How to Turn Your Life Around

This story is inspired by Leslie’s dilemma in the eighteenth chapter of Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 18, “Leslie.”

CHAPTER 18. LESLIE — SUMMARY

Leslie is puzzled by her toes, which she believes serve no useful purpose. At recess, Louis jokingly suggests that she sell them to him for five cents apiece. At first, Leslie finds the idea ridiculous, but the next recess she approaches Louis to see whether he’s still interested in buying her toes. By then, however, the yard teacher has become more selective. He only wants to purchase her big toes and says she can keep the smaller ones. Leslie insists on selling them only as a complete set, so the deal falls through.

Leslie’s family always celebrated Thanksgiving at Grandpa Jeff’s place. Since Grandpa Jeff had once been a chef, everything he cooked tasted amazing.

But last Thanksgiving was different from all the others. It started with Aunt Claire, who loved talking about “making changes” and “turning her life around.”

The moment they stepped inside Grandpa Jeff’s house, everyone froze. Aunt Claire had chopped her hair short and dyed it such a bright red that it looked as if she’d emptied a whole bottle of ketchup over her head.

“Oh my goodness, Claire!” Leslie’s mom gasped. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Same here,” Leslie’s dad laughed. “You look like you survived an explosion in the tomato factory!”

“At least you noticed me this year,” Aunt Claire replied.

“What do you mean?” Leslie’s mom asked.

“Last year you thought I hadn’t come to Thanksgiving, and I was sitting right in front of you,” Aunt Claire said.

Leslie’s mom frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember that.”

“It’s fine,” Aunt Claire chuckled. “My boss says the same thing. He told me I’m nice and hardworking, but people forget I exist. So this year I decided to turn my life around.”

“By dyeing your hair red?” Leslie’s dad asked.

“That too,” Aunt Claire said. “We’ll see if it works.”

Grandpa Jeff called everyone to the dining room. The decorations were warm and cheerful, and the food smelled heavenly.

“I like Claire’s new look,” he announced. “And this year, I want us to stop arguing about how different we are. Let’s focus on what makes each of us special, without picking a fight.”

“What do you mean?” Cousin Vic asked.

Leslie shifted uncomfortably. Cousin Vic was her cousin, but he was also a grownup, which felt weird. But he was always nice to her and bought her the best presents.

“I mean,” Grandpa Jeff said, “I don’t want to hear that city life is better than country life, or which kind of weather you hate. Tell me what you like and how you plan to make your life better.”

Cousin Vic nodded while swallowing a meatball. “That makes sense.”

“Okay, I’ll start,” said Mr. Franklin Biddlecombe, Grandpa Jeff’s best friend. He wasn’t family, but everyone loved having him around. “May I?”

“Go ahead, Frank,” Grandpa Jeff urged.

“My home had become extremely cluttered,” Mr. Franklin Biddlecombe began. “So I decided to get rid of everything.”

“Everything?” Aunt Claire squeaked.

“Well, everything I didn’t use,” he clarified. “I sold my old magazine collection, tossed all the junk mail, and donated the clothes that didn’t fit, were out of style, or hadn’t been worn in a year.”

“That was most of your wardrobe!” Grandpa Jeff laughed.

“Exactly,” Mr. Franklin Biddlecombe said. “Then I emptied my garage: old paint, broken tools, dusty holiday decorations, cardboard boxes. Now I can finally park my car inside.”

Grandpa Jeff patted him on the back. “Nice. I should probably do the same.”

“That’s a great idea,” Cousin Vic said. “I started something similar a couple of months ago.”

“You emptied your garage too?” Grandpa Jeff asked.

“I don’t have a garage,” Vic replied. “But I used to be a bit overweight.”

“I noticed you look thinner,” Aunt Claire said.

“I joined a special military program,” Vic explained. “Two weeks in an army camp: regular meals, healthy food, lots of training.”

“You really turned your life around,” Grandpa Jeff said.

“You have no idea,” Vic chuckled. “When I got home, I got rid of my washing machine and dishwasher. Now my place is spotless, and I wash everything by hand.”

“That’s a bit extreme,” Aunt Claire said.

“I feel like a new man,” Vic insisted. “If you want to turn your life around, you have to make real changes.”

“True,” Aunt Claire agreed.

Later that evening, when Leslie and her parents got home, she made up her mind. She was going to turn her life around too. She wasn’t going to dye her hair red. Her pigtails were perfect. And she liked the way she looked.

But her toes were another story.

She had never known what to do with them. Her toenails were impossible to cut, and she hated trimming them. The spaces between her toes collected dirt and always smelled funny.

If she was going to turn her life around, she knew exactly where to start.