*
It had been forever, or maybe never, that Inky was excited about going to school on a Monday. He dressed carefully, searching his drawer for his green striped shirt.
He was surprised that his mother had not yet left for work and was waiting for him at the breakfast table. She had gone for a run, showered and gotten bagels and a copy of the paper.
“Mom. Mom?”
“Thought you’d want to see this,” she said, handing him the paper. “I don’t always have to be the first one in the office.”
He thumbed through the paper until he came upon the article with the headline “Artboy and DiploKids Bust Creep.” He smiled at the use of Hawk’s nickname for him. But even better, his sketch of the Green Goddess was used to illustrate the article. He thought how cool it would look in a frame hanging in his dad’s study.
By lunchtime mostly everyone at MDA had seen the paper. Amanda and Hawk sat with Inky and Rungs at their usual table in the back. One by one their classmates made their way to the back to congratulate the group of them. Even Ellen Monahan. “Oh. My. God. You’re amazing. Amazing. You all must sign the article,” she said. While Hawk was signing the page, Ellen turned to Inky and asked, “Did you see his gold records?” Rungs sputtered coffee all over the paper, and Ellen left in a huff.
By last period assembly, all the attention was wearing thin. Inky wanted his friends to himself.
“I am so not ready to start another core project,” Hawk said as they walked into the auditorium together. Inky and Rungs headed for their spot in the back, while Amanda and Hawk started down the aisle to some seats on the side. They laughed and froze in the aisle until one of the Soccer Boys they were blocking said, “You sitting, Artboy?” Some things never changed. They settled on four seats together in the middle.
Mr. Lorenza and Mrs. Patel told them about the next core project. This one would use their research, math and computer skills. It would be a study of the financial markets. Like the stock market challenge, but with a twist. Amanda frowned, but her expression changed when Mrs. Patel said they would be working in teams. Inky hoped his little group would get to work together.
Just when they thought there’d be early dismissal, Elsbet Harooni took the stage. Seeing the Principal still made Inky’s stomach twist.
“Friends, I wanted to share the most exciting news,” the Principal said.
“She got a new chair,” Hawk whispered to Inky. He guessed Hawk had had her share of warnings, too.
“From time to time, you know, there are exhibits in the lobby of the UN. I’ve gotten word that next month’s multi-panel display will be filled with the work of one of our MDA students. Now this space has often displayed the work of the IB project of our graduating students. At times, this honor has been shared by students in other grades in Upper School. It is my great pleasure to report that next month this display will be devoted to the work of an Upper One student. One of your core projects.”
The room got quiet. Hawk had seemed about to make another Looney Harooni joke, but she, too, looked serious. Everyone had worked hard on their projects. A display at the UN, that was the kind of thing MDA parents—and students—loved.
“The multi-panel display, this month’s exhibit, will feature ‘Making Contact,’ the presentation from Michael Kahn.”
Inky gasped. Rungs clapped him on the back at the same time the students in the auditorium started clapping for him. The sensation was amazing. “Way to go, Artboy,” someone shouted. Amanda kissed him on the cheek. Inky felt a rainbow of color, primary and pure.
He thought of an afternoon long ago looking with his father at the images in the giant lightboxes downstairs in Grand Central Station. He felt like he’d fulfilled a promise.
“Congratulations, Michael. Mrs. Patel will share the details with you in homeroom tomorrow. And for all of you, the financial markets project will start next week.”
“Pinch me,” Inky said to Rungs at their lockers. Hawk came by, with Amanda right behind her.
“We should celebrate,” Amanda said.
“Later, definitely,” Inky said. “Right now I have an appointment at Fresh Cuts. Gonna get this ponytail cut off and see if I can donate it to kid’s cancer or something. Anyone wanna come?”
“I’m there,” Amanda said.
“I’m out. Skateboarding with one of the kids from my talk group,” Hawk said.
“Rungs?”
Rungs looked at Inky with a broad smile. “NCD. No can do. First day of my internship with the cybercrimes unit. But I’m gonna tell them all about you. They might need a good sketch artist.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
DRAWING AMANDA is a work of fiction, but the plight of indigenous people in Brazil and other nations is quite real. Survival International, one organization that advocates for the earth’s threatened tribes, is a great resource. A place to start is this Q & A about uncontacted tribes:
http://www.uncontactedtribes.org/articles/3109-questions-and-answers-uncontactedtribes
The Awa have been called the most threatened tribe, because of the encroachment of loggers and the destruction of rainforest lands, as described in this article and video: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/04/25/colin-firth-campaign-awa-tribe-brazil-amazon_n_1451571.html
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you, Kenny, for your unfailing ear, support and patience; Miles, for your good sense of my story and yours, and thanks mom, for being a role model for so much, especially discipline.
I’m lucky for the encouragement of friends - work friends, mom friends, and amazing girlfriends. Writer friends, including the mediabistro girls and Micol Ostow, gave me valuable feedback along the way.
I’m eternally grateful to Rob Simon and the crew at Hispo Media for plucking DRAWING AMANDA from the submissions pile. Thank you for your hard work and belief in me. And Sunny Lee, your illustrations rock.
This book is for my father, who taught me to be scrappy and persevere. I still miss him every day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Feuer’s articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Herald, on bettyconfidential.com and in numerous anthologies and literary magazines. She serves as creative nonfiction editor of Conclave, a Journal of Character.
DRAWING AMANDA is her first published book of fiction.
She lives in New York City with her husband, teenage son, Tibetan Terrier and an out of control collection of books and CDs.
http://stephaniefeuer.tumblr.com or http://stephaniefeuer.com
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
S.Y. Lee received her BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. Her work has been featured in children’s books, textbooks, magazines, and on iPad® apps. She currently lives in New York with her two goldfish, One Fish and Two Fish. You can see more of her work on her online portfolio: http://callmelee.com
Drawing Amanda Page 19