Fifty bucks: Molly's picked up a chunk of change along with her dog-sitting duties … but can she hold onto it long enough to make a connection?

Girls' Life, April-May, 2004 by S.K. Dunn

But I was pretty sure they'd drop the cell-phone restriction as long as it was on my dime. Let the savings begin!

Lily and I went to her house and planned the whole thing. She found a deal on the Internet where I could get a phone, activation and the whole set-up for $150--plus, best of all, I could even get a second phone for free for her (who else was I going to talk to?). We even sketched out a graph of all the expenses.

That night, my mom came into my room. I was sprawled out on my bed, finishing homework. I non-strategically blurted out, "Can I get a cell phone?"

"We've talked about this," Mom said, patting my thigh. "They're expensive."

"But Lily and I found a deal on the Internet for $150 for two phones--everything included! I'll pay for it!"

"Activation?" Mom asked.

"Everything," I said, chewing the inside of my mouth. She let out a breath like she was almost about to give in.

Then she sucked in one bigger than the one she let out and said, "Martha,"--never a good sign when she uses my real name--"the expensive part is the monthly fee. You only get a set amount of minutes. After that, you pay a lot."

"How much? Like, a thousand dollars?" I asked with just the right dose of sarcasm.

"With your phone habit, I wouldn't be surprised," she said. "Dad still isn't over your using up that prepaid."

"Yeah, but--"

"Molly," she interrupted, then smiled to make it nicer. "Good night."

But when I called Lily the next morning to tell her what my mom had said, we came up with Plan B.

"Tell her you'll pay for three months in advance, and then if you handle it good--no, say, 'responsibly'," Lily said, "you can pay it monthly after that."

"OK," I said. Sometimes, I swear Lily should be a lawyer. Or a politician.

"And, obviously, you have to figure out how much money you need to get started!" Lily added before hanging up.

I hate math, and I knew by the time I calculated it all, I could be in retirement and there would be no point.

Luckily for me, Lily knows me better than anyone. The phone rang. "Two hundred and fifty, Molly. You need to save $250. Now go talk to them!"

My parents were at the kitchen table when I crashed in. "What if I save $250?" I sputtered.

My father, knowing nothing about the previous night's conversation, nodded. "That'd be great," he said, chewing a piece of toast with strawberry jam.

I turned to my mom. "For the phone. I'll pay for three months in advance plus the activation. Two-fifty." I paused to catch myself, and added my best and most sincere, "Please?"

I looked at her anxiously. My father just looked confused. "Oh, all right!" she finally broke out. "If you get the money, you can get a phone."

That was all I needed to hear.

For the next six weeks, I worked like crazy. School let out for the year, and instead of blowing by, the hot summer days seemed to stretch into eternity. On Tuesdays, I babysat for some friends of my parents. Mornings and afternoons, I walked the weird neighbor's even weirder dog. Lily and I even made a fortune selling Rice Krispies treats in front of the pool. (Austin didn't say much to me--but he did buy three!) I even sunk to my absolute lowest, doing Mike Reilly's paper route while he was on vacation.