Akeelah and the Bee - James W. Ellison [50]
The bell sounded and Akeelah gasped. Mrs. Mendez put her hands to her mouth.
“The correct spelling,” said the Pronouncer, “is M-e-r -o-v-i-n-g-i-a-n.”
Javier gave the audience a showman’s bow, deep and with a sweep of the hand. The audience laughed and applauded one of their favorite contestants. As Javier left the stage, he turned to Akeelah.
“I forgot to spell how it sounds. The very thing I told you never to do, and then I go and do it. But hey—thirteenth last year, no worse than fifth this year—next time I take it all! Now it’s your turn. I’m depending on you.”
Akeelah smiled and her eyes followed Javier as he shuffled off the stage.
Now Mary Calveretti, a brunette with a thick Southern accent, minced up to the mike and offered a subtle curtsy as she smiled out at the audience.
“‘Mithridatism,’” said the Pronouncer.
You could see her face fall as her mind grappled with the word’s various possibilities.
“Could you give me the meanin’?”
“Tolerance for a poison by taking ever larger doses.”
“M-i-t-h-r-o-d-a-t-i-s-m. ‘Mithridatism.’”
The bell went ding! and the girl slouched offstage, her eyes glued to the floor.
Dylan was up next and made short work of “resipiscence.” He shot a quick glance at Akeelah as he returned to his seat. She saw something in his eyes she hadn’t seen before—something speculative and thoughtful. She wondered if it was respect.
Rajeev Subramonian approached the mike, rubbing his hands nervously. With a slight Indian accent, he slowly spelled “vitrophyre,” spelling the last four letters as “f-i-e-r.”
Dylan glanced at Akeelah, one eyebrow raised, as if to say, “Rajeev blew an easy one.”
The Indian boy obviously didn’t agree. “That sucks out loud,” he grumbled as he left the stage.
Finally it was Akeelah’s turn, and the importance of this round did not escape her. If she spelled the word correctly, it would be between her and Dylan.
“The word is ‘serpiginous,’” the Pronouncer said.
“I would like a definition, please.”
“A spreading skin eruption or disease,” said the Pronouncer.
Akeelah nodded and said calmly, “S-e-r-p-i-g-i-n-o-us. ‘Serpiginous.’”
The bell did not ring, and Akeelah returned to her seat. Devon stood up and gave a shrill whistle through his teeth, and the audience clapped much more boisterously than for Dylan. She was clearly the audience favorite. She sat down and closed her eyes. I’m here, she thought. I’m knockin’ on the door. Don’t lose your cool, girl. Just don’t you dare lose your cool.
The Head Judge stood at the mike and said, “As we’re down to our final two spellers, we’re going to take a small break before Ms. Anderson and Mr. Watanabe commence with the championship-level words. We will resume in fifteen minutes.”
Akeelah raced to the bathroom and dashed cold water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled proudly at her image. “Daddy, how’m I doin’?” She pursed her lips in a kiss and then turned and left.
Outside the door she heard voices raised and she recognized the loud angry ranting of Mr. Watanabe coming from the men’s room.
“This is your last spelling bee, Dylan. Just remember one thing. You let that girl win and you’re second place your whole life. But there’s no way we are going to allow that to happen, is there? You hear me? Look at me when I’m speaking to you. We didn’t work this hard for this long for second place. No way, do you understand me?”
The harshness in his tone made Akeelah flinch.
“You listening in on conversations?”
Akeelah turned with a start and saw Dr. Larabee standing there.
Trying to grin she said, “I’m wishing Dylan good luck. I mean mentally. His dad gives him a real rough time.”
“He’s a typical stage parent. They invest their lives in their children and it becomes a disease.” He paused and then reached for her hand. “You’ve done a superb job. I’m very proud of you, Akeelah.”
“Thank you.” She felt a blush on her cheeks but fought to keep her cool. They started walking back to the ballroom together.
“This is the ninth inning now,” Dr. Larabee said. “Or maybe extra innings is more apt. You think