Small Town Book

Behind the curtain of the stage Alice trembled with nervousness. You’d think by the ripe age of 29 she’d have conquered her fear of public speaking. “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is being afraid but still going after your dreams anyways. And you’ve always been the brave one,” The words rang in Alice’s ears and her mother’s voice was clear as the day. They’d both, along with her Dad and her mentor, been flown to Baltimore for this event. The event Alice had worked so hard for over the last ten years. Every minute spent from her precious family, every obstacle, every sleepless night, and all the vigorous work poured into all those years has led up to this moment.

While the speeches continued, and she knew it’d be a while before her turn to take center stage, she couldn’t help but recall the events leading her here. Ten years ago in her high school’s biology class her life changed forever...

She grew up in a small town that no one knew about. The whole town had maybe 300 people and her graduating high school class was only 25. Unlike the other kids, Alice adored school and always felt like she was an outsider in the farming world. There was nothing wrong with farming. In fact that’s how her family and community thrived. However, she couldn’t help but want more out of life than what she’d been given.

Every family settled here had ancestors dating back to the early 40s and planted their roots in farming. Because people rarely left and nothing ever changed, the community was very close-knit . Her family were among the ancesteral settlers were chicken farmers for as long as she could remember. In fact, her grandfather was the one who left this farm and house to her father. For years they supplied the towns eggs and chicken meat. The Williams down the road were cattle farmers. They provided the milk, hamburger, and used the skins for clothing or other materials. And so forth and so on for the rest of the families in their part of town. Being the eldest of three daughters, it was an unspoken expectation that she would finish school, marry a farm-raised guy, and continue the chicken farmer legacy. She loathed this idea, but could never voice it for fear of disappointing her parents.

That fateful day started off like any other. Alice was awakened by the crowing of their old rooster named Chester. In the room she shared with her 2 sisters, she would rise and wake them up for the morning chores. As the oldest, it was her responsibility to get the two other girls ready for the day. Once dressed and faces washed she needed the girls downstairs. Like every other day, Mama would already be up cooking breakfast. This was usually an oatmeal porridge and Dad would be coming in from his shift at the factory. He would smell like the rubber that was made there, but he’d always be right on time in the morning to hug the girls and drink his coffee. Like every morning, he’d hug them up and tell them to be smart. Mama and Dad had only receive a middle school education and then went straight to farming just like their parents did. Back in those days, parents needed the kids help and they had learn the ways of the farm to prepare to fill their parents shoes. As loving parents do, they always wanted more for their daughters, but understood the reality of their situation. They were considered poor and sometimes struggled to pay bills. Alice and her sisters never knew they were poor because they’d never experienced anything different. As always, Dad would encourage them to stay in school and ‘soak it all in’ in between morning hugs. Which is exactly what Alice did.

Alice was a top performer in her school and would devour any book provided to her. On that day, she was especially excited because her favorite teacher said she had a new book she wanted to give Alice. Knowing this, Alice was practically dancing in school bus seat as it pulled up to the school. Alice’s favorite subject was biology and the biology teacher, Mrs. Wright, was always giving her new books. She loved studying how things worked and the wonders of anatomy. Her Mama and Dad would always beam with pride anytime she’d tell them about the new things she’d read.

That morning she headed straight to Mrs. Wright’s classroom. Mrs. Wright sat at her desk and smiled warmly as Alice rushed to her desk. Knowing what Alice wanted, Mrs. Wright opened her drawer and pulled out a small, black book. Alice’s excitement visibly dulled because she had been expecting another book about the human skeleton. Mrs. Wright could tell Alice was disappointed and only smiled broader. She told Alice she could not read what was inside this notebook until her last period which, as fate would have it, was biology with Mrs. Wright.

Although Alice was disappointed, she was still thankful Mrs. Wright thought of her to bring her another book. The day passed like all the others and then it was finally time for biology. After class, Mrs. Wright pulled Alice back after all the other kids had left. She sat Alice down with the black book and told her to open it. On the inside of the book was a letter from anonymous stating that they had heard great things about Alice’s drive for knowledge and passion for biology. They wished to help make her passion a reality and provide $20,000 to go towards her education. Alice was in disbelief. She’d never seen that many zeros following a dollar sign before. She tearfully looked up at Mrs. Wright and declared this was a cruel joke. After some convincing from Mrs. Wright she explained it was not. Unbeknownst to Alice, Mrs. Wright had worked relentlessly to find a benefactor to sponsor part of Alice’s education. She’d known Alice could do great things if only given the chance.

Alice was terrified and excited all at the same time. Here was her chance to go on to college and be anything she wanted. But what would happen to her family? Would they think she’d deserted them? Would they support her? Could she leave everything she’d ever known behind and be the first of her family to embark on this journey? All of this raced through her mind as Mrs. Wright put a hand on her arm to bring her back to reality. She gave Alice the black book with the $20,000 check in it and offered her a ride home. That afternoon Mrs. Wright explained to Alice’s Mama and Dad what was happening and they all wept tears of joy....

Alice was brought back to reality by the stage assistant saying she was up next. The $20,000 was the foundation of her higher education journey. It allowed her to achieve her bachelors degree and gain the skills needed to go on to obtain scholarships. She’d went on to experience the life she never thought possible. Her Mama and Dad had been so proud and told anyone who would listen their Alice was a college gal. Remembering how this all started, Alice clutched the withered black book that accompanied her through all the years of her journey. It held her notes, hidden thoughts, and a picture of her family standing in front of that old farmhouse. She peeked from the curtain and saw her Mama, Dad, and Mrs. Wright sitting in the front row of the assembly. She gripped the book that held her speech even tighter as she walked to the stage. “Please welcome our Valedictorian, graduating first in her class, Dr. Alice Mayhew,” announced the President of Hopkins Medical School.