Maybe that’s the message in the Laura Line.
I think about all the mean things my classmates say to me. I’ve hated school just because of how I’ve been treated. Now that I’ve read the stories in the ledger, I realize that the Lauras before me have already experienced what I’m experiencing now. And they still did great things.
Payback for the Line would be to open up the shack door and let my classmates know what amazing smells like. Then they’d understand that because I’m a member of this elite group, I’ve got a date with success.
Wait . . .
The tears come automatically as my knower alerts me that I’ve figured it out. I cover my mouth to stop the loudest cry ever. I thought the first Laura was the amazing thing Mrs. Jacobs warned me about.
She’s not.
I’m still going to lose the bet. But I must be the happiest loser in the universe.
I’m ready to get up now. I’ve done what I needed to do, so when Grandma comes home from church, I’ll ask her questions about the Line. I’ve been inside the shack and around the crosses all morning. It feels different than before, and all I want is more information. I’m sure Grandma has the info I need.
We’re at the table, eating sandwiches for lunch, when I ask the question that’s been on my mind.
“Did you ever find out what happened to Laura Elaine? I mean, how did your mom drown?”
She puts her sandwich down. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me. Yes, we did find out. My grandmother, Laura Jean, demanded an autopsy be done to rule out foul play, especially since she never liked my dad. See, Momma got married and had me at a very young age, and Laura Jean never thought Daddy was good enough for Momma. I loved my daddy. He made that little uneven chair out in the shack. It’s the only thing he ever made for me.”
I take a bite of my sandwich and zone in on Grandma. “So what happened?”
“The autopsy was done and they couldn’t find anything unusual except for a lot of water in her lungs. Then one day, Daddy told us what really happened.”
My eyes widen and I stop chewing. “Did he do something to her?”
Grandma shakes her head. “No, but I think it took him a while to realize he couldn’t have saved her. I think Daddy needed to know that for sure before he could talk about it.”
I put my sandwich down and give Grandma all of my attention.
“Daddy told us on that Thursday afternoon, Momma had surprised him with a basketful of goodies for his lunch and invited him to Gator Lake for a picnic.”
I put up a hand. “Wait a minute, Grandma. That’s not what the eulogy said. I remember something about her swimming alone.”
Grandma’s eyebrows rise. “That’s what we all thought until Daddy told us what really happened.”
I scoot up closer to the table as Grandma continues.
“Gator Lake was their favorite place, and it wasn’t too far from Daddy’s job at the gas station. According to Daddy, they went, ate, and had a wonderful time. Momma loved to swim, and she decided to take a dip. Daddy chose to eat another sandwich, watched Momma swim, and told her how great a swimmer she was. He said she played jokes on him by going under the water and staying a long time before coming back up. He asked her to stop because it scared him. She just laughed.”
I interrupt. “That would probably scare me, too.”
Grandma nods. “As she was swimming so beautifully across the lake, she grabbed at her right thigh and completely stopped kicking in the water. Daddy thought she was playing around and laughed at her. He even told her he had to get back to work, so she needed to get out of the water. She didn’t answer him. Instead, she went under and didn’t come back up.”
I put my hand over my mouth. “Grandma . . .”
She closes her eyes. “I know, Baby Girl, but you need to know. Daddy waited, thinking she was playing again, but after a time he rushed into the lake, found her body, and pulled her out. He didn’t know CPR, and back then, there weren’t any cell phones. So he had to run back to the gas station for help. But it was too late.”
That’s nothing like I imagined. And I’m feeling bad about asking, because now I’ve lost my appetite, my heart hurts, and my eyes are tearing faster than I can wipe them.
“I’m sorry, Grandma.”
“I am, too. I couldn’t have been any older than eight or nine. Even though your great-great-grandma didn’t like my daddy, after he told her what really happened, she tried to help him deal with his grief. But he just couldn’t stand staying around. He said I looked just like Momma, and he missed her horribly. Eventually he moved away. I got letters and birthday cards from him from all over the country. He never settled down for any period of time. He died seven years ago next month.”
I take a long drink of iced tea. “I feel so bad for everybody, especially your dad.”
Grandma agrees. “That’s why the memories are so important to me.”
Eventually my appetite comes back. Grandma and I sit quietly for a long while, eating our lunch, but the silence is too loud.
“Grandma, do you know what you’re going to write in the ledger? I mean, you were a loan officer at a bank, right?”
“For a year or two.”
“Did you like it?”
“Hated it.”
I’ve got a mouth full of turkey sandwich. “Did you get fired?”
“Nope. Actually they begged me to stay.”
Silence.
I’m not sure if I should ask the big question or not. It’s right there on the tip of my tongue, right next to my last forkful of fruit. I push a few grapes around my plate and take a chance.
“What made you quit?”
“I got pregnant. I wanted a baby, and your grandfather and I had been praying for a child. Once I found out I was pregnant, I then prayed that it would be a girl, you know, to carry on the Line.”
I take another bite of my sandwich. “Well, I guess that prayer got answered.”
Grandma giggles. “Yes, it did. Once your mother was born, I made a decision that I wanted to be home with her, shower her with love, teach her, and help her understand good choices from bad ones.”
I’m gulping my iced tea, hurting for Grandma that she threw away her opportunity to do something fantastic like the other Lauras.
“Do you ever regret not having some awesome career?”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, but I did have an awesome career! Raising a child is the biggest career any parent could ever have. I put your mother’s birth certificate in the ledger behind my name. Do you know why?”
I shake my head, anxious to hear her answer.
“Because she is my greatest accomplishment. I’m so proud of her. And I’m not the first Laura to make motherhood a career. When Laura Ann and her husband moved to Texas, she became a full-time mom and raised Laura Jean right here on the farm.”
I take another bite of my sandwich while I think about what Grandma just said. Sage’s mother is a stay-at-home mom. Maybe she feels the same way. I just never thought of motherhood as a career. Grandma’s talking to me about the pastor’s sermon, but my mind is still on the shack. I accidentally interrupt her.
“I don’t know if my classmates will understand the shack, Grandma. I mean, it’s so much more than a slave shack. Do you realize every Laura in our Line has been in the shack, doing something? I’ve walked where they walked and stood where they stood.”
Grandma nods as she smiles. “Isn’t that a terrific feeling?”
I sigh. “It is, but I’m worried that when I get older, I won’t be as good a Laura as the others. I don’t want to be the worst Laura ever.”
Grandma’s face turns serious. “Baby Girl, you’re going to do great things.”
I shake my head. “But what if I fail? What if I get fired from my job? What if . . .”
She comes around the table and holds me close. “Then you’ll fit right in with the rest of us. The ledger is full of failures as well as successes. If you study the ledger, you’ll begin to s
ee our legacy. Each of us fell down at some point in our lives. But we always got back up. As long as you get up more times than you fall down, you’ll be a winner.”
It’s going to be easier than I ever thought possible telling Mrs. Jacobs she was right. That’s because I’m more excited about the shack than any of the Lauras in the Line could ever be. And when my classmates come to the shack to check everything out, I’ll stand there and watch them sneak looks at me and maybe even be jealous. But just when they think they’ve seen it all, I’ll have them back away from the wall and introduce them to the bravest teenager ever.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maybe Troy will sit near me on the bus this morning and I’ll tell him about my weekend. He’d be the only person in the whole school who might understand. And just knowing that he likes the Lauras and the shack makes a big difference.
When Troy gets on the bus, I smile as he walks my way.
“Hey, Troy.”
“Hey.”
He walks by me, and I turn around in my seat.
“Guess what I did this weekend.”
He doesn’t answer, and I take that as a no-guess.
“I finished the ledger, you know, inside the shack.”
“Good for you.”
The bus stops to pick up more students, but I keep talking to him.
“Yeah, it was good for me. Almost like a soap opera. I mean, Laura Elaine is a really cool Laura, but I think my favorite is . . .”
Troy looks around the bus at everyone staring at us, then hollers at me.
“Whatever, like I care!”
What the what? Did he just go off on me in front of all these people? Giggles and chuckles fill the bus as all eyes zoom in on me. I turn around and face the front, mouthing what I really want to say to Troy but don’t because the words will get me kicked off the bus. Maybe he’s not a morning person. Maybe he didn’t have a good weekend. All I know is this rude dog attitude is getting old and I’m not going to put up with it much longer.
I’m so mad at him that it takes me a minute to realize that Sunny got on but Sage didn’t. I wonder if she’s okay. She didn’t call me this weekend. I check my cell for missed calls. There’s three. All from Sage. Oh, no.
I can’t call her now because if the bus driver catches me using my cell, he’s allowed to take it away and give it to the principal. Dang it.
Is she sick? Maybe she just wanted to talk. I could have told her about Laura Elaine.
Double dang it!
I can’t even think of a good reason why I didn’t check my cell. If something bad happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself. What was I thinking? Maybe that’s the problem. I didn’t think of her at all this weekend. In my mind, the arrow on my Sage’s-best-friend meter is pointing to THOUGHTLESS.
I get off the bus and dart to Sage’s locker. I’m surprised but happy to see her standing there, even though she’s surrounded by Pink Chips.
“Sage?”
She turns to me and I freeze. Her bangs are hot pink! Other students pass her, staring and pointing. She waves and they keep walking. Some chuckle, while others shake their heads. But Sage seems delighted with her new look.
“Laura, there you are.” She rushes to me and the Pink Chips follow her.
“Where were you this weekend? I tried to call you, like, a thousand times.”
I shrug, because it’s too early in the morning to have all that Pink in my face. Plus I can’t seem to come up with a good excuse. “My phone was off and I didn’t realize it. Sorry.”
Sunny smirks. “Who doesn’t check their cell after an hour of no calls or texts?”
Sage touches her bangs. “So what do you think?”
I can’t tell her what I think. It could ruin our friendship, especially since I haven’t been much of a best friend lately.
“It’s a very pretty shade of pink.”
She nods. “I got it done for my initiation today. Wait until you see my new outfit.”
My eyebrows scrunch. “What initiation?”
The smile slides from Sage’s face. Sunny rolls her eyes. London and Amanda jam their hands onto their hips and glare at my face. Sage steps closer to me.
“Today’s my initiation, remember? In the shack.”
Sweet Father of Forgotten Promises.
Sage sighs so hard that I know tears are next.
“Come on, Laura, don’t do this to me. You promised.”
I grab my head. “I’ve got so many things on my mind, Sage.” I fake a smile, just to keep her calm. “Of course I didn’t forget your big day. Let’s work out the final details at lunch today.”
I turn to Sunny and lose the smile. “Make it your business to find us. If you don’t, the initiation and the real reason you’re doing this are off.”
Sunny flashes a smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Laura.”
“That’s probably true, since your brain is small enough to stuff in a mosquito’s ear and still have room for luggage.”
Sage covers her mouth.
Sunny frowns. “We’ll be at your pathetic lunch table today, and you better have the information I need to get the initiation done.” She turns to Amanda and London.
“Leaving.”
Sunny leads her girls down the center of the hallway. Even though it’s crowded, students move to the sides to give the Royal Pink Chips their space. I watch them until they round the corner. A quick turn causes me to bump into Sage. She’s staring at me.
“Oops! Sorry, Sage. I thought you’d left, too.”
“What’s going on, Laura? Have you found a new best friend? Just tell me.”
“Huh? No!”
“Are you angry with me about something? Did I say something to hurt your feelings? Because if I did, I’m sorry.”
“No, Sage, it’s nothing like that. Look, I said I’ll do it. Let’s talk about it at lunch.”
“You’re not happy for me, are you?”
I hug her. “That’s not it. I . . . I just don’t feel comfortable about this! We’ll talk, okay? Don’t be mad at me. See you at lunch.”
If I could pick a day to stay in bed, this would’ve been the day I chose. It started off horribly with Troy talking rude to me on the bus. Then I realized I missed three calls from Sage, and after seeing her pink bangs I bet one of those calls was for my opinion. But the worst brain drain has to be the initiation.
Last week, when Mrs. Jacobs announced the field trip, I wanted it canceled. Just thinking about my classmates climbing the steps to go inside that house of pain gave me ill-chills. But now I’m ready to give private tours, one classmate at a time if I could, just to make sure they understand that success runs in my blood and they can’t hold me down.
The shack’s not meant for stuff like initiations. That’s just wrong.
Later, as I move through the cafeteria line, I grab my sorry salad with the weak dressing and a bottled water. Sage waves from across the room. I make my way to her table and take a seat. As usual, we’ve got the same horrible lunch.
“Okay, I’m all ears, Laura. Tell me what we have to do besides be careful. What else?”
I’m looking around the cafeteria when I see the Pink Chips heading our way.
Sunny grabs a chair and sits without being invited. “We’re here. So what’s the deal?”
I lean forward and talk softly. “What are you going to make Sage do inside the shack?”
Sunny crosses her arms. “Her initiation is none of your business.”
I don’t back down. “I’m making it my business. Either fork over the plan or you can find another place for your initiation. And I know how badly you want to get into the shack.”
Our eyes lock until Sunny caves. “She has to bring gifts. If we accept them, she’s in.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. But I have to be in the shack during the initiation.”
Sunny goes off. “No way! You’re not a member, and this is private. Sage has to recite the secret Pink Chip motto. You can’t be
around for that.”
Sage’s eyes plead with me. I think of all the times she’s helped me with stuff. I’ve got to figure out a way to make this work for her. So I lock in on Sunny again.
“Okay, here’s how it’s gonna go. You show up at five o’clock. You get thirty minutes. I’ll be there for the initiation and I’ll leave when Sage recites the motto. That’s my final offer.”
Sunny steps away from the table and huddles with London and Amanda while Sage stares at them. After an eternity, they come back and Sunny steps forward.
“We’ll be there at five.”
Sage grins at Sunny. “I won’t be late. You’re going to love my gifts.”
Sunny returns a half grin. “Whatever.”
But when she looks my way, her grin disappears. She stands, leans toward me, and whispers.
“No backing out, Fat Larda. If it’s a real slave shack, the whole school is going to hear about it. Or I’ll find out everything I need to know about that so-called storage shed.”
I stab another piece of lettuce and point it at her.
“You don’t have a clue about what you’re going to see.”
She jams her her hands on her hips. “Yes, I do. I know there’s a bunch of embarrassing slavery stuff in there that you don’t want anybody to see.”
I scoot back and stand toe-to-toe with her, then drop the biggest fact she’ll learn all day.
“You don’t know doodly-squat.” I turn to London and Amanda and mock Sunny:
“Leaving.”
I grab my tray and walk away. Sunny yells at me. “You’re done, Fat Larda!”
She passes me with London and Amanda following her. I stroll back to the table and take my seat across from Sage. But when I look at her, I realize this isn’t close to being over. She’s wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse.
“I can’t believe this is finally going to happen. We’ve been treated like trash for so long. Maybe we won’t have to use that smelly bathroom that nobody else uses anymore. And maybe we won’t have to walk against the wall when we change classes. We’ll get respect!”
Sage wipes her face with her napkin. “Things are about to change for us, Laura. I don’t care what they’re going to make me do for initiation. I’m going to do it, for you, me, and anybody else who gets picked on for things they can’t help. Once I become a Pink Chip, I’ll stop all that ugly stuff Sunny does. And I think London will side with me.”
The Laura Line Page 14