The Red Pickup Truck

Julia Carson

The three Carson sisters shine in different ways. The youngest, Julia, stands out for her confidence, spirit, and love of country.

A neighbor in the quiet neighborhood of New Berlin, Wisconsin has surely been startled one summer day when upon hearing a loud burst of country music pass by his house. The source of the noise? A red pickup truck driven by a sixteen-year-old girl.

If this neighbor were to leave his house, he would see a tangle of brown, curly hair flying in the wind out the open window, tan skin, and a red swimsuit. Julia Carson, the owner of the hair, the suit, and the truck, is a reluctant student during the school year and an enthusiastic lifeguard during the summer.

Julia is in her element in her truck, which she found online and bought with her own money some months ago. It was the first step in achieving her southern dream for the future, which also includes a pair of cowboy boots, a university in Texas, the military, and a large quantity of American flags.

Julia’s schedule is always full of social engagements with friends, so because of this, she is constantly crisscrossing southeastern Wisconsin in her pickup truck, a testament to her grand sense of independence. I, as the oldest of the three Carson girls, could say that Julia is the one in charge, even though she is the youngest. She has confidence in her beliefs and she cares about her interests intensely.

She got her pickup truck thanks to this determination, and now her next challenge is to convince our mom that we need a new dog. When I called home one Sunday a few months ago, she had been working on a PowerPoint presentation titled “Why getting a dog is the best decision we could make right now.”

“I put more effort into making these slides than I have put into all my homework this whole semester,” she said, being the most Julia she could be.