Sabrina the Schemer

by Karen Rispin

  A high voice yelled something. I looked up. A small red-spotted cow was running across the field toward me. She was dragging a bat-sized stick on the end of a long rope. Obviously the cow had been tied to the post to graze; then she'd pulled it out. Two girls and a boy were chasing her. Their black legs flashed as they ran.

  "Stop her!" the bigger girl yelled.

  I ran and grabbed the stick the cow was dragging.

  There was a telephone pole right near, so I started to pull the rope and stick around it. That would stop the cow for sure, I thought. The only trouble was the cow hit the end of the rope before I had it wrapped around all the way. That rope unwound and flung the heavy stick out. Bam! It hit me on the shoulder, knocking me down flat.

  After a second I shook my head and sat up. My shoulder felt numb. The cow and the kids chasing it were way across the field now. Some of the people by the hospital had seen what happened.

  They called out, "Sorry!" in Swahili. Some were laughing. I felt my face get hot. I must have looked pretty silly trying to stop a cow that way. I should have known there wasn't time to wrap the rope around the pole. A waft of heavy sick hospital smell touched me. Rubbing my shoulder, I stood up. Gently I moved my arm, then shrugged. It hurt but I was OK. What a stupid thing to do. No wonder the people laughed.

  A skinny old man wrapped in a blanket was sitting on his heels, waiting his turn. As I went by he watched me with a twinkle in his eyes. I had the feeling that watching me try to catch that cow was the best thing that had happened to him all day. I could hear a baby that kept on crying and crying in a high thin wail. I wished I could make it better. I wished I could make all these people better the way Dr. Bishop could. The people were staring at me. I ducked my head and hurried through the crowd of people into the hospital.

  The hospital smell caught in my throat. An old lady was sleeping in a bed in the hallway. There were other beds in the wide hall, with sick people in them. The rooms were full. The lab door was open, and I stopped to look in.

  Once we'd come to the hospital lab on a field trip. I'd seen this jar full of worms they'd taken out of someone, big gross things like fat spaghetti. Joan had screamed. I'd thought the doctor must have felt good to take that yuck out of someone and make them better. We saw how you could actually look through a microscope at blood from a sick person and see what was making them sick.

  Now I could see an African lady looking into the microscope. I paused, wondering. If I asked, would she let me look? I shook my head. There was no way she'd let me look. I headed on down the hall.

  A few minutes later I was lying back in the dentist's chair. Light in my face made me squint. The dentist's face hovered over me. He had a mole with two hairs growing out of it by the end of his eyebrow. He poked around in my mouth. Twice he bumped my sore shoulder.

  "You've only got one cavity. I'll fill it right now," he said, rubbing something on my gum with a big cold finger. Then I saw him pick up a syringe. I got even stiffer so my feet stuck out straight instead of staying down on the chair. The drill whined in my mouth. It made my bones buzz. I shut my eyes tight and tried to pretend I wasn't there at all. Finally it was over.

  Rubbing at my numb lip, I headed back up the hall.

  Three people were coming down the hall fast. The wheels of the bed cart they were pushing rattled loudly as they came past me. There was a little kid sleeping on the cart. Odd, sock like bandages covered her arms and legs. They opened a door and went into a room right beside me. I stopped to watch. What had happened to that little kid?

  The three people all wore those baggy green outfits from the operating room. One of them suddenly looked up at me. She said something to the others and came toward me. I spun to leave before I could get yelled at.

  "Wait," she said.

  I stopped with my head down, expecting to be scolded. Instead she said, "Excuse me. You don't by any chance know Sabrina Oats?"

  "Um, yes," I stammered.

  She nodded. "I thought you looked about her age. I'm Dr. Oats, Sabrina's mother. I'm not going to get time to see Sabrina like I'd hoped…"

  She kept on talking, but I wasn't listening. I stared at her. She was tall and blonde like Sabrina. Her eyes looked tired. There was a stethoscope around her neck. Sabrina's mother was a doctor? I shook myself. She was holding something out to me in a strong, long-fingered hand.

  "Could you give this to Sabrina since I won't be seeing her?"

  "How come?" I blurted without thinking. I couldn't imagine my mom and daddy coming to the station and not visiting me! She didn't answer for a second. Her eyes looked sad. I felt my face get hot.

  "Um, did you bring chow?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

  "No, I didn't have time to bake. I had to come in with a bad burn victim. A three-year-old girl who fell into the supper fire."

  Suddenly I remembered the baby crying and crying. I blurted, "Is she going to die? Can you make her OK?"

  She smiled. "Only God knows for sure, but she has a much better chance now that we've managed to keep her stable and get her to the better facilities here.

  Anyway, I've got to fly back right away. Sabrina's dad is out on medical safari, and I'm needed at our little hospital."

  "Is Sabrina's dad a doctor, too?" I asked.

  She nodded but kept talking. "The pilot can't wait since he has another stop to make before dark." She held the envelope out again and said, "You'll give this to Sabrina for me, won't you?"

  I nodded numbly and took the envelope.

  She said thanks and headed down the hall at a quick walk. Suddenly she spun and called back to me, "Tell Sabrina I love her."

  I nodded again and watched her disappear through a door at the end of the hall. Sabrina's mom had come on a plane, keeping that baby alive. Maybe someday I could do what she did. Maybe I could help people and make them better.

  I looked down at the envelope in my hand and bit my lip. What would Sabrina say? She'd find out I'd seen her mother and she hadn't.

  Partway up the long hill, I stopped to get my breath. It was still and stuffy under the black wattle trees. I looked at the envelope again. Maybe I should just pitch it. If I gave it to Sabrina she'd probably just yell at me. I frowned. She'd done enough rotten things to me. My fingers let the envelope slip. It lay looking very white against the red dirt.

  I stood there staring at it. "It wouldn't make Sabrina happy anyway," I muttered furiously. I rubbed my shoulder where it got hit. It ached now. I frowned and kicked dust at the envelope so it wouldn't show up so white against the ground. Sabrina wanted chow, and that envelope wasn't chow. She wanted her mom to pay attention to her, and if I gave her this, she'd know her mom was on station and didn't even come see her.

  I squirmed. I had nodded when Sabrina's mom asked me to take it to Sabrina. I'd even nodded when she asked me to tell Sabrina she loved her. It would be like lying if I didn't do it. I remembered again how Pastor Isaac and Mr. Jackson said we're supposed to do what God wants and then trust him to take care of us.

  I sighed, picked up the envelope, and dusted it off. Slowly I walked up the hill. Part of me felt like praying and asking God for help, but part of me didn't.

  I frowned. I'd give Sabrina the envelope, but no way was I going to try to stand up for her. Last time I tried she threw her popcorn bowl at me. Then she got mad at me when it broke.

  "Now did the Prodigal Son act wisely?" Miss Garrett was saying as I slid back into my seat in class. She was bent forward and talking as if the kids in the class were five years old.

  "How come Ma Garrett is here?" I whispered to Lisa.

  "Mr. George had a meeting so she's subbing," Lisa whispered back, making a face.

  "Now girls, if you have something to say, I'm sure we'd all like to hear it," Miss Garrett said, looking straight at us. "Anika, would you like to stand up and tell the class what you and Lisa were discussing?"

  I shook my head. Miss Garrett's voice went on, "Then please don't talk in class. It's especially imp
ortant to be quiet and listen during Bible class. The Bible is God's Word and should be respected."

  She turned back to her desk. I looked at Lisa and rolled my eyes. Lisa quirked her mouth in a disgusted way. It wasn't that we didn't believe in the Bible. It was just the way Ma Garrett said things.

  "Anika, you've missed most of Bible class," Miss Garrett said. "We're discussing Luke 15:11-24. Read it silently and quickly so you can join in the discussion."

  I sighed and dug my Bible out. It was the story of the Prodigal Son. You know, it's the one about that teenager who took his share of what his dad owned. Then he partied until the money was gone. He did some really stupid stuff. When the money ran out his friends dumped him, and he ended up practically starving. After all that, his dad took him back.

  I finished reading and looked ahead blankly. So what? I thought. I know this story. I already know God keeps on loving us even if we do stupid things.

  Suddenly Miss Garrett's shrill voice cut into my thoughts. "Jesus said, 'Love one another as I have loved you.' Think about the story we've just read. Kristi, can you tell us what kind of love he expects us to show each other?"

  We're supposed to act like the dad in the story! I thought. That surprised me so much I didn't even hear Kristi's answer. I mean, I knew before that Jesus loved us no matter what. But I never thought about me acting like that myself. That meant I should keep on being nice to Sabrina no matter what she did back. I frowned. That wasn't fair!

  Lisa poked me. Suddenly I realized everybody in the class was looking at me.

  "Well, Anika?" Miss Garrett said.

  "She asked you what the Prodigal Son felt like when—," Lisa whispered.

  Miss Garrett interrupted her and said, "If Anika is with us now, I'll repeat the question."

  I blurted out some sort of answer. The rest of the afternoon dragged on. I had to get the envelope to Sabrina somehow. My stomach hurt. It wasn't fair for God to keep on wanting me to be nice to Sabrina.

  Especially when I tried before and it didn't work. After a while I had an idea. I'd let Kristi give Sabrina the envelope when I wasn't there.

  At the end of the class Miss Garrett prayed. It was the longest prayer ever. She went on and on, then finally ended up praying about the election. Finally she finished and said, "You're dismissed."

  Everybody jumped to their feet, grabbing books and slamming desks.

  "Kristi!" I called, twisting through the kids toward her. "Kristi, could you —ow!" I said as somebody bumped my shoulder.

  "Could I ow?" Kristi asked, laughing.

  "Kristi!" Joan said. "You're supposed to be listening to my verse! Let me finish it, OK?"

  There was this sort of contest. People who said the most verses got a Bible and stuff. You could say them right after school. Joan probably had the most verses of anybody already.

  Joan started right in reciting in a high monotone, "… what you learned and received from me. Do what I told you and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you."

  The words do what I told you hit me right in the face. It was like Jesus said them right to me. I ran. I didn't stop running until I was almost back at the dorm. It really wasn't fair. Even people's memory verses nagged me to be nice to Sabrina. Do what I told you and what you saw me do echoed in my head. I couldn't get away from it. I sat on a rock by the path and stared at that envelope.

  "OK, God, I'll try again," I said. "She'll yell at me anyway though."

  Footsteps made me jerk my head up. Sabrina was standing there looking at me. She ducked her head and started walking again when I looked at her. I swallowed hard. It was now or never.

  "Sabrina!" I called. She started to run. I got up and ran after her. "Hey, wait. I've got a letter from your mother for you."

  Sabrina stopped and whirled toward me.

  "Give me that! Thief!" she said, grabbing for the envelope. Without thinking, I jerked it back away from her. She lunged again, banging my sore arm. Sucking in air, I dropped the envelope.

  She grabbed it and hunched over the envelope the way a dog guards a bone.

  For a second I wanted to scream and hit her. My arm hurt! Then I swallowed and took a deep breath. I took another one and thought, Thanks, God. This time he'd helped me not to wreck things with my temper.

  "I didn't steal it, Sabrina," I said to Sabrina's back after a second. "I saw your mom at the hospital when I went down to the dentist."

  She spun on me. "You saw my mom?"

  I nodded and said, "She brought in this little kid who got burned. She said she had to go back right away. Something about the pilot flying in the dark…"

  Sabrina was staring at me really weird with sad and angry eyes. It felt so odd I quit talking. She gave me this trapped look and ran. Looking at her dodge and jump down the rough path I suddenly realized I'd forgotten one thing.

  "She said to tell you she loves you!" I yelled at the top of my voice. Sabrina didn't even pause.

  I let out a big breath and felt better inside. Suddenly the last part of the verse Joan had been saying came into my head. It said, "And the God who gives peace will be with you."

  The verse was right. I felt more peaceful now.

  Kristi, Joan, and a bunch of other kids came down the hill just then. Lisa was with them, too. I started walking with them.

  "How come you took off like that?" Kristi demanded.

  My face got hot. I shrugged and said, "I felt like it."

  "Boy, are you ever weird, Anika," Joan said.

  Lisa demanded, "How come you didn't wait for—"

  "Hey, you guys, look!" Kristi interrupted.

  There was a big note on the dorm door. We all stood there looking at it. It said that all of us were to be at the Jacksons' at five o'clock.

  | Go to Table of Contents |

  Chapter Ten

  "Another lecture from Pa Jackson," Kristi said and sighed. "I wonder what it's about this time."

  "Maybe he's going to talk to us about the election tomorrow," Joan said.

  Lisa rolled her eyes and said, "Don't get going about politics again."

  When we walked in the Jacksons' door, I stopped dead. Kristi bumped into my sore shoulder, then yelled, "All right!" I cringed, but kept staring. The whole room was full of balloons. There was a huge birthday cake on the table.

  "Don't stand there in the doorway gaping like a school of fish," Mr. Jackson said, laughing. "Come on in. Welcome to the unbirthday party."

  "Since we couldn't give you each a birthday party, we thought it would be fun to have an unbirthday party for everyone," Mrs. Jackson said.

  Joan gave a high giggle and said, "Kristi thought it was going to be a lecture. This is way better."

  It was, too. The Jacksons had even gotten permission for us to eat supper with them instead of at the dining hall. We played silly games like pin the tail on the donkey. We laughed and laughed.

  "I bet the Jacksons did this so we wouldn't worry about fighting during election," Amy said to me. We were in the yard playing blind man's buff. Joan had the blindfold on. She kept falling down on purpose. "Especially so Muthoni and Kristi wouldn't worry."

  I blinked in surprise and looked for Muthoni. She was dancing just out of Joan's reach. "Well, if he did it's work—," I started to say. Then Joan lunged in our direction. I dodged away.

  "Supper!" Mrs. Jackson yelled, and we poured into their place.

  "Hey, where's Sabrina?" Kristi asked with her mouth full of hot dog.

  Lisa looked around the room, shrugged, and said, "Who cares?"

  I stood up to see better and asked, "Did she come at all?"

  "Mrs. Jackson!" Joan called. "Sabrina isn't here."

  "Mrs. Jackson looked around the room and said, "I'll go find her. She hasn't been looking very happy lately." She went out, leaving the door open behind her.

  A few seconds later Muthoni suddenly said, "Shhh! Listen!"

  "… not coming to your stupid party!" Sabrina's voice came clearly down the hall
. "You've got that thief Anika Scott in there. You haven't punished her for stealing or anything. She has a rotten illegitimate brother and she's a thief and everybody is on her side."

  It was dead quiet in the room now, so we could even hear Mrs. Jackson. "Sabrina, you're just making yourself miserable. You've been horrible to Anika since the beginning of term. Your anger is eating you. Come on. I made this party because I want all my dorm kids to be happy. I want you to be happy too, Sabrina."

  "No!" Sabrina screamed, half crying. "I hate you!"

  "If that's how you want it," Mrs. Jackson answered. "You stay on your bed until devotions tonight. Sin always makes the sinner miserable. Think about it and give it to God. He loves you."

  Mrs. Jackson came back in and got us to play charades after supper. Still, the party seemed different. Mr. Jackson had to leave for a meeting halfway through. Lisa and I were trying to make the other kids guess Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. I was the Tar Baby. Lisa slugged me on my sore shoulder. Wow, that hurt! I lost my balance and sat down, holding my shoulder.

  Lisa stopped and stared at me, then blurted, "You're crying!"

  I shook my head, fighting back the tears. Mrs. Jackson made me show her my arm. She felt it and made me move it around. I had to tell how I did it. One good thing is that I tried to tell it so it was funny. It worked. Everybody laughed.

  "Well, it's not broken, but you've got quite a bruise," Mrs. Jackson said.

  "You should have jumped in front of the cow and waved your arms," Joan said. "Then she would have turned back."

  "Or run over you!" Kristi said, laughing.

  When we went back into our room, Lisa stopped just inside the door. She stuck her hands on her hips and taunted, "Hey, Sabrina, how come you're on your bed? It isn't bedtime."

  I cringed and hurried to get my toothbrush and get out of there. I didn't want to argue with Lisa, but I didn't want to listen to her picking on Sabrina either. I wasn't quick enough. Sabrina stood up on her bed and said, "Look who's talking. The thief's friend. I bet you just want to share the money she steals."