Chapter 16
The test-
Saturday came, wonderful Saturday when all the Sanibels left for soccer games. I loved Saturdays; however, I was bummed to learn the season ended that day. In the future, when was I going to take my full shower and get the peace and quiet I only got when everyone was gone?
After my shower, I sat on the bed and thought about what laid ahead of me. The school year was almost over. I really hoped I would do well on ALL the tests so I didn’t have to get stuck in seventh grade again. I was sad school was almost over. What was I going to do all summer long in a house full of Sanibels? The summer looked grim to me. I had really started to like school, making friends. It was my break from home life. The next year I would be going to Box Elder Middle School. I heard it was bigger and had even more kids. The thought made me a little nervous. Maybe I should just redo seventh grade and stay at the smaller school.
Peggy didn’t take me out on the boat. I hadn’t been out all week. My fish supply was exhausted, and I was starving -and besides- I missed our special time together. It felt like there was a divide between us, one only the reservoir could fix.
.Sunday came. Again, I was awakened way too early by London.
“How was your week?” she asked pulling me away from a good dream.
As I stretched and sat up, I decided not to tell her about my week. It had been dreadful. “Not much happened,” I said through my dry, groggy voice. My throat felt so dry. I could smell my own breath, and it was honorific. London took a seat on the four-wheeler and immediately told me about her week. As she rambled on, I wondered if she was there to visit me, or to have someone listen to her. Why did she keep coming to see me? I didn’t say another word until she looked at her watch. “Eek, it’s almost seven. I don’t want to be here when Peggy comes out.” She jumped up, gave me a kiss on my cheek, and then ran out the door. I was tired, so I crawled back into my blankets on the cot. Peggy didn’t come out to get me until 7:15am.
When she did, I wanted to fake like I was sick and stay home, but I didn’t. I was afraid if Peggy thought I was sick, then she wouldn’t take me out on the boat. I am not sure why she insisted I go to her church. It was a good church and all, even though I really didn’t have any other church to make reference to. Everyone there seemed to genuinely believe and care for the things they talked about, but I wasn’t sure I wanted religion in my life. I was learning most of the world seemed to embrace religion in some form or another, and I was sure one day I might as well, but not at that point in my life. I was too overwhelmed trying to decide who Alora Funk was.
Peggy beckoned me into the house. I guess I was glad I didn’t play sick, because later that night, she took me out on the water. It was a fabulous night for catching fish. We caught nine of them. Peggy must have forgotten it was Sunday, because usually she didn’t let us fish on Sunday. It was a good thing we did fish, because Peggy didn’t say much. I think she was still shaken up from the whole Emery experience. At least fishing gave us something to do, plus it resupplied my freezer. I was tired of always being hungry.
Memorial Day came and we went to the cemetery for a flag ceremony, then to the park for a pancake breakfast. After the breakfast, we returned to the cemetery to put flowers on some of Mike’s relative’s graves. I was real tempted to ask him about his heritage, but I noticed how solemn he was. He must have been missing his loved ones.
After the cemetery, we went to the Brigham City Pool for swimming.
…
I awoke Tuesday with what felt like a lump in my stomach, fearful for the tests. What if the answers didn’t come to me this time? Then it would surely look like I had cheated on the last tests. I tried to play sick, but Peggy called my bluff and sent me to school anyways.
Once I was at school, I was taken to the familiar testing room, the one I had started my ACYI school career in. In one of the desks, a secretary sat to keep a watch on me. She had been reading when I came in.
“I have strict instructions to watch you,” she said. “Don’t even think about cheating with me in here.” She warned. “You will be doing five tests. You will have four breaks.”
“I don’t cheat.” I said in defense.
“Sure, that’s what they all say.”
“Does it matter which one I do first?”
“Nope. Don’t cheat,” she said as she opened her book and read.
I grabbed the math test from her desk. I meditated before looking at the first problem. Immediately, the numbers lined up and went through all the steps of the equation. An answer was quickly produced. I smiled, for I still had it. It took very little time to work through the math test. The science test was a breeze. I could remember struggling with the very content a week ago. But now, everything made sense. If there was a science experiment I had to read about, my mind would set it up, then run through the experiments. It was almost like I was there. Even though it was only in my mind, I could determine if the project would be successful or not. I was half way through geology when the bell rang to excuse classes. The secretary told me to take a small break and to return when the bell rang again.
It felt good to stretch and walk around. When the bell rang the second time, I went back to the classroom and continued testing. I worked until the next bell rang. She allowed me another break. Twenty minutes into the third hour of testing, I was done with all five tests.
“Done,” I said,” as I put my pencil down. The secretary looked up from her book.
“Okay, start the next one.” If she was there to watch me, she really had no idea what was going on. I had come and gotten all five tests off her desk. Had she not noticed? I could have opened a text book and cheated right in front of her. She would have been oblivious.
“No, I mean I am done with all the tests.”
The secretary looked at her watch. “There is no way you could be done so quickly.”
“Well, I am.”
“These tests are supposed to last you the whole day. Are you sure you want to give up and not even try and take your time?”
“I got them all right. What more can I do?” I said smartly. I was really tired of the way the school was treating me. I was not a cheater.
“Whatever, it’s your grade. I don’t know what to do with you. I had instructions to stay the whole day in here while you tested. Why don’t you take a nap on your desk or doodle on the tests until school is out?” That sounded like a long, drawn out day. I put my head on my desk and slept. The dismissal bell kept waking me, but I easily drifted back to sleep. At the end of the day, I was allowed to leave.
The rest of the week was anticlimactic. With the shortened school days, the week flew by. Before I knew it, it was Pizza Friday, May twenty ninth, and school was done for the year. No one had called and told us what my tests scores were. I was the only kids who didn’t get sent home with a report card. When Peggy called the school asking why, they said my scores were too complicated to compute. They assured her I had passed what had been expected of me.
“Does that mean she gets to go to eight grade next year?” Peggy asked.
She was told my grade placement was yet to be determined. I groaned. What if that meant they were holding me back again?