New Stars

                           COME ON, BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE

 

It's 97, tiny breezes touch my cheeks as I listen for the loud, harsh ring of the morning school bell. With me are a few other early birds. We are teachers' pets and we want to go inside out of the morning sun. There are things we have to do, run errands, wash blackboards, fill inkwells, and, very important during this heat wave, open the tall windows. I'm only in grade 2B. Some kids are in 5B and some are 6A and go to secondary school in fall. They carry heavy books up three flights of stairs, move heavy corner plants for sassy teachers. I get to fill inkwells, water little plants on the window sills, erase the lower chalkboards and take notes from one teacher to another. My grades are good. I always have a clean handkerchief with me. My hair is combed and I am the champion speller of all the 2nd grades.

 

Miss Chowning is teaching us about olden times, mammoths, dinosaurs  and is letting us put on a play. Six of us, 3 boys, 3 girls, will do the scenery and decorate the room. I am one of the girls. It means a lot of
work, a lot of after school time and fun. Our teacher asks, 'Who can bring three or four thick tree branches, not too long, that we can use to build a make-out fire in our cave? Anybody have an idea where we can put the cave?' All hands fly up! 'The coat room, the coat  room.' 'Under your desk, Miss Chowning.' We decide in front of her  desk so our parents can see us.

 

'Can one of you borrow an electric wire with a plug on it from your father? We will want to put a light under our fire and crinkled red paper we have left from last year's Xmas baskets. We will need spears and hatchets.' 'My mother has a pole she uses to keep her clothes line from drooping. I'll ask for that,' Beverly offers. "My father has a cane he might lend us and Benny, the butcher might give us a few big cow bones.'
                                             

 

'Who wants to be an artist and draw the animals all around the blackboards? I'll have to get a l ow ladder or two.' My hand goes up first and I have to go to Public Library to get a book so I can copy pictures.  'Miss Chowning, we need costumes, don't we?' 'Oh yes. It is hot enough, you boys can leave off your shirts, wear short pants, no shoes or sox. Girls, you can do the same thing but we'll put brown paper over your shoulders. Sarah, Jane, ask your mothers if you can leave your long hair straight on your shoulders so I can muss it up.'

 

Parents are coming Friday and that is only 4 days away. I still have a lot of hard drawing to do. Each day we come earlier and earlier and stay later and later.  Thursday we find out Jane is sick and can't be in the play. Miss Chowning asks Barbara to leave right after school and explain about Jane to her mother. 'Barbara, beg if you have to but please take Jane's part. All you have to do is sit on the floor and make out you are fixing the fire and feeding the men.'

 

My mammoth is colored a mixture of orange and black chalk and covers the whole board. Only Miss Chowning and I are still working. She sends me home for supper. I almost run the two blocks, wait at the corner for my walk light to turn green and see from afar my mother and father standing outside of our house. They see me. Mother is screaming 'Where have you been? We've been worried to death about you. We saw Officer Smitty and he is walking around the neighborhood searching for you, asking people if they saw you. Thank goodness you are alright.'

 

'But, Mother. I was in school with Miss Chowning. You know I've been there every morning and afternoon. The play is tomorrow. Wait, you aren't going to believe how good I drew the mammoth on the side blackboard, all by myself.'  Mom takes my hand. Dad walks on the other side of me and we go in together for supper.

 

Mother says, That mammoth had better be good or I'll tell everyone Sarah drew it.

 

Instead, she is the first guest for the show and looks and looks and looks at my drawing, then smiles to me, walks over to the best chair in the room, and sits there like a queen right next to our fire.