I sigh, watching the workers outside my window dig up our street. "Why are they digging a big hole in the ground?" I ask my mom for the millionth time, turning around to face her. She put down her knife, pushing the onion she was cutting for dinner to the other side of the cutting board. "A water main broke." Its late spring, but already burning hot outside in our home in
Arlington, Massachusetts. I wrinkle my nose, the bitter scent of onion drifting in my direction.
Turning back to the window, I change my position on the couch in our living room. The sky was starting to turn a shade of peach pink, and the workers looked like they're about to stop for the day. I wonder HOW the water main broke. What was a water main anyway?

'Time for dinner!" My mom calls upstairs, and I heard the groan of my older brother upstairs. He stomped downstairs, not turning off the blaring music playing in his room. "I never should have got you your own radio…" I hear my mom mumble, as my brother skids to a halt in front of the table. I get up, heading upstairs. "Come on Tommy!" I shout, heading into my little brother's room. "Coming Anna!' He giggles, sliding out of his room in his slippery socks, almost running into me. "Coming Anna?" I hear, and like clockwork I scoop up Tommy, and run down the stairs. The smell of pizza wafted up to Tommy, and he struggled out of my arms. "Oww!" He screeches, falling with a thump at the bottom of the steps. "Tommy!?" I hear my mother, and I back up. Here we go again... I tell myself, preparing to get grounded. "Anna! How could you do this?" "He struggled out of my arms! Don't blame me, blame that naughty little brat!" "To your room. NOW." I sigh, giving up. I walk slowly to my room, slamming the door shut. I flop onto my bed, staring up at my ceiling. Its beige. I absolutely hate beige. Not that anyone cares, anyway. I have to take care of Tommy, instead of doing what I want. Whenever I ask to go to Cindy's, my best friend, I get a "Take Tommy with you!" Kind of answer, or "After Tommy gets a nap!" I should have expected this though, because I'm the middle child. I NEVER signed up for babysitting duty when mom adopted him. I sit up, and grab my computer from my desk. Might as well do something fun… I think, opening it up.

My mind drifts to the workers I saw out the window, and almost without thinking I google "what's a water main?" I scroll through the answers, and came across a website called MWRA. Curious, I pressed on it. "Huh..." I muttered, pressing on the about us tab. I learned that they cleaned our water and made it safe for us to use, and nodded. "That’s cool." I say out loud, smiling. I closed the computer, sitting up. I pressed my ear to the bedroom door, listening to the conversation going on downstairs. Something about how she "wished I could behave." I know that someday she'll understand, maybe when Tommy can talk. For now though I have to deal with it. Like the workers outside. They have to deal with water mains breaking all the time, but they have to wait for some sort of technology that will help them. "I can be patient." I said quietly folding my arms against my chest. "I know I can."

I started thinking about how I could show how much I appreciate them.
Give them a gift? A Card? I get to work, taking out all of my arts and crafts materials. I fold the paper, and try to think about how many workers there were. I remember counting around ten.
Ten cards it is! One by one I fold, cut, and draw on to each of the cards. I'm done in forty minutes, and lean back in my chair pleased with myself. Each card is a sky blue color, and when you open it, in dark blue bubble letters, it says thank you. I put my head onto my pillow, and fall asleep. The next morning, I wake up bright and early. It's time to give the card to them!