Middle of Everywhere - Mary Bray Pipher [68]
Khoa drew a picture of surfers and bragged that he had surfed in Vietnam. Abdul worried that somebody in the class might drown in the summer. Grace changed the subject and told them she would bring some seashells to school tomorrow. Abdul whispered to himself, "I'll take them from her. I'll steal those seashells."
I realized he was trying to tell me he was upset I was leaving. I hugged him and said, "Don't worry. I will see you again, Abdul."
Grace handed out papers with seashells on them. The kids were to count and color them and sort them by kind. Most of the kids liked sorting and classifying. We graphed the seashells. I helped Pavel, who had some trouble getting organized. I told him I hoped he could go fishing this summer.
Deena carefully put a sticker tattoo of an American flag on my arm. She used her own spit to wet it and pressed it warmly against my skin. When Fatima whined, "Why can't you come tomorrow?" I regretfully announced my last day.
Grace picked up on the anxiety and sadness and suggested singing some songs. We started with, "On the first day of summer my true love gave to me a robin in a maple tree," and sang on through two ducks, three bees a buzzing, four watermelons and more. I watched each face as Grace led them in song. Most of the feces were so open and sincere that it broke my heart.
Deena belted out the words. Trinh was quiet, but she smiled at me twice. She seemed less wooden today, more comfortable with herself and with the other kids. Mai was better, too. She no longer scratched herself, and she talked more positively about her stepmother and baby brother. She was reaching out for love, and her family and Amy were reaching back. Khoa was still mouthy and unkempt, but he had learned English. Since he started in the behavior-disordered class, he was less impulsive and more subdued. Eventually Khoa would fit into the school system better, but I'd miss the Curious George of our group.
I wanted to believe that all was not lost with Abdul, that given enough time and love, someone could connect with him and he could be a mainstream student and a healthy person. Mr. Trvdy and I had made some progress. Maybe together, next year, we could love him into relationships with us and with other Americans.
Ly had blossomed. She had a big smile and her hand was always up with answers. She was wise, loving, and confident—a Willa Cather heroine. It speaks well for our species that we can produce a Ly now and then.
Walat had come to us strong and he was leaving strong. I had great respect for his inner strength. He also had an intact family and parents who were rapidly becoming bicultural. Pavel was struggling with his academics, but he was happy socially. His parents were loving but not particularly sensible. I wished they had a good cultural broker.
Deena was that strange mix of strong and vulnerable that kids sometimes are. She had healed herself by healing others. Ignazio was no mental giant, but his English was improving. If only his parents could be home evenings.
To say good-bye, Mai gave me a shy wave. Ignazio handed me a root-beer lollipop. Abdul didn't hug me, but he stood almost on top of me. I hugged him and said, "I will miss you, Abdul."
Fatima said, "I will miss you, Miss Mary."
Mai said, "You promised to come back."
Deena's tattoo stayed on my arm all day. It was hard to scrub off in the bath. Even the next day I could see its shadow on my skin. Whenever I looked at it, my heart ached.
Chapter 6
TEENAGERS-MOHAMMED MEETS MADONNA
LIEM
"My parents have two rules for me: No trouble and all A's."
Liem's dad had been a prisoner of war in Vietnam. During the day he'd been given Sisyphean labors; he was forced to build houses, then forced to tear them down. He'd performed both jobs diligently or he would