Read Online Her Lifelong Dream by Judy Kouzel - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Judy Kouzel
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know! I know!" Deanna exclaimed.
"How many pairs are you getting?" Leedy asked.
"Eight."
"Eight! Wow! I'm glad I'm not a shoe nut like you,"
Leedy teased.
"But I need every pair," she protested. "One pair is for
school and I needed a new pair of running shoes. And even
Uncle Terry says my old clogs are looking beat ..."
"What about those lime green dancing shoes?" Leedy
echoed. "They don't look very practical to me."
"But they're so pretty," Deanna said. "And they make
my big feet look smaller. And since it is a buy-one-getone-free sale, I'm really only buying four pairs of shoes,
right?" She stuck her lower lip out in an adorable pout,
heartbroken by the injustice of it all. Leedy wondered how
Terry ever said no to her.
"I guess I'll put the lime green dancing shoes back," she
sighed. "I already have a pair almost exactly like them in
blue ... and maybe I'll put back the platforms too. They
are a bit frivolous. Then I'll only be getting six pairs!
You're getting six pairs. That's not that many, is it?"
Leedy laughed. The kid obviously had a monkey on her
back, but it was a monkey Leedy was intimately familiar
with. "It sounds perfectly reasonable to me," she said. "But
how is your uncle going to feel about it?"
"He doesn't have to know," Deanna said, a sly grin suddenly appearing on her face.
"I won't tell," Leedy said, smiling back. "Then it's settled. We'll both get six pairs of shoes. And I don't mind saying, I'm exhausted. I need a pick-me-up. Would you
like a latte?"
"How about lunch first?" she suggested. "I'm starved."
They went to the food court where Leedy treated Deanna
to soda and a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. They
found a table in a far corner of the gymnasium-like dining
room.
"How is school?" Leedy asked after they were seated.
"Good," Deanna said. "Actually, it has been a breeze.
Everyone gets you so psyched up about going off to college. It's turning out to be a cinch. Well, so far anyway.
I'll see how my midterms go."
"You'll do just fine," she said. "Your uncle tells me
you're a very bright young lady."
Deanna rolled her eyes. "He tells everyone that."
"Well, obviously, he's right. He said you're studying to
be a teacher?"
"Yep," she said. "I've always wanted to teach. Ever since
I was a kid myself. It would be thrilling to be in charge of
a group of kids. You know ... I can mold their young
minds and help make it a better world."
"What grade would you like to teach?"
"The middle school grades," Deanna said. "I'm majoring
in secondary education. I know what you're thinking. It is
the scariest group of all and probably the most difficult to
handle. But it is also a great time to come into a person's
life. A lot of kids need extra help in middle school. I know,
I was a mess when I was that age."
Leedy did the math and realized Deanna had good reason
to be a mess when she was in middle school. "Were you
rebellious?" she asked.
"No, at least not at school," Deanna said. "But I was very unhappy. And confused. It was a horrible time in my
life."
"I'm sorry," Leedy said.
"It's okay now," she added, smiling bravely. "Uncle
Terry got me through it."
Her young face clouded for a moment and Leedy patted
her hand. "You'll be a great teacher, Deanna. I wish I had
a teacher with your compassion when I was in middle
school. I was a bit of a mess myself."
Deanna smiled and then quickly changed the subject. She
spoke in the rapid-fire fashion common among most of the
teenage girls Leedy had known. As if there were too many
words to say in too little time. Deanna talked about shoes
and the fickle trends in foot fashion. Then they talked about
her classes and life in the college dorm.
"Have you met any boys?" Leedy asked. They had finished the pizza and had finally made their way to the coffee
bar. She ordered her usual vanilla latte and watched in
frank admiration when Deanna ordered the largest caramel
frappuccino she had ever seen.
"A few,"
"How many pairs are you getting?" Leedy asked.
"Eight."
"Eight! Wow! I'm glad I'm not a shoe nut like you,"
Leedy teased.
"But I need every pair," she protested. "One pair is for
school and I needed a new pair of running shoes. And even
Uncle Terry says my old clogs are looking beat ..."
"What about those lime green dancing shoes?" Leedy
echoed. "They don't look very practical to me."
"But they're so pretty," Deanna said. "And they make
my big feet look smaller. And since it is a buy-one-getone-free sale, I'm really only buying four pairs of shoes,
right?" She stuck her lower lip out in an adorable pout,
heartbroken by the injustice of it all. Leedy wondered how
Terry ever said no to her.
"I guess I'll put the lime green dancing shoes back," she
sighed. "I already have a pair almost exactly like them in
blue ... and maybe I'll put back the platforms too. They
are a bit frivolous. Then I'll only be getting six pairs!
You're getting six pairs. That's not that many, is it?"
Leedy laughed. The kid obviously had a monkey on her
back, but it was a monkey Leedy was intimately familiar
with. "It sounds perfectly reasonable to me," she said. "But
how is your uncle going to feel about it?"
"He doesn't have to know," Deanna said, a sly grin suddenly appearing on her face.
"I won't tell," Leedy said, smiling back. "Then it's settled. We'll both get six pairs of shoes. And I don't mind saying, I'm exhausted. I need a pick-me-up. Would you
like a latte?"
"How about lunch first?" she suggested. "I'm starved."
They went to the food court where Leedy treated Deanna
to soda and a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. They
found a table in a far corner of the gymnasium-like dining
room.
"How is school?" Leedy asked after they were seated.
"Good," Deanna said. "Actually, it has been a breeze.
Everyone gets you so psyched up about going off to college. It's turning out to be a cinch. Well, so far anyway.
I'll see how my midterms go."
"You'll do just fine," she said. "Your uncle tells me
you're a very bright young lady."
Deanna rolled her eyes. "He tells everyone that."
"Well, obviously, he's right. He said you're studying to
be a teacher?"
"Yep," she said. "I've always wanted to teach. Ever since
I was a kid myself. It would be thrilling to be in charge of
a group of kids. You know ... I can mold their young
minds and help make it a better world."
"What grade would you like to teach?"
"The middle school grades," Deanna said. "I'm majoring
in secondary education. I know what you're thinking. It is
the scariest group of all and probably the most difficult to
handle. But it is also a great time to come into a person's
life. A lot of kids need extra help in middle school. I know,
I was a mess when I was that age."
Leedy did the math and realized Deanna had good reason
to be a mess when she was in middle school. "Were you
rebellious?" she asked.
"No, at least not at school," Deanna said. "But I was very unhappy. And confused. It was a horrible time in my
life."
"I'm sorry," Leedy said.
"It's okay now," she added, smiling bravely. "Uncle
Terry got me through it."
Her young face clouded for a moment and Leedy patted
her hand. "You'll be a great teacher, Deanna. I wish I had
a teacher with your compassion when I was in middle
school. I was a bit of a mess myself."
Deanna smiled and then quickly changed the subject. She
spoke in the rapid-fire fashion common among most of the
teenage girls Leedy had known. As if there were too many
words to say in too little time. Deanna talked about shoes
and the fickle trends in foot fashion. Then they talked about
her classes and life in the college dorm.
"Have you met any boys?" Leedy asked. They had finished the pizza and had finally made their way to the coffee
bar. She ordered her usual vanilla latte and watched in
frank admiration when Deanna ordered the largest caramel
frappuccino she had ever seen.
"A few,"
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