Life On Hold

by Karen McQuestion

  After permission was granted, the office lady directed us down the hall. Mr. Smedley stood when we entered the room. I saw in his eyes the same look I always saw when men met my mother for the first time. I was betting he was thinking she was really cute (or hot, if he was that kind of guy, and really all guys are that kind of guy) and also that she looked too young to have a daughter in high school.

  “Rae,” he said, “how nice to see you. And this is your mother?”

  I made the introductions, and he motioned for us to sit. Mom and I gave him the update on Allison. Some of it he knew already, some he didn’t, but as we talked I could tell from his face that he really cared about Allison. He almost got teary when Gina told how Allison said she missed her mom, and I don’t think it was just because my mom was emotional herself. Here I’d thought he was the usual all-business school administrator, but underneath that white shirt and striped tie was a real beating heart. Who knew? People surprise you sometimes.

  “Mr. Smedley, there was something else I wanted to talk about as long as we’re here,” I said. “I know the Rae Maddox Integration Program was just an idea you were trying out, but I think it’s a good one. Going to a new school is really stressful; no one knows that better than me. We’ve moved a lot over the years. More than a lot, really, an unbelievable amount, like nearly every year. Lucky for me, my mom promised we’d stay here until I graduate so I’d finally have that stability.” I shot a glance in her direction and smiled. She looked a little startled, but she didn’t look mad. Yet.

  I took a deep breath and continued. “So I will be here for sure for the next two and a half years, and I’d like to accept your offer to be in charge of the Integration Program. I think I’d be good at matching students with the new kids. I have a lot of ideas, too. I thought the tech department could create a virtual tour. Maybe we could put it on the school’s website.”

  He leaned forward and nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.

  “I thought I’d write up explanations for things that are confusing when you’re new, like how the lunch program works and things like that. I have a lot of other thoughts too that we can discuss, when we get the ball rolling. I’m actually pretty excited about taking on a leadership role for this program. That is, if you’ll let me.”

  “It sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I’d seen Mason do his Smedster impression many times using this exact same gesture, but suddenly it didn’t look quite so funny. He turned to my mom. “Your daughter is really an outstanding girl, Ms. Maddox—good head on her shoulders, top-notch grades, compassionate toward her fellow students. I’m sure Allison would agree that she’s a good friend to have too. You must be very proud of her.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Okay then.” He leaned back and smiled at me. “The program is all yours. I’ll set up a meeting with the guidance counselors, and we’ll get together with them one day next week and hammer out the details. Deal?”

  “Deal.” We shook hands across the desk, me grinning like crazy, and my mom giving me this sly smile that could have gone either way.

  After we’d said our good-byes to Mr. Smedley and were out of the office Gina said, “So we’re not moving now for two and a half years?”

  I had trouble reading her face. “I can’t. I just made a commitment to run a new program. But if you want to move, Grandma and Grandpa said I could live with them and commute.”

  She sighed. “No way in hell. I’d rather live in this podunk town a while longer than give you up.”

  “Does this mean we’re staying?”

  “I guess. I did promise, didn’t I?” She mimicked my own words right back to me. “So you’d finally have that stability.”

  I gave her a big hug right in the hallway of my high school, and I didn’t even care who saw. “You really are the best mom in the world.”

  “Yeah, yeah, save it for another time.” But she looked sort of pleased with herself. “You better get back to class, Rae. You don’t want your GPA to suffer because your mother is a bad influence.”

  Chapter 38

  Star Light, Star Bright

  My cell phone rang at nine thirty, just as I finished going over my notes for a test in math, the last of my homework. I glanced at the caller ID. It was Nick. “Hey, I was just thinking about you,” I said, which was true because he was always on my mind even when I was forced to think about other, less important things, like algebra.

  “I’m parked in front of your building. Come on out.”

  I looked down at what I was wearing—a cami top and loungewear pants—and hesitated. “I’m in my pajamas.”

  “I don’t care what you’re wearing. Hurry up and get out here. I need an hour of your time. I have to show you something.”

  I threw on a sweatshirt, ran a brush through my hair, and put on socks and running shoes. It wasn’t a good look, but what did he want on such short notice? I rushed past Gina in the kitchen gabbing on the phone to one of her salon friends. Talking them through a crisis, no doubt. I threw her an explanation as I went past. “Nick’s outside. He wants to show me something. I’ll be back in an hour.”

  “On a school night?” she asked in mock horror, then waved and turned back to her conversation.

  Nick was mysterious about where he was taking me. He had a sneaky smile the whole time I was asking questions. Finally he said, “It’s not a gift. It’s just something I want to share with you.”

  When we arrived at his house, he parked alongside the barn and motioned for me to get out. Unlatching the tailgate, he helped me climb up into the back of the truck. I settled down and sat cross-legged on a comforter lining the bottom. “Look at this,” he said, pulling a stack of blankets out of a box behind us. “I even brought the warmth.” He wrapped a fleece blanket around my shoulders and went back to the box for a large stainless thermos and a mug. “And something hot to drink. Unfortunately, I only grabbed one mug, so we’ll have to share.” He unscrewed the top and poured. In the dark, the aroma of hot cocoa was especially strong. “Sorry I don’t have whipped cream.” He handed me the cup, which I took gratefully.

  I sipped slowly, savoring the rich chocolate flavor. “This is so good. Did you make it?”

  “All by myself.”

  I handed the mug back to him, and he took a swallow. “So where is the thing you wanted to show me?” I asked.

  He reached over and lifted my chin with one finger. “Look up.” I cast my gaze upward and saw the night sky like I’d never seen it before. The stars were beams of light shining through a pitch-black backdrop. I felt a surge of joy and wondered if this was how astronauts felt when they saw it from up there. “Oh, it’s so beautiful.”

  “When it’s not cloudy, you can really see the stars out in the country. Tonight it’s as clear as it gets. When I saw the sky tonight I thought, Rae has to see this.”

  From behind us the back door of the house creaked open. Mrs. Dunstan called out, “Nicky, is that you?”

  “Yeah, Ma, I’m looking at the stars with Rae.”

  “Well, don’t stay out too long. It’s getting cold.”

  “It’s okay, Ma. Rae’s wearing her warmest pajamas.”

  A slight pause. “Okay, dear.” And then the sound of the door closing firmly as she went back inside. We both burst out laughing.

  “She kills me,” he said, shaking his head. “Now where were we? Oh yes.” He put his arm around me and pulled me close. “The stars. Over there,” he pointed, “you can see the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. And my favorite star—”

  “You have a favorite?”

  “Oh yes, I do. And that would be the North Star. It’s the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Sailors used to use it for navigation. Back then, if you could locate the North Star you could always find your way home.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  We sat nestled together, drinking our hot chocolate for thirty minutes or maybe an hour.
Time didn’t matter. I could have sat there all night looking at the stars and breathing in the cool night air with Nick by my side. Finally I’d found my way home.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Karen McQuestion has had literary aspirations since the third grade, when her teacher read her short story out loud to the rest of the class as an example of a job well done. She has been writing ever since. She lives in Hartland, Wisconsin, with her husband and their three children.