Nora Ray (Ray Trilogy)

chapter Three

Monday Nora went to Mrs. Jenkins office during her lunch break a few minutes before the bell to see what she wanted.

When Nora stopped at the door, Mrs. Jenkins said, “Come in, Nora. Have a seat.”

Nora sat down and clasped her hands together. She looked at Mrs. Jenkins expectantly.

“Nora, you have been an excellent student. If I can help you, I would be happy to do so.”

“You have done so much already for my family; I don’t know how I will ever repay you.”

“The groceries given to your family on Saturday were a gift. There is no repayment for that. When God blesses, that is just what it is.”

“What I am concerned about is what direction do you want for your life? Have you considered going to college?”

“No, Ma’am. I will never have the money to go to college.”

Mrs. Jenkins studied her closely, “You are a smart girl and you have the ability to be very successful, if you want to study.”

“Well, Ma’am,” Nora wrung her hands. “I don’t mind the studying, and I know that I make good grades, but I have to take care of my family.”

Curious now, Mrs. Jenkins asked as she turned her head to the side, “Doesn’t your father take care of your family?”

Nora burst into tears much to her embarrassment, “My Daddy is going to die. He has sold our dairy and we are moving to town.”

“Why is your Daddy going to die?” she asked kindly.

She put her hands over her face, “He told me Saturday before you got there that he has a bad heart and won’t live long.”

“So that’s why you looked like you had been crying.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“This is a lot for you to have to deal with all at once.”

“I wish,” Nora said wistfully, “that there was something that I could do for him.”

This gave Mrs. Jenkins the opening she was looking for. “Nora, I believe there is something you can do.”

“What? Mrs. Jenkins.”

“I know of a school where you can go to be a doctor. It is a lot of studying but I know that you can do it.”

“I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but I could never in a million years be able to afford it.”

“You might be surprised. With your grades and some recommendations from the teachers here at high school, you should be able to win a scholarship that would pay for your tuition.”

Nora rose to go to class. All the rest of the school day she sat in a daze. Even Jeremy chanting at her on the way to the school bus didn’t reach her.

After the evening chores were done, Nora spoke to her parents during the meal. “Remember when Mrs. Jenkins was at our house on Saturday? She asked me to come to her office today during lunch break.”

Both her parents nodded their heads.

She continued, “She said that with my grades and if I study hard that she knows where a school is where I could go to be a doctor.”

She looked at her parents, but they didn’t say anything. She paused then went on, “She said that with the teachers at the high school giving me a recommendation, I should be able to get a scholarship that would pay for my tuition.”

She looked at them questioningly. “What do you think?”

Finally her dad said, “This is a lot to study about.”

Nora felt disappointed, but she tried not to let on. I guess I’ll have to study on it, too, she thought. In the meantime, I need to study on a science project. I still didn’t know what to make it about.

A week later, her dad called her over to him. “Nora, we need to talk.”

She thought hopefully, finally, he is going to talk to me about being a doctor.

“Nora, remember when I told you that I had sold the dairy?” He asked.

She nodded looking up at him.

“Well, today your mom and I found a house that we want to buy. Nobody is living there now, so as soon as we can get the paperwork done, we’ll start moving.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want you to help your mother start boxing up things that we will want to take but don’t need in the meantime.”

“Another thing, we won’t be moved out yet but starting Saturday, we don’t have to take care of the dairy or the chickens anymore. The family who bought this will start coming out take care of them.”

Her reaction surprised even her. She was happy to not have to do the work anymore, but she felt melancholy at the same time. She would miss the life on the dairy. She enjoyed taking care of the animals. She remembered when Danny got old enough to take over her job of feeding the chickens and gathering the eggs. She missed it but at the time there were also other responsibilities for her to take on so she didn’t have much time to stew about it. She guessed that’s the way of things, constantly changing. She would have to think about that sometime.

She got her books and sat down at the table after the dishes were done. She had to get started on her science project. What to do? She spread her science books out across the table. She thumbed through her text book. It fell open to the picture of a heart. She looked up at her dad as he read in his favorite chair.

Of course! It has been so obvious all along; I should have thought of it sooner, she berated herself. I’ll make a make a display to show the different sections of the heart and explain their functions. I’ll make a working model to show how the heart pumps and how the valves in the heart operate.

Now with a plan, Nora settled in to study her father’s heart. They hadn’t explained to her their thoughts about her going to the doctor’s school but she was getting very interested in the idea.

Saturday came. Nora and her mother got up and ate breakfast together. They had nothing really pressing to do. Instead of getting up and rushing out to the barn, they sat there and looked at each other. Then they got the giggles.

Through the window, she saw a pickup drive in and a man and some boys get out and go to the barn. Her mom got up and asked with a smile on her face, “Nora, would you like a cup of tea?”

Nora caught the spirit of the invitation and grinned, “Well, ma’am, I don’t mind if I do.” She didn’t remember seeing this side of her mother for a long time.

Later they began to pack boxes. They worked together in a companionable atmosphere. They were relaxed and happy. Nora hoped this was a sign of things to come.

A few weeks later, Nora awoke and realized that today they would finally move into their new house. She quickly dressed and found her mom and dad already finishing breakfast. Danny hopped around with boundless energy. Her dad said that he needed a pogo stick to match his energy.

Nora could feel the excitement in the air. Tonight she would sleep in their new house. Her Uncle Bob Johnson came over with his pickup to help with the moving.

School had let out last week. Mrs. Jenkins had really liked her science project and given her a perfect score. Nora was very pleased and thankful for the things she had learned studying about the heart. Someday she planned to know a lot more. Now that her junior year was completed, she intended to study with all she had to make the best grades she could in her senior year.

Their new house was on a small lot among other houses very similar. The porch stretched across the front of the house. She knew a porch swing would soon fill one side because her parents loved to sit in one at the end of the day. The front door opened up into the living room with a bedroom to the side. The kitchen was directly behind the living room with a small dining space. Two bedrooms were behind the kitchen with a small indoor bathroom sandwiched in next to the kitchen. There was running water in the house and gas stoves scattered around in the rooms to keep them warm.

Her parents took the front bedroom. Danny got the pick of the other bedrooms because he was the smallest. He wanted the one closest to their mom and dad. Nora didn’t care because her bedroom would be closest to the bathroom.

All in all each one of them had their reason to be happy with the house. Running water in the house was amazing. Gas stoves meant no more hauling in wood to burn. Living close to the school meant they could walk and not ride the school bus. They felt that life was looking up at the moment.

After the furniture was moved in Danny went out to make friends with the neighbors. Her dad settled in his easy chair and leaned his head back as soon as Uncle Bob got it placed. Nora saw her mom look at him with concern on her face but she quickly changed her expression when she noticed Nora looking at her.

Danny soon came back from outside announcing, “Guess what? Some of my friends from school live on this block. This is really cool.”

Nora thought that she might follow his example and walk up and down the block to see who she would see. She started out with a smile on her face. She walked up one block, well, why not another block. She was comparing the houses to her new house. Each one looked different. She saw some of the houses were surrounded with flowers. She logged that back in her mind. Yes, she wanted lots of flowers. Also, a cat would be nice to have in her room.

“Elenora, oh Elenora, you are the apple of my eye.”

She cringed, ducked her head, and walked very fast. “Oh, please, no! Not on the block next to mine. What if he finds out where I live now?”

Oh, No! Oh, No! She thought. She couldn’t run home because he would follow her and find out where she lived.

He kept following her. She had no place to go. She turned around and confronted him, “Go away, Jeremy.”

For once, Jeremy thought, she doesn’t have a school bus or a classroom where she can hide.

He stood there looking at her wondering what he could say.

“What do you want?”

He put a big silly grin on his face and said, “You.”

“What!” she exclaimed in exasperation. She took off walking again going as fast as she could to someplace she didn’t know where. She hoped she didn’t get herself lost.

Nora shook her head. He is so ridiculous.

“Wait, Nora, you always run from me. Can’t we talk?”

Something in the way he said it caused her to slow down and let him catch up.

“Would you let me buy you a soda?”

She hadn’t noticed yet but they were almost on Main Street. She was thirsty. No boy had ever bought her a soda. The problem was that it was Jeremy, her source of embarrassment at school. After thinking it through she told him, “Okay, just this once.”

I hope I won’t regret this. I did say ‘just this once’. Probably nobody that I know will see us together anyway.

Jeremy was nice, for Jeremy. He held the door to let her in first. She raised her eyebrows and walked in. He indicated a booth so she sat down. A girl with hair in pigtails and popping gum took Jeremy’s order for two strawberry sodas.

Nora sat back and glanced around to see who else was there. With mouths gaping open, five of the students from her class in school were looking straight at her.

Oh, No! I think I might shrivel up and melt into the floor. She hung her head, wrung her hands, and wished she were invisible.

Jeremy waved and said, “Hi,” to them like this happened every day of his life.

Nora glanced up through her lashes at him to see him smiling at her as if nothing at all was unusual.

“Don’t worry about them,” he calmly said. “They have never seen you in here before, that’s all. They’ll get over it.”

“I haven’t seen you in my neighborhood before, have you moved?” he asked like a normal person making conversation.

Nora glanced quickly in the direction of her classmates. Sure enough, they had turned around and quit staring at her.

Jeremy smiled intuitively again sensing her panic a few moments before. “See, like I told you. They were just curious.”

Nora could hardly believe her ears. This is Jeremy sitting in front of me talking normal and acting normal.

At this time the sodas were placed on the table in front of them. She took a quick sip to help her mouth to function and to help get her wits about her.

“Yes, to answer your question. My Dad is in poor health and he sold our dairy. The work is too hard for my mom and I to manage and my little brother Danny is too small to be of much help.”

“I am so sorry your dad is in poor health,” he said with concern in his voice. “Do you mind if I ask what is wrong with him?”

“He has a bad heart. He was told that he didn’t have long to live.”

“Again, I am so sorry. I understand why you did your science project on the heart. By the way, you did a very good job.”

“Thank you. I had a vested interest.”

“I can understand why.”

This is way too weird. Jeremy and I are sitting here drinking sodas.

Soon they finished their sodas and again Jeremy opened the door for her. They started walking home. She shifted her eyes so that she might get a glimpse at Jeremy. He was walking along with a serious look on his face.

She stopped on the sidewalk after they reached the residential area. “Okay, my curiosity is getting the better of me. What’s going on?” Nora asked.

“What do you mean?” he turned to look at her with the same serious look on his face.

“I have never seen you serious before. You always taunt me every day at school and embarrass the daylights out of me,” she explained with exasperation. “I want to run every time I see you.”

“Nora, you never have let me talk to you.” He shook his head. He paced two feet and then back. “I have been in classes with you all year but you never see me.” He ran his hand through his hair. “What does a guy have to do to get your attention?”

She stood there with a stunned look on her face.

“After a while a guy gets desperate and will try almost anything.”

She blinked her eyes trying to remember the times he tried to get her attention.

“When I acted silly, at least you noticed me enough to talk to me; even it was to say, ‘go away.’

“Jeremy, I had no idea. I would never ignore someone to that degree intentionally. That’s just rude!” Nora was embarrassed again for another reason today. “I believe I owe you an apology. I’m sorry.”

Jeremy cocked his head to one side, “Can you remember the words that I said when I was singing Elenora to you?”

She laughed, “Mostly I tried to not hear you at all.”

He laughed back, “So well I remember. Do you remember what I said today?”

Nora pushed the hair from the side of her face as she tried to remember, “Yes, I think I do. You said, ‘you are the apple of my eye’.”

“That, Nora, is how I feel about you.”

“You’re kidding me!”

“Not at all,” he said to her seriously looking straight into her face. “I have admired your intelligence, your determination, and everything else that I have seen from you. If you would let me I would like to date you.”

“This is something I need to think about. Will you just say Nora from now on? Actually, Elenore is my real name but the only time it has been used was on my birth certificate as far as I know.”

Jeremy laughed, “I promise I will not use Elenora again or even sing to you at school if you will date me Saturday night.”

He held out his hand, “Deal?”

She smiled and put her hand in his, “Deal.”

He walked with her the rest of the way home. “I will come by for you at seven Saturday night.”

When she went in the living room she found out that her dad had gone to the hardware store. Instead of buying Danny a pogo stick, her dad had bought both of them a bicycle.