Shining Night Read online

  We looked at each other again. What Emma and Savannah said made sense but it did not help us much.

  “Well, we want to do it in Dallas, right? Or do we want to do it in LA?” I asked.

  “That would be awesome!” Emma practically screamed.

  “Guys,” Savannah said calmly. “We would have to spend money to get there and stay there too. How about we do it here and use that money for other things.”

  Emma blew a little air from the side of her mouth and playfully dropped her head on the table.

  Savannah was right, again.

  “Maybe at your church?” Joey asked.

  I thought for a moment. My church was pretty small, and I wasn’t sure enough people could fit. At least not the number of people we needed to help raise close to $150,000.

  “Savannah, what about your grandfather’s farm?” Emma asked.

  “That would be weird and smelly!” Savannah squeaked and I agreed.

  After a few moments of unsuccessful suggestions, we decided it was best if each of us went home, talked to our parents, and came back with two places each that we thought would be a good idea.

  “Okay, now, let’s talk about the fun stuff! The actual concert!” Emma said.

  “Well, I talked to Mallory and she agreed to come and perform.” Everyone cheered and I continued to speak. “And we can charge extra money if people want to meet her. That happened all the time while I was on tour with her. People would buy a concert ticket but then she would come and hang out with some people before or after the show if they had purchased extra VIP tickets.”

  “Yes! That’s a great idea,” Savannah approved.

  When I heard her say the word “yes,” I reached over and grabbed both of her hands and said, “Thank you!”

  We all laughed.

  “This is progress, ladies.” Joey flashed a bright smile and offered a little encouragement.

  I needed it. Somehow we had spent an hour making plans for our big concert but our paper did not look much different than it had when we first started. Joey’s words reminded me that this was only the first day.

  “Okay, so let’s recap quickly before we have to get to class,” I said. I looked down at my notes. “Still working on a place, still working on a date, but we have Mallory, and we all like the VIP tickets idea!” Just then I remembered to tell them about my idea for the T-shirts.

  I was super-relieved when Savannah smiled and approved again. “I think those are great ideas! I love the idea of buying a shirt with one of the girl’s names on it. That’s so cool!”

  “Can you ask Mallory if she has any celebrity friends that could come too?” Emma looked at me.

  “Good idea. I will.”

  We gathered our things and headed to class. I didn’t know how I was going to focus for the rest of the day but I knew I needed to. Ms. Blount was giving us a big test on Friday, and I needed to get a good grade.

  When I sat down at my desk I tucked my little black notebook into my backpack and pulled out my large purple binder for history class.

  “Let’s get started.” Ms. Blount’s voice was stern as usual but her face seemed to be a little softer. She was almost smiling. “Today is a special day. I want to take a few minutes and talk about people in our community who have made a difference.”

  I looked at Emma and she looked at me. We both shrugged our shoulders and looked toward Savannah and Joey. They never took their eyes off Ms. Blount and seemed extremely interested in what she was saying.

  Ms. Blount turned to the board and we watched quietly as she grabbed a piece of chalk and started to write. Her long flowery dress swayed from left to right with each word and her flat black shoes made a squeaky sound as she inched across the floor. Ms. Blount always wore long dresses and flat shoes. I wondered why, but of course I had never asked her. There were so many things about Ms. Blount that I wondered but never asked. I wondered about her family, and if she had any children. I also wondered whether she had friends. She never ate lunch with the other teachers because she was usually on lunch duty, which meant she spent her lunch break strolling the cafeteria aisles. When she finished writing, she placed her chalk back on the rim of the board, rubbed her hands together, and gently patted them on her sides. Her dress did one final sway as she turned back to face the class. There were four names written on the board.

  “Does anyone recognize any of these names?” she asked while her shoes continued to squeak across the floor.

  When no one responded, she reached down to her desk and picked up a small stack of colored papers.

  “Each piece of paper has a name on it. When you get your paper, find your classmates who have the same color paper. We are going to go to the computer lab to do a little research in small groups.”

  Ms. Blount handed each of us a piece of paper. Everyone started walking around to find others who had the same name. Ms. Blount encouraged us to move quickly and quietly. This entire activity was a little bizarre but I eagerly welcomed a change in our class routine. Savannah and I both had orange paper. Joey’s was green and Emma’s was white. We formed little groups and headed to the computer lab quickly and quietly, just like we were told to do.

  “Bethany Pickney” was written on my orange sheet of paper. I had no idea who she was but I was ready to find out. We all found empty seats in small groups. When I sat down I typed in Bethany Pickney’s name in the search bar and the first thing to pop up on the screen was the face of a little girl. She looked like she was about 10 years old.

  I clicked on the picture and my whole group leaned in to start reading. Within the first four sentences we learned that Bethany Pickney raised enough money to open a homeless shelter while she was in college and volunteered for several similar large events around our city.

  That’s so cool! I thought to myself.

  Savannah and I, along with our other group members, wrote down everything we learned about Bethany and looked at several pictures of her as a child and as an adult.

  “She’s amazing,” Savannah said and we all agreed.

  Once Ms. Blount noticed that most of the class was finished researching, she asked each group to choose one person to share what we learned. Of course, Savannah volunteered me for the job. I offered it to the others but no one accepted.

  I stood up when it was my turn and shared what our group had learned about Bethany and her work with the homeless. The others shared theirs. We learned that Andrew Tate was a pilot, Suzanne Stephens started a school for blind children, and Ashley Wilkinson was the first female surgeon at the hospital where I had been born.

  After we each shared, Ms. Blount asked the class, “Did anyone figure out what these people have in common?”

  We all looked at each other and waited before speaking. Finally a voice came from the other side of the room. “They all did something to help someone else?”

  Ms. Blount nodded. Another voice said, “They all live or lived in Dallas?”

  Ms. Blount nodded again and turned to the other side of the room. Her long skirt followed her movements.

  “Anyone else?” she asked.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  Ms. Blount took a deep breath and spoke loudly, “Each of these people made history in our community and each of these people graduated from this middle school.”

  “No way!” Emma shouted out and immediately threw her hand over her mouth.

  Ms. Blount glared at Emma and ignored her outburst. “At one time they sat right where you are sitting and they could have been you. Remember that what you are doing today not only matters today but it matters in the future.” Ms. Blount had managed to capture the entire class’s attention.

  She continued to talk. “Over the next week we are going to study the impact these individuals have had in detail. But today I want you to think about the fact that one day you too could have a major impact on our community.”

  Ms. Blount walked toward the door and told us to follow her back to class. As we walked, the cla
ss was not as quiet as it had been. I could hear people talking about Bethany Pinkney, as well as the others we had just learned about.

  As I listened, a new idea came to my mind and the moment the bell rang I blurted it out to Savannah, Emma, and Joey.

  “Here! We have to have our concert here at our school!”

  Although their initial response was “no way,” it did not take long to convince them that our school would be the best place to have the concert. And later in the evening when I told Mom and Dad, they thought it was a great idea too!

  Once I had everyone on board, I needed to figure out a way to convince our school. That evening before bed, Mom and I talked about what I should do next. She suggested I schedule a meeting with the principal. That sounded scary and I yelled, “No way!” Then I begged her to come up with an easier idea.

  I didn’t know the principal but he seemed to only like the 8th graders. Every day he walked right past the 6th grade lunch tables and stood near the older kids. He didn’t say much but he smiled at them before making his announcements. He never smiled at us. Mom said it was because they have known him longer and have learned that he’s not mean. I asked if she could do it without me. Of course, she did not agree to that but she said that if I set the meeting up, she would go with me.

  “I don’t know how to set a meeting up!”

  “Sure you do,” Mom assured me. “You can either go to his office and speak with the front desk staff or you can write an email and I’ll send it.”

  She grabbed both of my hands in hers as I laid in my bed, looked at me, and saw the fear in my eyes. “Lena,” she said. “God has helped you through so many other things. Who gave you the courage to be in a movie?”

  “God did,” I answered.

  “And who gave you the courage to stand up on stage and share your story with thousands of people?”

  I smiled and started nodding my head. “God did!”

  “So, I am pretty sure He will help you talk to your principal. Just ask Him. And remember this, Lena. This is something you and your friends really want to do. So you need to take charge.”

  She squeezed my hands tight and let go.

  Mom was right. Over the last year I had definitely learned that there was no reason to be afraid. All I needed to do was ask God for help.

  Mom grabbed a piece of paper from my nightstand and wrote:

  2 Timothy 1:7—For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

  After writing, she looked at me and said, “Lena, you have been so determined to help Caroline ever since you met her! Do not let a little fear and nervousness stop you now! Pray this tonight. When you are ready, let me know how you want to set up the meeting.” She handed me the paper, kissed me on my forehead, and walked out.

  A few minutes later Ansley danced her way through our bedroom door with Austin prancing behind her. They both bounced into her bed. After burying herself under her new purple comforter she peeked over to see if I was still awake.

  “You missed Dad’s story! It’s a new book he got about two sisters and it’s really good!” she said.

  “I know. I just needed to talk to Mom a little,” I replied.

  “About what? Caroline?” Ansley sat up a little. She looked extremely inquisitive and ready to talk.

  I welcomed the conversation. Mom’s words, the Scripture she gave me to pray, and Caroline’s face were racing around in my head, and talking seemed to help me process things better.

  “Yeah, so I have to ask the principal of my school if we can have a fundraising concert there,” I said. Ansley’s eyes popped open wide. “I know, right? So do you think I should email him, write a note and leave it in the office for him, or go into the office and ask if I can have an appointment?”

  Ansley gasped. “Write a note,” she said and paused for a second. I could tell she was still thinking. “Draw a smiley face on it too.”

  Ansley giggled and flopped back onto her pillow. Austin snuggled next to her and she quietly said, “Good night, Lena.”

  I reached over and turned off my lamp. “Night.”

  Chapter 5

  As usual, the next morning I was up before my sisters. I grabbed the little paper Mom had left on my nightstand and crept down the hall toward the game room. I was expecting to see my dad sitting in his favorite big brown chair but he wasn’t there. The room was dark and empty. I was a little sad. I loved spending alone time with Dad in the mornings. I could ask him questions and get his advice on problems I was having. I could also talk to him about God and the Bible. But this morning I did not really need any advice. I already knew just what I needed to do.

  I pulled a sheet of paper from the stack next to the printer and picked up a chewed-up pencil from the middle of the floor. “Austin!” I said to myself and giggled. Austin loved eating anything we left on the floor, especially crayons and pencils. I checked to make sure there was still enough lead left for me to write with and there was. I just couldn’t make any mistakes because there was no eraser left.

  I looked down at the paper and took a deep breath. I unfolded Mom’s paper with 2 Timothy 1:7 written on it and laid it on top. I closed my eyes and said to myself, “Dear God, help me to be courageous.”

  I immediately opened my eyes and started writing.

  Dear Mr. Fraser,

  My name is Lena Daniels. I know you don’t know me but I am one of the 6th grade students at your school. I have a big favor that I would like to ask you. There are a few sick children that I think we can help. They are from Peru but they live in Nashville, TN right now. The children’s hospital where they have been staying is closing. They cannot go home because their hospitals do not have the kind of medicine they need. I know that we can help them. I know that our school can help them. Can I meet with you and share my ideas, please? They need our help.

  I signed my name at the bottom and included my mother’s telephone number.

  I folded the paper nicely and placed it an envelope. I wrote “To Mr. Fraser” across the front and smiled.

  I couldn’t wait to show Mom and Dad!

  I sat quietly until I heard a few sounds coming from the kitchen. “Mom?” I whispered as loudly as I could.

  Dad poked his head into the room and said, “Hey, babe. How long have you been up?”

  Before I could answer I was greeted by a few wet kisses from Austin. He placed his two front paws directly onto my envelope and then stretched out on his back. “Hey, boy!” I said while shooing him over just a little. Dad immediately gave in to Austin’s big brown eyes and wide-open belly. I laughed as he squatted down and gave Austin his morning rub. I slipped the wrinkled envelope from under him and tucked it into the pocket of my long blue robe.

  Dad was so occupied with Austin that he didn’t even notice. I decided I would wait and tell him and Mom about it at the same time.

  “Okay, that’s enough, boy!” Dad said while hopping up onto his feet.

  “Want some coffee?” Dad pretended to ask with a serious face before leaving the room.

  “Daddy! You know I can’t drink coffee!”

  I could still hear him laughing at his own joke as he shuffled a few mugs around in the kitchen.

  By the time I made my way into the kitchen Ansley and Ashton were waddling their way in as well.

  “What’s for breakfast, Daddy?” Ansley asked.

  “Can I have waffles?” Ashton begged.

  “Eggs,” Dad responded to them both while digging for the large black pan he liked to use.

  “Lena, go tell Amber that it is time to get up.”

  I did as I was told and came back a few moments later with a weepy Amber just a few steps behind me. We were used to hearing Amber crying for a few minutes in the morning until she became fully awake.

  “It’s okay, Amber,” I tried to comfort her. “I know you don’t like getting up, but sometimes we all have to do things we don’t like doing.”

  I don’t know if my words
helped or not but in about three minutes Amber was smiling.

  We ate our breakfast, got dressed, packed our lunches, and headed off to school for the day.

  It wasn’t until lunch that I remembered I’d left my letter for Mr. Fraser in the pocket of my blue robe. When I told Savannah, Emma, and Joey what I had written, Emma looked at me and asked, “Why not just talk to him?”

  I gasped. “No way!”

  “I understand that the letter is easier but talking to him is faster.” Emma tried to persuade me.

  “He’s right there,” Joey added.

  “Let’s just go do it together. We are a team, right?” Emma said, while standing up.

  “And he’s right there,” Joey said again and stood next to Emma. I looked up at them both and dropped my head.

  “Okay,” I mumbled while jumping to my feet.

  Savannah did not move.

  “Savannah,” I said in my firmest voice.

  She crossed her arms and casually shook her head.

  Mr. Fraser walked right past us as he headed toward the side of the room where the 8th graders sat.

  “We have to do it now,” Emma said right before she called, “Mr. Fraser!”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. I gulped and froze with my back still facing him.

  Mr. Fraser took two steps back and turned in our direction. “Yes? Good afternoon.”

  Savannah’s cheeks turned red, and she slowly stood up.

  I turned and quickly said, “Good afternoon,” while focusing my attention on his brown square-toed shoes. I liked the way his shoelaces seemed to play peek-a-boo with his navy pants. When I heard Savannah’s voice again I looked up quickly and made eye contact with Mr. Fraser for the first time ever.

  “This is Lena Daniels,” she said. Mr. Fraser’s face was the color of caramel and I could see a few pieces of prickly hair on his head, but he was basically bald. His cheeks were round and they made his face look soft and happy.

  “Hi there, Lena Daniels. I know a lot about you.” His smile was wide so I stretched my lips as wide as I could and smiled back.

  “Well, sir,” I started. “My friends and I were talking and we have an idea. Do you think we could have a meeting with you?”