High Hurdles Collection Two (24 page)

“Mommy, I gotta go potty.” The twin on the right squirmed in his chair. The other followed suit.

“You boys can be excused. Remember to wash your hands before you come back to the table. We have devotions, so don't waste time in the bathroom.” Robert turned from them to look at DJ again.

She now knew what a bug under a microscope felt like.

He tented his fingers and rested his chin on them. “DJ, where were you just now?”

“Right here.” But she knew what he meant. Where had she been in her head? She stammered when he continued his scrutiny. “I … I was thinking about jumping Major.”

Lindy huffed and rolled her eyes.

A familiar slow burn in her middle caught DJ's attention. A fight was coming on—she could taste it.

“Do you do that often?” One finger tapped on his chin. “Come on, honesty here. We have no time for playing games.”

DJ tried to think.
Often? What counts as often?
“Sometimes.”

“During algebra?”

DJ could feel the heat creeping up from her neck to her face. She nodded. Oh, if only she could chew her fingernails. But ever since she'd started applying her
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

verse, she'd learned to sit on her fingers to keep from chewing. Her nails looked good now, except of course when she snagged one at the barn. But sometimes she
needed
to chew her nails. Like right now.

“I can see the wheels turning in your head. Care to share what's happening?”

The bug under the microscope squirmed in her seat. She let out a sigh so heavy her chair squeaked in protest. “I was thinking how bad I need to chew on a fingernail.”

Robert burst out laughing.

DJ stared at him. This was no laughing matter. She checked. Did he hurt her feelings? Nope. But when you think of it …

She tried to keep the grin from tickling her cheeks, but when he continued to laugh, she joined in. Lindy looked from one to the other, shaking her head all the while.

“You two are certifiably nuts.” But she smiled as she said it.

When the boys came back in the room, they looked at the three at the table and shrugged in unison, a trick they had with everything, and climbed up on their chairs.

“Devotions …”

“Daddy.” One began the sentence, the other finished it.

The verse Robert read fit right in. “ ‘The joy of the Lord is my strength.' ” When he asked, “Can you have joy when you are sad?” the boys shook their heads.

“Trick question, right?”

Robert winked at her. “Right, DJ. Joy has nothing to do with how happy or sad you are. Joy is a gift from God, not a feeling like the others.” He looked at the twins. “Who brings us joy?”

They spoke at the same time. “Jesus.”

Like them, DJ had long ago figured out that seventy-five percent of the questions asked by pastors and Sunday school teachers could be answered by the word
Jesus
. A song from her younger days trickled into her mind. “I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. …” The tune wouldn't go away as she tried to listen to what Robert had to say.

“Good answer, guys.” Lindy smiled at them both.

A bit later when they bowed their heads in prayer, DJ squeezed the hands on either side of her. She did have joy in her heart, and right now she wanted to share it with her family.

But trying to keep the joy intact while she struggled with an algebra problem wasn't easy. Her algebra book in tow, DJ and Robert returned to the dining room table after it was cleared. It wasn't long before DJ began shaking her head.

“I don't get it.”

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“DJ, your face is like an open book with big print, not hard to read at all. But keep in mind, I can also see when you check out. And I have a feeling that is part of your problem.”

“I didn't realize I did that.” She closed her math book and put her papers back in her notebook.

“Well, understanding or being aware of something is the first step to change. I'll be praying that you can keep your mind on what the teacher is saying and on the work itself.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I believe you can do algebra, Darla Jean Randall. I believe that with the grace of God, you can do anything you set out to do.”

She swallowed at the sound of his voice and the caring she read on his face.

“I won't let you down.” The whispered promise came unbidden.

“You won't let yourself down then, either. Algebra is no different from learning to jump, once you make the commitment.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Don't think I'd go
that
far.” But she knew what he meant.

He laid a hand on her arm. “Now, what don't you understand about this lesson tonight?”

DJ thought a minute. “I don't know, I think I got it.” She repeated back to him the material they'd covered.

“Good for you.” The smile he gave her was almost as good as a compliment from Bridget.

The next day in class, she caught her mind wandering off when Mr. Henderson was talking. She jerked it back and focused on the front of the room. She watched carefully as he did one of the equations on the board.

“Now, are there any questions?” He turned and faced the class again.

DJ raised her hand. “Could you go over that one more time, please?”

“Sure will.” As he did, DJ realized it sorta made sense.

“You got it now?” The teacher looked right at her and waited.

She could feel her heart hammer as some of the other kids turned to look at her, too. She wrinkled her forehead, struggling to get it right.

Mr. Henderson nodded. “Let me go over it again.” He turned back to the board and redid the equation, saying much the same thing again but slowly and clearly.

DJ muttered to herself along with him.
So if 2x plus 3y equals 60, and 2xplus 5 equals 35, then x equals 15 and y equals 10
.

She nearly jumped out of her seat to run around the room, shouting for joy. It made sense! She got it for a change.

When she walked up to her locker after class, Amy turned to look at her. “You look jazzed. What's up?”

“Mr. Henderson and algebra. I think I got it!”

“A miracle has happened!”

Several students turned their way at Amy's shout but DJ didn't care. She felt like shouting, too. She did just that when Joe picked them up after school.

“Wait till I tell Robert.” She dropped her backpack on the floor and turned to Joe. “I even asked Mr. Henderson to go over it one more time. And he did!” She shook her head and flopped against the back of the seat. “I'm hungry.”

“I think this deserves a hot-fudge sundae. What do you think, Amy?”

“Yes!”

“What's Gran going to say?” DJ asked as she, Joe, and Amy climbed back in the truck after their stop. She licked the last smidgen of fudge off her lips. “About your diet, I mean.”

“Plenty. But it'll be worth every word. And when I tell her why we celebrated, she'll ask why we didn't take her along.”

Back at the barns, chores went quickly, but leaving Major again without riding him made DJ hurt inside. He nickered after her, tossing his head as if pleading for a workout.

“What's up?” Joe asked when she climbed into the truck.

“Major's going soft. Fourteen days since I rode him. He'll forget everything we've been working on.” She slumped and crossed her arms over her chest. “If only I knew how long this …” The word she felt like saying would have earned her a scolding if not worse, so she wisely cut it off. “This restriction”—she made it sound like a dirty word—“is going to last.”

“So there. What happened to the good mood?”

“Joe, this isn't funny. I've got to ride Major.”

“So when's your next algebra test?”

She shrugged. “Who knows? My teacher springs pop quizzes without warning.”

“About how often?”

“Too often.” She slanted him a look from the corner of her eye. “Funny, right now I'm looking forward to a quiz. If that don't beat all.”

Joe set the Explorer in motion and let the silence be. They were about to DJ's driveway when she spoke up. “What if I screw up again?” Her voice sounded like a little girl's.

“Then you back up, relearn, review, and give it another shot. Ninety percent of success in anything is confidence. If you had it once, you'll get it again. Just don't go around expecting perfection the first time out.”

“Easy for you to say. No one puts you on restrictions.”

“Oh, not now. But the stories I could tell you …”

Her interest perked up. “Like what?”

“Like you better get in the house so you're not late. I know Robert is going to be pleased with your news.” He rested his wrists on the top of the steering wheel. “Hey, how about if I feed the horses in the morning and you take the afternoon. Your grandmother and I are going to Los Angeles for a couple of days.”

“Okay.”

“I'll ride Major, too, so he gets some exercise.”

“Thanks, GJ. See ya tomorrow.” DJ bailed from the truck and trotted up to the house.

“Hurry, DJ, we's hungry.” The twins met her at the door.

“Where's Mom?”

“Working. Daddy and us made dinner.”

“Oh.” DJ took the stairs two at a time, the boys following her. “You guys wait down there, okay? Maybe you can set the table or something.”

“Hurry.”

“Guess what?” DJ slid onto her chair.

Robert looked up from setting a casserole dish in the center of the table. “What?”

“I asked Mr. Henderson to do a problem over.” “And?”

“And I got it. The thing made sense.” “All right, DJ!” He gave her a thumbs up. “Way to go.” Once grace was said and the plates were filled, Robert looked across the table at DJ. “I hate to ask this after your good news, but is there any way you can watch the boys after school tomorrow? I know you don't teach on Friday and …” He shrugged. “Basically, I don't know what else to do. I have to be in San Mateo for a meeting.”

There she went, feeling like that bug under the microscope again. Who would feed the horses? And what about Patches?