by Alena Pitts
“We need to head out for donuts if you plan to get to school on time today! Don’t you have some dissection tables to clean?” Mom’s voice was gentle and playful.
“Oh right! Guess we need to go,” I said.
We hustled out the door, loaded up in the minivan, and headed straight for donuts. Dad did his best to distract me by telling us all about the time he worked all summer delivering newspapers because he needed to save enough money to buy a pair of red Chuck Taylors. However, when he wore them to school the first time everyone laughed at him and said his feet looked like two big water balloons!
His story did make me chuckle and Amber and Ashton laughed so hard their bellies started to hurt.
We arrived at school nice and early and I headed straight to the lab to clean the soon-to-be extra gross dissection tables. I wasn’t in the mood but I knew Mr. Lipscomb was counting on me.
I opened the door to his room and immediately tripped over a squishy yellow bundle of chirping down.
“Ooooooh no.” This could not be good.
Two weeks ago Mr. Lipscomb purchased baby chicks for our class. He also purchased a cage for them so I had no idea why they were scurrying around the classroom.
I flicked on the light and there they were—two of our new class pets. One was pecking around aimlessly and the other was doing something that involved smelling or looking at his chick friend’s tail end.
Whatever he was doing seemed gross and I preferred not to stare. We had learned as a class that this is perfectly normal chick behavior. Now, there they were loose in the middle of our gigantic science lab. The lab I was supposed to clean before our big dissection today.
It finally sunk in that it was just me, the chicks, and this wide-open space. If anyone was going to do something, it had to be me.
I immediately went into full on Lena-to-the-rescue mode. Sprinting from one corner of the room to the next panicking and chanting, “Oh no. Oh no. Gloves. Gloves. Oh no. Where are the gloves?”
I knew I needed to get those chicks back into their cage before they tried to eat the frozen frogs that were lying in crates on the floor. Do chicks even eat frogs? I had no idea, but I knew this could not be good.
I needed to find the gloves. The last thing I wanted to do was touch a tail-sniffing chick without gloves on.
“Found them!” I shouted to myself.
I grabbed the box of rubber gloves and tried to pull one out. After frantically tugging at them for about six seconds, I ended up with about nine gloves in my hand and twenty-five more all over the floor.
“I’ll worry about those later,” I said out loud.
I kept one eye on the escapees while heading toward the cage. Mr. Lipscomb bought eight chicks and I needed to make sure the other six were where they were supposed to be.
I peeked in the cage and gasped!
The remaining chicks were stepping on top of each other, flapping their little wings, and using their food bowl as a ladder. They were all trying to escape!
“Oh no ya don’t! Nice try,” I mumbled. “Great teamwork, guys,” I had to admit.
I reached down just in time to catch the third escapee midflight and dropped him back into the cage with the rest of them. His sudden return caused them all to disperse a bit and delayed their plans.
I, on the other hand, needed a plan. And I needed one quick.
I scanned the room for a lid for the cage or something that I could use as a temporary top. I found NOTHING . . . absolutely NOTHING.
“Think, Lena, think,” I said to myself.
“Uhhhh-ahhh!” I remembered I was wearing a jacket. I immediately slid it off, tied a sleeve to opposite sides of the cage, covering as much of the top as I could.
By now the two original escapees had wandered all the way to the back of the room, and were under Mr. Lipscomb’s desk. I trotted over to them, caught one, and ran it back to the cage. I raced back for the other, grabbed him, and dropped him in as well.
I was two seconds away from breathing a sigh of relief when I felt something tickling my ankle.
Another one had escaped. This one must have been smart and quick because he found the one open space near my jacket collar and flapped his new wings right through it.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 . . . oh no!”
Another had escaped.
I chased him down and turned to drop him back in only to find that now there were only three chicks in the cage. The jacket was dangling off one corner by a sleeve. These chicks were impossible to catch! Every time I placed one back in, another had already used his friends’ backs to hop out.
This entire incident was going downhill really fast. I reached down and tried to grab as many as I could in one swift scoop. Just as I was wrapping my arms around the bundle of chicks, in walked Savannah and Emma.
I immediately dropped them all. The chicks made a thump when they landed and scattered across the entire floor. Flapping, chirping, and sniffing.
This was not good.
Savannah’s face turned tomato red and she opened her mouth wide as if she wanted to scream but nothing came out. Just one big gasp.
“Come on, Savannah! Help!” Emma screeched as she bent down and tried to help me capture the fleeing birds.
Seconds later Mr. Lipscomb walked in and froze with one foot in the door and the other midair while he screamed, “Lena! Emma! Savannah! What is happening in here?”
“We didn’t do it!” I protested, realizing we were the only students in the room and unlike Savannah and Emma I was covered in fuzz.
Mr. Lipscomb began chasing the chicks across the room. “Get to class, girls!” he snapped. “I’ll take care of this and deal with you later.”
The urgency in his voice demanded our instant obedience and in a single file line we quickly marched out.
“Lena, who let the chicks out?” Emma asked.
“I have no idea! They were out when I walked in.”
“Wow, sorry we didn’t show up sooner.” Savannah’s apology was sincere.
“I’m so glad you came to help. There is no way I could have caught them by myself. Wait, why did you come in there anyway?”
Emma did a full body spin and skipped backwards. “Well, we wanted to know if you sent a video to Mallory and we knew you’d be here early today!”
My heart dropped and I immediately felt the urge to hold back tears. Fighting the runaway chicks had actually taken my mind off the gummy goo.
“Oh yeah, well, yeah. Sort of.”
“Ok, tell us later. We need to get to class before Ms. Blount closes the door! Emma, see ya at lunch!” Savannah pulled me in the same direction while gently shoving Emma toward her part of the long skinny corridor.
We dashed down the hall and slipped through the still slightly open door of the classroom just in time.
“Good morning, class.” Ms. Blount shut the door behind us.
While I waited for her to start the day I sat quietly with my pen, paper, and little notebook in hand and pretended to be invisible.
Oh, Stars,
I wonder how long it will be before the news about the chicks spreads. Mr. Lipscomb is going to tell Ms. Blount. Ms. Blount is going to tell the principal, and the principal will call my mom. Mom will call Dad and Dad will show up at the school, call me to the office, and demand an explanation. Someone from my class will see my dad come into the office and create an elaborate story about Emma, Savannah, and me getting into a fight in the science lab, knocking over the chicken coup, and being sent to the office by Ms. Blount for causing such a commotion . . . can this day get any worse? I’m trying not to worry here but clearly it’s not working! I wish I could just disappear!
I waited the entire day for the chick scenario to play out. Strangely, Mr. Lipscomb didn’t say a word during science class and by recess my palms were sweaty, my heart was pounding, and my eyes were tired from holding back tears all morning. I tried to hide them from Emma and Savannah but I couldn’t. My eyelashes were already wet when we he
aded out the cafeteria doors for recess.
“Lena, they’re just chicks. Not a big deal. Mr. Lipscomb doesn’t even seem upset anymore. Besides, we have your back!” Emma did some sort of a tribal dance routine to try cheering me up.
Savannah laughed extra hard and eventually I cracked a smile.
“Guys, it’s not just the chicks.” I paused. Did I really want to tell them about my Mallory Winston video?
I decided I wasn’t ready yet. “I’ve just had a really terrible morning.”
“Group hug!” Emma threw her hands around our shoulders and leaned forward until she was mostly in the middle of our little circle.
“So, my mom wouldn’t let me send a video to Mallory,” Emma announced. “She says trying to be in a movie would be way too much work and maybe we can just buy passes to meet her the next time she’s in town. How about yours, Lena?”
I dropped my eyes to the ground and spoke casually, “Oh yeah, I sent it but I probably won’t win. It was really terrible. I’m actually hoping Mallory never sees it. The passes are a much better idea.”
“Yeah, let’s try to do that!” Savannah was easily convinced and for a few seconds Emma seemed happy enough with my short explanation until she thought about it a little more.
“Wait, Lena. What was wrong with your video?” she prodded.
I responded quickly and tried to avoid eye contact, “It was just bad. Had something in my teeth.”
Surprisingly, neither Emma nor Savannah laughed. I was starting to feel like maybe the gooey teeth weren’t that bad. Emma smacked her lips dramatically while Savannah gave me a sympathetic smile.
By the time the bell rang at the end of the day, I was mentally exhausted.
I spotted my mom’s van in the carpool line and dragged my tired body directly to her.
“Lena!” My mom was practically hanging out the window yelling my name from the moment she saw me coming.
When I sank into my seat, so did my heart. I felt like my entire day was sitting at the bottom of my stomach.
“Lena! Mallory Winston emailed you! Can you believe it? Already!” she screamed. Without taking a break for air she continued, “Lena, she loved your video and gave it to the directors of the movie! They want you to audition! LENA? Did you hear me?”
I sat silently. I was completely frazzled and totally confused.
She spoke louder this time. I could hear my sisters giggling but everything sounded muffled like it was coming through a very long skinny tunnel.
“MALLORY WINSTON emailed . . . you . . . me . . . the directors want . . .”
I burst into tears.
Apparently this was not the response my mother was expecting because she decided to repeat the entire thing.
This time I cried even harder. Nothing she was saying made any sense, and all I could think about was how frustrating the entire day had been.
Finally she stopped saying Mallory’s name and asked, “What is wrong, Lena?”
At that moment everything I had been holding in for the last seven hours came flooding out of my eyes and I could not control it. I told Mom all about the run-away chicks, reminded her of my gummy video disaster, and even confessed that I’d lost my lunchbox and had been eating my lunch out of my pockets.
My mother kept her eyes on the road but her eyebrows were wrinkled in a frown. The right side of her bottom lip was tucked under her top two big teeth. But she didn’t say a word, she just let me talk it out. Amber and Ashton’s eyes were as big as golf balls as I continued to weep.
Ansley broke the silence with, “Lena, you never found your lunchbox?”
Instantly my emotional breakdown turned into a hysterical uproar! Everyone was afraid to laugh but not even I could hold it in. Ansley was so genuine with her concern and after everything I had just confessed, all she was worried about was the fact that I still couldn’t find my lunchbox!
We laughed until we were all in tears. As the giggles started to simmer down, my mom turned slightly to me and said, “Well, it’s nice to see you smiling again!”
“Hey Mom, what did you say about Mallory Winston?” I squeaked.
Ansley, Amber, and Ashton joined me and we listened to Mom retell about the email, and just that quickly I forgot all about my emotional breakdown.
The rest of the evening was one big celebration including ice cream, movies, and giggles. When it was finally bedtime I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I waited patiently for Ansley to whisper her last words before grabbing my little black book and slipping into my closet for a little alone time.
HELLLLLOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! STARS!!!!
Today was such a weird day. This morning I really thought my life was over. I felt awful after the Mallory Winston disaster video and then the whole chick scenario. That was all so crazy. I’m so glad Emma and Savannah were there to help even though it didn’t really help. At least I wasn’t alone. I would not have survived this day without them and now look at how everything has changed! No one found out or teased me about the chicks and Mallory actually picked my video even with the gummy mouth! I’m almost too embarrassed to meet her now . . . well no, not really, but I do wish that my video had been better. Anyway, I spent all that time stressing and crying for nothing. I feel so silly. I guess Dad was right. I need to stop worrying about things and let God handle it! This is crazy . . . I may really get to meet Mallory Winston after all!!
Mallory Winston emailed me!
Thank you, God!!
“Hello,” I could hear Mom answering her phone in the short distance between my bedroom door and hers. My ears perked up and I lay very still, hoping to catch any details of her conversation. I didn’t want to be nosey, I only listened long enough to realize the voice on the other end was not Mallory Winston and the conversation had nothing to do with me or my recent video audition.
I rolled over and planted my face into the palms of my hands. “Why won’t they call?” I mumbled into my pillow.
I glanced up at the square calendar above my desk. It had been weeks since I sent in the video audition for the part in Above the Waters and we still had not heard anything from Mallory, the director people, or anyone else.
I could feel my heart starting to ache. I’m not sure if I really wanted to be in the movie or if it just hurt my feelings to know they hadn’t chosen me. It was becoming harder and harder to not let the suspense and anticipated disappointment take over.
“Lena? Are you ok?” Ansley sat up in her bed and stared in my direction.
I forced an excited tone into my words, “Yup, sorry for waking you up.” Then I dragged myself across the room and plopped, elbows first, at the edge of her bed.
“Happy Birthday!!!!!!” I shouted while smothering her with a huge hug and numerous kisses!
She giggled and melted forward into the pile of blankets nestled at her feet.
“Lena, stop!” she chuckled as I continued to tickle her.
After catching her breath and letting a few last giggles escape, she asked, “Were you just crying?”
“Well,” I paused and tried to perk up a little more. I didn’t want to ruin Ansley’s birthday joy. “I’m just a little sad that I have not heard back from Mallory or the Fenway Production people. It’s been so long and I don’t think I got the part. I really wanted it though.”
“It’s ok, Lena. Remember what Mommy was telling us last night?”
I nodded and looked away. I knew exactly what Ansley was talking about and I didn’t want to talk about it again. I really just wanted the phone to ring and for it to be Mallory.
Despite my attempt to look disinterested, Ansley continued to talk.
“Whatever God has planned for you, will happen!” Ansley’s raspy morning voice made the words sound so real and simple. I wished it were that easy for me, but it wasn’t. I knew God had a plan for me and that’s what made me sad. It didn’t look like His plan was the same thing I wanted.
“What’s the guy’s name that she talked about—Germ-o-my—what�
�s it again, Lena?”
“Jeremiah—it’s a book in Bible,” I answered.
Ansley pointed her finger at me. “Right! God’s plans are good for you!”
Ansley was so pleased with her ability to remember last night’s dinner devotion. I smiled at her. Her enthusiasm and excitement are always contagious.
“Trust God, Lena.” She patted my shoulder and rested her head right above my elbow.
“I know the plans I have for you . . . Jeremiah 29:11. That’s the verse.” I mumbled and continued to talk. “But Ansley, did you understand what Mom and Dad were even saying? The whole story was little confusing, wasn’t it?” I asked.
“What story?” Ansley suddenly had no idea what I was talking about.
I refreshed her memory. “Remember Dad told us about the Israelites and how God sent them to Babylon, the bad city, even though they didn’t want to be there?”
“Ohhhh yeah, that’s right.” Ansley remembered.
“They were slaves there but that is where God needed them to be. But why?”
“I dunno,” she replied quickly.
I could tell she was now the one losing interest but I kept talking. “Do you really think God would send us somewhere we didn’t want to go or that was bad for us? I don’t understand why He would do that.”
“No, I don’t get it either—why would God do that?” Ansley’s words trailed off as she stared across the room and at the window above my bed. I wasn’t sure if she was thinking about Babylon or the ice cream party we had scheduled for later on.
I just kept talking, “Well, no matter what happens with Mallory, I have my whole life planned out. I’m going to be a volleyball champion and an Olympic swimmer. I’ll get married when I am twenty-four and have two children. I really want a boy and then a girl. I know I can’t really plan that part but I’ll talk to God about that when it’s time. I know what makes me happy and what I am good at, so why would God not be happy with that? It would make no sense for Him to send me to a mean place or make me do something scary. I like it here in Texas with my family. Right?”
