The Five Pearls (18 page)

While the teens munched on warm sweets and cold milk, Mrs. Powell quizzed them.
“So... Amber says you all want to get your General Education Diploma by April. That doesn’t give you much time. She says you need a safe house to study together. Not to play or horse around, but to study. Is this correct?”
The kids agreed.
“What’s your plan of attack?”
“We don’t have one,” Amber said. “That’s why we’re here.”
“What are your strong suits?” Mrs. Powell asked.
“I’m good with facts and dates,” Marie spoke bravely. “I could do some timelines.”
Julio interrupted. “What’s a timeline?”
“You know, like how things happened in history in chronological order.”
“What’s chronological order?” Julio followed up with a silly grin.
“Julio,” Mrs. Powell interjected, “are you so ignorant that you bully others with your own stupidity or are you so smart that you can’t stand the mundane?”
“What?” he said.
“I think you heard me,” Mrs. Powell replied sternly. “You don’t have to play the fool anymore. At least not in my house. It’s very irritating.”
“I was just messin’ with her,” he explained.
“You were
messin’
with her self-esteem. And if I recall from my own youth, most teenagers don’t have all that much self esteem to begin with.” She looked around the table. “Other strong suits?”
“I’m pretty good at Math,” Matt suggested.
“I know how to read things backwards,” Toby said.
“And I have the vocabulary of a sixth grader,” Julio said with defeat.
Mrs. Powell cleared her throat loudly. “Okay, let’s back up. What is the exam supposed to be about? That comes first.”
Amber gave her a two-inch thick manual. “This is a sample test.”
Mrs. Powell flipped through a few pages. “Ah,” she smiled. “Here’s an overview of how the GED works.” She grabbed a spiral notebook and pen and fished through the manual for information, jotting down pertinent information as she went. “The GED measures the major academic skills and concepts associated with four years of regular high school instruction. One out of every seven high school diplomas issued each year in the United States is based on passing the GED tests. If you pass, it’s the equivalent of a high school diploma.” She looked at each of the kids. “Guess how long the test is?”
“An hour?” Marie said hopefully.
“Try seven.”
“Seven hours!” Julio whined. “Nobody can take a test for seven straight hours! It’s, it’s unconstitutional!”
The white-haired matron ignored his barb and read on. “The test battery includes five areas of knowledge; Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and Language Arts. Plenty of multiple choice, lots of reading and writing.”
“Writing,” Julio moaned.
“Writing, Mr. Ramirez. Is that a problem for you?”
“I’m extremely lazy.”
“I can tell,” she said bluntly.
Mrs. Powell dropped the manual on the table and crossed to the stove. Her tea water was boiling.
“And the rest of you? Are you going to give up as easily as this young man does? Because if you are, there’s no point in continuing.”
“We’re not all like Julio,” Toby said with a mixture of politeness of excuse.
“Julio?” she asked. “If Mr. Battle were here, do you think he’d think you can’t pass?”
“Mr. Battle was an extreme optimist,” Julio said. “He’d think we can do anything.”
“We can!” Amber said. “I know we can.”
“Anybody else?”
“I’m willing to try,” Toby said.
“Us too,” Matt and Marie agreed.
Amber glanced at the stack of study guides in front of her. “I think our problem wasn’t about the subjects. Our problem was about how we dealt with authority figures. Until Mr. B came along, we thought teachers were our natural enemies.”
“Yeah,” Matt said. “Like dogs and cats.”
“Julio?” Mrs. Powell pressed. “Are you in or out?”
The boy groaned, feeling the old lady’s eyes on his back. He finally caved in. “What do I have to do?”
His friends clapped their hands. “Right on!”
Mrs. Powell looked at her notes. “Your goal in the test is to be able to read, interpret information, and express yourself in writing on a level comparable to that of sixty percent of graduating high school seniors in the United States.”
“That’s easy,” Julio said. “Most kids are stupid.”
“The test isn’t about
what
you know, it tests how you apply basic thinking skills to real-life situations. The best way to prepare for the test is to practice with actual questions in the test areas and learn how to improve your guessing ratio and how to eliminate the wrong answers by comprehending, understanding, interpreting and applying logic.”
“That sounds easy enough,” Julio said. “Except for Marie. She’s pretty far down on the logic food chain.”
Mrs. Powell crossed her arms and glared at the boy. “Once again… I’ll have none of that in this house. Do you understand? Real friends don’t tear each other down. They build each other up. This isn’t some game you’re playing, Julio Ramirez. It’s an opportunity to change your life or continue as you are.”
Julio hung his head. “I’m sorry, Marie.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I may be stupid, but at least I’m not fat.”
The old woman scowled. “There you go again, kids. Right for the throat.”
“It isn’t like that, ma’am.” Toby stood up defensively. “You see, we’ve all known each other for four years. We’re like brothers and sisters.”
“It’s what families do,” Matt said.
“
Not this family
,” said the woman. “If you want to study in my house, you give each other hope and trust and understanding. Am I clear?”
“Clear,” replied the kids.
She seemed satisfied with their answer. “Moving on about the test… You have to familiarize yourself with charts, graphs, maps, figures and tables. Get ready for statistics and probability. Analyze multiple choice questions for the
best answer
by using induction and deduction. In the Math section you can use a calculator provided by the test center. You’ll need to review measurements, calculations and geometry. You’ll have to write essays, too, so you’ll need to review punctuation and spelling, revision and editing.”
“There’s no way we can do all this in a few months,” Marie said. “All we got is these manuals.”
“All we
have are
these manuals,” the woman corrected the girl’s grammar.
“Didn’t I just say that?” Marie looked at her friends for confirmation.
“No. You said, ‘all we got is these manuals,’” Matt said. “But I can help you fix that.”
“Did anyone notice the library while you were vandalizing my house?” Mrs. Powell asked.
“Yeah. Cool room,” Toby said.
“And…?” Mrs. Powell hinted.
Toby snapped his fingers. “And it’s got tons of books!”
“Tons!” Mrs. Powell yelled with glee. “Follow me.”
She led them into the study. They stared at the volumes on the walls.
“There is a treasure chest of knowledge inside these four walls for the willing.”
“Can we get started today?” Amber asked.
Mrs. Powell smiled. “Start with Language Arts. On your mark, get set, go!”
The Five Pearls ran to the kitchen, retrieved study guides and headed into the library.
An hour later, Mrs. Powell checked in on them. Julio was sprawled out on the sofa, shoes off, taking notes. Marie and Amber were on the floor; heads propped on angled arms, scribbling away. Toby was pacing the room, mumbling back the definition of a paragraph that Matt was reading aloud from behind the big desk.
“It’s a group of sentences written about one topic or idea,” Matt said. “It has two important parts. A topic sentence and supporting sentences. You get it yet?”
“I need an example,” Toby’s voice seemed deflated.
Matt thought of an example. “The fat cow jumped the fence and trotted down the road. When the cow came to the cattle guard, it got its foot stuck in the metal grate. A truck came along and smashed into the cow, killing it.”
“I get it.” Marie looked up from her notes. “But you messed up.”
“How?”
“Cows don’t have feet. They have hooves.”
“Right on, Marie!’ Said Toby.
“I forgot to mention something,” Mrs. Powell interrupted.
“What’s that?” asked the teenagers.
“The test costs sixty five dollars. How do you plan to pay for it? Does anyone have a job?”
“I was thinking about getting one,” Toby said.
“Me too,” Matt said.
“My old man will pay for the test,” Julio said. “Nobody in my family ever got a high school diploma.”
“I’ll ask my grandparents,” said Marie.
“Amber?” The old woman held back a smile.
“I have access to money,” Amber said.
“Baby Beulah’s got money? How?” Julio bellowed. “Some kind of orphan or unwed mother fund?”
“Yeah,” Amber said.
“Okay,” Mrs. Powell interrupted, “I want you all to tackle Social Studies for the next hour.”
Julio moaned. “You’re killing me, Mrs. P.”
“You slay me, Julio,” she laughed. “Now get busy.”

She returned an hour later, tapping her wristwatch. “Done for the day, gang. Let’s clear out.”
The pearls stood and stretched.
“Man, that Thomas Jefferson dude was tight,” Julio said.
“Hard to imagine Albert Einstein working as a clerk before he discovered E=Mc squared,” Matt said.
Toby held up a book. “This chapter says Edgar Alan Poe was a crack head!”
The teens circled around Marie. “What did you learn today that was new and exciting?”
Marie took a deep breath before she blurted out; “Charles Darwin laid the foundation of modern evolutionary theory with the concept of the development of all forms of life through natural selection. He was born in England in 1809, the fifth child of a wealthy and sophisticated family...”
“Wow!” Julio said. “Marie swallowed a smart pill!”
The kids picked up their personal belongings and started out.
“I don’t think so,” Mrs. Powell said with a waving finger as she blocked their exit from the library.
“What did we do now?” Julio groaned.
“I expect this room to look like you found it,” Mrs. Powell advised. “Books back on shelves, chairs rearranged, dishes back in the kitchen.”
“Amber and I got the dishes,” Marie volunteered.
“Amber and I
have
the dishes!” Matt corrected her.
“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Short days and weeks leaped into months at the Loomis House as the bite of winter slowly loosened its grip.
Inside the confines of Loomis House the pearls heatedly discussed and argued their way through reading materials, charts and maps provided by the private library and the institutional vaults of pessimistic Mr. Wirtz. The band of five turned in writing assignments and multiple choice practice tests on a semi-daily basis faster than he could read them.
“There’s something suspicious going on!” Wirtz stated. “Perhaps aliens have inhabited your bodies?”
One day, Amber commented to him that she thought he was slowly turning from sour to sweet.
“With me, that’s an impossibility,” he reminded her. “I’m an old curmudgeon.”
With the days of the calendar adding up, Amber’s body changed, too. Breasts, belly, legs, arms, hair, everything about her was maturing. She gave up smoking completely, exercised, and ate regular meals at home with Miss Feely or at the Loomis House with Mrs. Powell.
In the last month of her pregnancy, lurching stomach pains began. Her abdominal muscles contracted and spasmed and her back cramped up. Amber’s body and mind had entered a strange new territory. Almost always, the old retired nurse or her counselor was there for her. Amber found herself acting like a teacher now, quizzing both women for every ounce of information she could learn about motherhood. Amber had never felt so close to grown women before.
She found out that Miss Feely was planning her own wedding to a fellow named Bruce who was finishing up his Ph.D. at an out-of-state university. She learned all about Mrs. Powell’s noble goal of saving Loomis House as an historical site. And there were plenty of early evenings when Mrs. Powell broke out ancient family albums where she ticked off the names and family trees of men and women long since gone.
“Mr. B said trees are like people,” Amber remembered.
At first, Marie tried to relate to Amber’s pregnancy but one look at her friend’s balloon belly made her steer clear of the whole happy birthing process.
As Amber expected, immature Julio came up with a new nickname for her that he could get away with in the presence of Mrs. Powell. Instead of Baby Beulah, he called her BB for short and on their way out of the house one night he whispered, “BB stands for Bowling Ball by the way!”
The students met at Loomis House almost every day to study. Mrs. Powell had arranged to pay Matt and Toby for work she needed done on the estate. Most of the work involved dusting and polishing high places and rearranging room furniture. The boys would use the money to pay for the GED exam. As test day approached, a real tension settled in the house between the students. As usual, Julio was causing most of it with his constant negative attitude.

The Five Pearls were sitting on the floor around the library coffee table. The table had taken on the importance of Command Central for them over the months. After the last stack of study guides was finished, Mrs. Powell brought in a tray of root beer floats for everyone.

After Mrs. Powell retrieved the extinguished treats and exited for the kitchen, Julio plopped back on the floor with a pen and paper. “Now comes the hardest part,” he said.

“Cheat sheets.”
Everyone gave him a dirty look.
“What?” Julio said with surprise.
“That’s not how it goes down,” Toby said.
“Come on, Toby! Everybody cheats!”
“Not me,” Amber said.
“Not me,” Matt raised his hand.
“Not me,” Marie said. “I don’t have to.”
“I used too, Julio. But not anymore,” Toby said.
“Don’t be fools. If we don't cheat, we don't pass!” “Never know until you try,” Matt said.
Julio shook his head and kept writing his tiny notes on

paper. “You guys are whacked.”
“Stop it, Julio,” Amber said. “It’s wrong.”
Julio tossed her a challenging glare.
“She’s right, bro.” Toby defended Amber now. “You don’t

have to cheat this time.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Julio said. “You really think we can make
up for four years of goofing off in a few months? Don’t kid
yourselves. Tomorrow we crash and burn if we don’t cheat
and that’s a fact.”
But no one was buying his speech. All Julio got in return
was four unsympathetic stares. He stood and gathered a stack
of books and note pads.
“Guess I’m on my own, then. See you tomorrow morning
at the GED, suckers.”
When Julio left, he slammed the front door so hard it
rattled the chimes in the hallway clock.
“Do you really think we can pass?” Matt asked the others. “We studied every day including weekends and evenings for
almost three months,” Toby said. “My parents think I'm loco.
All I watch on television anymore is the Discovery Channel
and National Geographic... I don’t even have time to talk to
Betty on the telephone!”
The gang from Shooks Run liked Betty. They had been
back to the Deaf and Blind school twice to visit kids since
the dance.
“I’m stuck on Animal Planet,” Matt admitted.
Amber raised her hand. “Biography for me,”
“Now I’m a documentary freak and the queen of search
engines on the Internet,” Marie laughed.
Amber groaned. “I also read every bad poem ever written
including my own and… Ow!”
She clutched at her stomach. A giant surge ricocheted
through her body and she felt her water break between her
legs. She knelt down on the floor and leaned against the sofa.
Her friends dropped to their knees around her.
“What’s happening?” Matt’s voice jumped an octave. “Are you miscarrying?” Toby asked.
“What is it?” said Marie.
A calm Mrs. Powell appeared at the door. “Looks like the
big one.”
“
Now
?” Matt said. “Not now! She has a test!”
“Tell that to the baby,” Mrs. Powell said. She crossed to
Amber and joined the kids on their knees in front of her.
“Did your water break, Amber?”
Amber took short breaths now to fight off the constant
pressure on her abdomen. “I think so. Oh no! Not now! I
have to get out of high school tomorrow!”
Mrs. Powell and Matt lifted her to her feet. Her stretch
slacks were wet and there was a small pool on the floor. Mrs. Powell nodded to Toby. “My keys are hanging by the
back door. Pull the car up to the front curb, will you?” Mrs. Powell remained calm, almost whispering. “Marie, the number is on the refrigerator. Can you call Amber's group home and
tell Miss Feely I'm taking Amber to the hospital?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“This really hurts,” Amber said with a delighted grin. “Wonderful, isn't it?” said Mrs. Powell.
“Can you describe it?” Matt asked.
“I feel like I’m getting kicked by a horse.”
“Cool!” Matt said.
Amber bit her lip. “What’s so cool about it?”
“That you’re carrying a new life inside you, that you’re
about to become a mom!”
He and Mrs. Powell steadied Amber in their arms and
guided her towards the front door.