Celebrating Charlie and “A Quarter Named Joe”
Posted: January 25, 2013 Filed under: Memories | Tags: A Quarter Named Joe, Birthday, Charlie, Memories 8 Comments »
January 25, 2013 – Today is my son’s 29th birthday. It all seems surreal to me because that moment on January 25, 1984, at 4:07 p.m. to be exact, seems like yesterday.
When I thought about how I could should share that moment on this blog, several things sprung to mind, but only one was printable. So, here is a story he wrote in January 1993, which is celebrating a birthday, too – its 20th.
A Quarter Named Joe
Once upon a time there was a quarter named Joe. Joe was a very smart quarter. Joe was found on the streets of New York. The boy who found Joe spent it on a candy bar. Joe was happy he helped the boy find something to eat.
The next thing you know, Joe was in California. Another boy was walking along and he saw something shiny. The boy picked up Joe and put him into an arcade machine. Joe was helping the boy battle monsters and vampires. When the manager dude opened the machine, Joe fell onto the ground and rolled into a corner. Joe was happy he helped the boy battle the monsters and vampires.
Then, Joe found himself in Florida and another boy picked him up. Since he was lost, he put Joe into the pay phone and called his dad. Joe fell into the slot, but the line was busy, so he dropped back out. The boy put Joe in his pocket and he sat down for a few minutes. The boy put Joe back into the slot and dialed the number again. This time the phone rang. The boy gave his dad directions to pick him up. Joe was happy he could help the boy find his father.
The End
About the Author: Charlie Conroy was 9 years old when he wrote this heart-felt story about Joe, the helpful quarter. Sadly, Conroy gave up the pen for a career in computer science, but there’s always hope that one day he’ll write again.
Happy birthday, Charlie!
Love it! Happy birthday, Charlie.
Happy Birthday, Charlie! Just wait until next year when you hit the big “3-0″!
I’m not sure he has accepted 29 yet…
And to think he didn’t become a novelist!
Happy birthday Charlie. You have your mother’s talent with words. It will be fun to see how this ability couples with the computer science.
I suppose there is a certain amount of creativity that goes into programming… Thanks Pam!
I think i had just read The Giving Tree before writing this masterpiece.
And what a masterpiece it is. I’m glad I kept it. I wish I could find the other story you wrote about the man with XP disease. I loved that too!