Hunting Enjoyment

"Hey Jerry!" Ben exclaimed, "Want to enter this robotics competition with me?"

Jerry was getting ready to catch up to his friends to ride the bus home. He turned around to see Ben standing behind him with a wide, toothy smile. Ben was the type that made middle school boys come after him. He was a geek, skinny, short, and talked in a high-pitched voice that made him sound 4 years younger.

Jerry snorted. "You think I would want to do that? Might as well just write 'loser' on my forehead."

Ben was completely oblivious to the fact that Jerry was trying to be rude. "Haha! I know that we are good friends and make fun of each other a lot, but this will be really fun, trust me!"

Jerry laughed. Jerry was tall, handsome, the star quarterback of his team, and had girls chasing after him all the time. "Do me a favor Ben. Go find a life." With that, he ran toward his friends.

Jerry was excited when he got home, for he was planning to go to the beach with his friends. It was a 45 minute drive, and he and his friends went there almost every Friday. Also, many girls would tag along, which was always interesting. He was in his room, deciding what he should wear, when his mom came in. "Pack your bags," she said, "we're going to your uncle's house for the weekend."

Jerry was horrified. "Mom no! I really want to go to the beach with my friends!"

"You go every week. One week of not going won't hurt you."

"But this is different!" Jerry argued. He had had the best week of his life. He had beaten his school's rivals in a football game, had gotten a B on his History test, and his favorite basketball team had won the championship. He couldn't believe his good week would be spoiled by his Uncle Fred, who's house was full of engineering material that Jerry never even cared to look at.

His mom rolled her eyes. "Middle schoolers," she mumbled, and closed the door, leaving Jerry feeling empty inside.

"Jerry, it's been so long since I've seen you!" his uncle shouted in a deep, gritty voice. Jerry usually ignored his uncle, and just facetimed his friends as soon as he got there. This time however, Jerry was angry, and so said to his uncle, "Why do you smell like cheese?" With that he sprinted past his mom before she could give him a lecture on respect.

As Jerry sat in his uncle's guest room, he thought about how much fun his friends were having. He wasn't allowed to bring his Xbox, so he couldn't play games either. Feeling dejected, Jerry went outside to the living room, which wasn't even a living room because of the amount of machinery that his uncle put in there. He went over to the machinery and out of boredom, started looking at them. He came across a machine that looked dangerous, and was tempted to touch it, but then decided against it. He was trying to feel angry, but couldn't help being attracted to the machinery. He looked at more, and was starting to be tempted to want to use them. He then shook his head. "Nerd," Jerry mumbled. "Why would anyone take this as a hobby? It won't even get you money, fame, or friends. It will just make you look like a dork."

"Think again," came a voice from the hall.

Jerry turned around so fast he knocked over a jar of nails. "Hey! Why are you stalking me, can't you give me privacy?"

His uncle laughed. "I'm not the one barging into other people's stuff, am I?" Jerry flushed angrily. His uncle continued, "This isn't my only hobby you know. I also like painting, programming, reading, listening to music, cooking, and running." What hobbies do you have?

"Me? I have many talents. I like football, gaming, and.... um...." Jerry tried to think of more but couldn't. He thought his uncle would tease him for not having many hobbies, but his uncle smiled.

"It's okay if you don't have that many. The important thing is that you enjoy what you do. Engineering sure makes me happy. Do you know who Bill Gates is?"

"Of course I do. He's that rich smart guy who probably got all A's in school."

"Actually, he dropped out of college."

Jerry was caught by surprise. "Why?"

"To pursue his dream. To use computers. It was his talent, and what he liked to do. He worked hard, and became one of the richest men in the world."

Jerry thought about his life. When he was bored, he would facetime his friends, game, or sit around watching movies. He never tried his homework, never tried anything other than football, and even football wasn't always all that enjoyable. He partly only did it to look cool. "I guess my life has been a big waste," he sighed.

"It's never too late to start. You just have to find it, pursue it, and enjoy it," his uncle replied. He walked over to his set and then gave a sly grin. "There is one topic that if you choose to do, I can be a teacher for."

Jerry looked at the machines, and was overcome by a new feeling he had rarely felt before, curiosity. He grinned. "Teach me."

On Monday morning, Jerry quickly ran off the bus. He had to find Ben quickly. While he was running, a girl came and grabbed his arm. "Why weren't you at the beach this weekend? Maybe you want to hang out after school for a bit?"

Jerry shrugged her off. "Sorry, but I'm trying to find something I enjoy!" He ran off and found Ben behind the flag. "Hey Ben!"

"Hey Jerry! I have to go to our first Robotics club and......."

"Is it too late to join, or is there still a spot?"

Ben looked surprise but then grinned. "Sure, follow me. I'll get you signed up. It'll be really fun!"