فصل 42

CHAPTER 42

The Gifts of No Excuses, Scotch Tape, and Antibiotics

Mr. Daniels calls me up to his desk. Here. I have something for you.

I’m excited. Until I see it’s a book. Not like I hate them like I used to. But they still scare me.

I stare at it. Hoping he just wants to book talk it. Not actually read it.

I’d like you to read this.

I open my mouth to speak, my mind already rolling out multiple excuses.

He puts his hand up. Listen, Ally. I know it won’t be easy. I know it will take time. But the thing is . . .

My excuses become harder to say.

I think you can read this one. And I want you to try.

I reach out and take the book, which has a picture of a kid holding a goldfish bowl.

I flip through the pages. The book isn’t long, as far as chapter books go. That’s a relief.

I look up at him and hold his gaze. Normally, I’d be giving him all kinds of reasons I can’t do this. But the thing is, Mr. Daniels could hand me a book as heavy as a boulder and I’d try to read it.

Just because he asked me to.

• • •

Okay, we are going to begin a unit on persuasive writing, Mr. Daniels says. So I’d like you to tell me, if you could have an unlimited amount of any single object, what would it be? It can’t be magical, have special powers, or anything like that. Just an ordinary, everyday type of object.

Well, obviously—Shay speaks slowly, like she’s talking to a little kid—wouldn’t everyone just choose money?

Albert looks confused. Not something I see too often. The first thing I thought of was antibiotics.

Really? Mr. Daniels steps forward, putting his hands in his pockets.

There are many who can’t afford medications, so I would like to give them out to people who need them. All over the world. Then he seems to be thinking out loud. I wonder if antibiotics would help or hurt alien life-forms?

Well, Shay sputters, if you had an unlimited amount of money, you could buy the medicine, right? I catch her rolling her eyes at Jessica.

He shrugs. I’d rather just have the medicine.

Scotch tape! Oliver yells. I’d want Scotch tape!

Most of us laugh along with him. And why is that, Oliver? Mr. Daniels asks.

Because it’s awesome, that’s why. People don’t think how tough life would be without Scotch tape.

Mr. Daniels nods. You may have a point there, Oliver!

Or Elmer’s glue. I love Elmer’s glue. If I had barrels of it stored up in the garage, I could cover my hands with it every day. And then peel it off. I love doing that. And it grosses out my mom. I tell her it’s skin.

Shay makes a noise.

What? Oliver asks her.

That’s ridiculous, she says.

What’s ridiculous? he asks.

The opinions of others are to be respected, Mr. Daniels says, but Shay and Oliver talk right over him.

Wanting tape and glue, Shay says.

No it isn’t, because I would also use them with paper to make notes for my little sister. They make her feel better.

Make her feel better? Mr. Daniels seems concerned. Is she ill?

Oh, not anymore. But she had something that was called . . . well . . . it was long. It had five syllables and she had to go to the hospital a lot to sleep over. And when she’d go, I’d visit her and bring cards. And they made her happy. My mom says I was the one who helped her get better.

I see. Well, Oliver, you get huge creativity points today. Mr. Daniels musses his hair. You’re one of a kind, you know that, Oliver?

Suki raises her hand. Grandfather says everyone is unique. Special. Unlike all others. That makes us each great.

I like that, Suki! Mr. Daniels says. And you are indeed great!

She remains seated but bows a bit. Thank you, sir.

Mr. Daniels bows back and then stands up straight. In fact, you’re all great, my fantastic Fantasticos!

Albert raises his hand and Mr. Daniels nods toward him. Excuse me, but just because something is unique, that doesn’t mean it’s good. After all, E. coli, a dangerous bacteria, is unlike all others.

Point taken, Albert, but I do like that people are all different. What if we all looked the same, thought the same, had the same beliefs?

That sounds boring, Keisha says.

Indeed it does, he says.

I think that I wouldn’t mind being more like everyone else. But then I think . . . I wouldn’t want to draw like everyone else. And I wouldn’t want to act like Shay. Or Jessica.

All of a sudden, there is screaming. It is Oliver. Ant murderer! Ant murderer!

What is it, Oliver? Mr. Daniels asks.

He points at Shay. Ant murderer!

All I did was step on a dumb ant. What is he so freaked out about?

You had no right to kill him. He was just walking by.

You think it was a him? It’s just a dumb ant. Who cares?

I care, Oliver says, getting down on all fours with a tissue to check on the ant, which is clearly dead. He cleans it up with a tissue and slips it into his pocket.

You’re going to keep it? she sputters.

Well, I’m not going to just throw him in the garbage. I’ll bury him at home.

She begins to laugh.

Shay, Mr. Daniels says. There will be none of that.

She stops.

We are all different. You care about some things and Oliver cares about others. We have to work to accept each other. Even though we may not agree.

Yeah! Oliver yells.

And Oliver, Mr. Daniels says, I think you have to cut Shay a break here. It’s pretty common for people to step on ants.

So?

Oliver? he asks, and waits.

Oliver turns to Shay and mumbles, Sorry. And climbs back into his seat.

Thank you, Oliver. Mr. Daniels wanders over to Oliver’s desk. I’m glad you apologized. Now that you have—he leans over and rests his hands on his knees—I’d like to add that you have one of the kindest hearts I know. You care so much about everything. Always looking out for others. And that, my fine young fellow, is going to make for a great man someday.