinking by pure logic, and then he and the children would nod and smile at one another as peace and understanding multiplied itself.”

Math teacher Mr. Z loves the power of math so much that he tries to use it to solve all of life’s problems. However innocently, he has taken on a much bigger task than math can solve. He will also need heart and ingenuity to get to the root of this dilemma.

“I’ve got a theory about why you two keep fighting. You’re both very much alike. And you’re each too stubborn to take a step toward being friends.”

Mr. Z expresses a central concept of the story: Greg and Maura are natural allies and should be friends. Kids of different genders sometimes feel awkward about liking one another, and this often leads to misunderstandings and missed opportunities for friendship. Greg and Maura’s years-long struggle to outdo each other is their way of communicating their interest in each other, but the signal this sends is garbled and so far only drives them apart.

“Greg said, ‘So you’re saying that teachers get paid enough, and that you don’t want more money, right? And you’re saying that you don’t want a bigger house with fun stuff all over the place, and more bedrooms and bathrooms? Is that what you’re saying?’ Mr. Z smiled. ‘I’m not saying anything. But I will tell you something that I call the Zenotopoulous Toilet Theory: Most people can only use one bathroom at a time.’”

Mr. Z gives Greg his first look at an entirely different way of thinking about money—not as an all-important goal but as a tool for creating what really counts: a satisfying and fulfilling life. Until this moment, it has never occurred to Greg that there are other ways to look at cash. It is the beginning of a shift in the boy’s mind—a seed planted that might grow into something new that will tower over his life.

“Girls like the boys that they’re always mad at, or shoving, or turning their heads away from, or sticking their tongues out at. Never fails.”

Mr. Z points out to Greg that Maura’s competitive streak hides her strong interest in him. She has always liked him and his energetic ways, and she wants not merely to copy him or compete with him but to be his friend. This idea shocks Greg, who is something of a loner and has never had close friends, especially not girls, but it gets the wheels turning in his head and opens the door to new possibilities, not all of them financial.

“‘Forty percent of the profits on every copy sold—just on your comics, not mine,’ Greg added, again feeling generous. Maura shook her head. ‘Seventy-five percent. For my own comics. And you don’t get to tell me what my stories should be about or anything.’ They both took a step closer to the dessert table. ‘Fifty percent,’ said Greg. And he thought, She is the bossiest, most annoying, most— ‘Seventy-five percent,’ Maura said, ‘or else I’ll just go ahead and figure out how to do it all myself.’”

Greg knows Maura can beat him in competitions, yet he still underestimates her. She surprises him with her tough negotiating skills, and, partly out of admiration, he accedes to her demands. He is intrigued by how good she is at the things he loves to do, and he is just beginning to see that they would make a powerful team. She already knows this and wants it, and she has finally figured out how to bring them together—not by direct competition, but by showing him how strong an ally she can be.

“[W]hat Greg wouldn’t admit was that he was almost sort of a little bit maybe halfway glad about Maura. Coming back. To work on her comic again. On Saturday. At two.”

Their respect for each other’s artistic talents overcomes Greg and Maura’s longstanding competitive dislike for one another. It opens the door to the possibility that they might become friends. Masked all these years by their arguments, their natural affinity finally has a chance to express itself. Simply being together might turn out to be as important as the work they do together.

“What was happening to Maura at this very moment, it was like a gift—something he’d given to her. On purpose. Maura finished and looked up into Greg’s face. She gave a little laugh and said, ‘Sorry—guess I zoned out. But it’s… it’s really something, don’t you think?’ Then she smiled. And at that second, Greg felt like Maura’s smile had to be worth at least a million dollars.”

As Maura gazes at the first copy of her new comic book, her happiness means a great deal to Greg, who has never had such a feeling before. He feels warmly toward Maura and senses the value of contributing to another person’s well-being. Greg relishes watching the smile that crosses Maura’s face when their work \pans out so nicely, and he is gratified to know he contributed to that smile. This is a far cry from his usual cool, logical approach to work, where he does the labor and gets paid, and that is the end of it. This is different.

“[A]s he adjusted the copier to reprint another page, he had to admit that Maura was right. It wasn’t only the money. Not always. Just most of the time.”

Working with Maura, who loves creating comic books for their own sake, Greg begins to see that there is more to work than making money. This still does not seem quite right to him, but Maura’s attitude begins to get under his skin. No longer is business entirely about profit; maybe it is ok if it also contains a bit of pure artistic satisfaction.

“There were forty-seven students on the bus by the time they got to school. And Maura found herself thinking a little like Greg. Because she felt sure that she could have sold every single boy and girl on the bus a copy of her new comic book. She could have been well on her way toward being a recognized artist. And author.”

Maura is not about to become a fast-dealing, no-nonsense, profit-is-everything businesswoman. She does, however, begin to understand that making money while doing what she loves can be a big help. Just as Greg has started to see things a bit more like she does, Maura starts to understand the business world from Greg’s perspective. There is value in both views, and each character learns some of the other’s wisdom.

“‘But what about these comics?’ said Greg, pointing at the flyer again. ‘She’s letting these be bought and sold at school. So that’s not fair.’ Mr. Z nodded. ‘I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just telling you that what you’re asking is . . . well, it’s complicated.’”

Mr. Z knows instinctively what most kids do not: that the business of running a school, and the decisions that go into it, are fraught with politics, personal biases, and the quirks of those in authority. A problem that pits students against their principal will not be solved with a simple appeal to fairness. Many other concerns must be accounted for. True, the solution should be a fair one, but it also must fulfill the interests of everyone involved, or it will not work.

“[F]or a solid week now, he’d been thinking about nothing but money. And during that week, money had become much more complicated.”

To Greg, money should be simple: You want money, you find paying jobs, and you get money. Between Maura’s love of work for its own sake and Mrs. Davenport’s insistence that their comic booklets are bad influences, Greg now thinks about money in an entirely new way. The act of earning it has consequences; it has side benefits; it can cause problems;and it can mean much more than simply getting some cash. Gone are Greg’s simple ideas about money, but those ideas do not yet have solid replacements.

“Greg thought, Maybe I really am a greedy little money-grubber. Maybe I really don’t care about anybody but myself. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, meet Greg Kenton, the greediest, most selfish kid on earth.’”

Greg wonders if he should be a more thoughtful, less obsessed person whose interests go beyond his fixation on making money. Although Maura annoys him, he really likes and respects her. Maura’s honest preference for creating great things instead of simply making money has got Greg rethinking everything.

“[T]here’s certainly nothing wrong with having kids learn about money and economics and profits and percentages. In fact, it would be wrong if we didn’t teach them these things. Which is why we teach units on the economy and consumer education.”

Mr. Z points out the delicate balancing act that schools must perform when teaching kids about the world. Life can be tawdry and ugly, and schools need to be oases where students can learn about that life without having to wade through the worst of it. Still, they can be taught how to wade, should they need to when they are out in the real world. Maura and Greg’s comic club and booklet sales are exercises in commerce and tastefully done creative efforts. They are a blend of art and business—a combination worth learning about.

“Kids spent thirteen billion dollars last year. And part of that was spent by me. Greg kept careful records. He knew that during the past twelve months he had spent over four hundred dollars of his own money […] Because I’m a sales target, me and every other kid in America […]”

Having spent weeks working with and caring about Maura and her concerns, and having spent the past three days designing a proposal to sell things at school in a responsible manner, Greg responds strongly to Mr. Z’s comment about the billions of dollars extracted from schoolchildren by corporations. He sees that those companies target him and every other student, trying to extract cash from them, and that he has been treating his fellow students the same way. From now on, selling has to mean more to him than merely grabbing a buck.

“I’m glad that Greg and Maura got to sit through this whole meeting tonight. I’m proud to have them see how much care goes into every detail of what happens in our schools. And I want them to see that this is not ‘us against Mrs. Davenport,’ because that’s not the way it works. We all want the same thing—what’s best for the school, and what’s best for every student.”

Mr. Z’s words help to bring all sides together. He reminds everyone that both the kids and Mrs. Davenport have good points, and that the best solution resolves all those concerns. His speech also echoes the situation between Greg and Maura—how they’ve learned, despite their headstrong personalities, to cooperate and find solutions that work for both of them.