nothing to be sorry for. Are you alright, do you need any help?”
“No.” She almost sounded angry. “I’m sorry, sometimes when I stand-up or move too fast I feel light-headed or dizzy, I’m sorry.”
I wondered what she needed to be sorry for. Surely she didn’t feel that this was of her doing. It still seemed that she blamed herself.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” As she stood holding onto the back of the chair, I put her books in her backpack, and put it over my shoulder. I held Hope’s arm as we walked out to the parking lot and waited for her father. While we stood on the curb I noticed a black midsize car driving toward us. It stopped in front of us and the door opened. A man in his early forties got out. He had a touch of gray to his light brown hair, and hazel eyes that looked worn and tired but lit up as soon as he heard her.
“Dad, this is Daniel Starr.”
“Nice to meet you Daniel, I’m Robert.” He walked to the passenger side of the car “And thanks for helping, you come highly recommended by Professor Noland.”
“Thank you, it’s an honor to meet you too.”
Her father opened the door for her, and she got in, smiling at him. It somehow made me feel good to see her smiling.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told her.
“Hope, I have meetings with a few parents tomorrow night.”
“Mr. Shears if you don’t mind, I could take Hope home.”
“Thank you, but it’s a long drive. We live on the other side of the river in Long Beach. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”
“Its not a problem, I live on the other side too.” He just stared at me for a moment as if he were making the most important decision of his life. He took a deep breath and nodded.
“Okay, here is my card,” as he wrote on the back and handed it to me. “My cell and directions are on the back.” He reached for my hand and shook it. “And again thank you”.
I was happy to see Hope was still smiling as he drove away. I looked forward to seeing her smiling again when I saw her tomorrow.
Hope was already at the library watching me curiously, as I walked in carrying my bulging backpack. I looked around for some place to unpack. I needed a setting other than the long tables and chairs. Then I remembered the reading room in the back. No one used it because generally it was too hot; the radiators always seemed to be on.
“Let’s use the reading room.” She got up and followed me yet she seemed very cautious. I found two large chairs and moved them so they faced each other. I gestured for Hope to have a seat. “Please” I asked. She just stared at me with a look that said she didn’t understand and she was confused.
As she sat in one of the overstuffed chair she asked, “What are we doing in here?”
“I want to try something different.”
“Different?” Her voice sounded so small and unsure of herself.
“A friend gave me the idea. I told him about you. How I was tutoring you and how I was trying to figure out how to help you remember how to put the pieces together. He had this idea of keying in your senses to help your memory.”
“My senses?”
“Yes, like your hearing, smell, a memory can be triggered by all sorts of things. Are you willing to try?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Sit back and relax.” I pulled out the contents of my backpack and put them on the small reading table. She looked at me like I had just crossed over to the other team, in the middle of the game. I had to giggle. “Trust me.”
I took the bottles of spices and opened each of them hoping Rachael wouldn’t mind that I took them. I kept thinking that I had better replace them before she needs them, if I wanted to eat any time soon. I poured the cinnamon and nutmeg out into plastic cups. I took out my iPod, and the history book Prof. Noland had given me. Then I reached into my side pouch and pulled out the bag from the little boutique downtown and removed the scarf.
“That’s very pretty, is it your girlfriend’s?”
“What?”
“The scarf, is it your girlfriend’s?”
“No, I don’t have a girlfriend.” Hope looked at me like she didn’t believe me. I just smiled at her and her face reddened with embarrassment. I took my iPod and turned on the playlist named ‘HOPE’ adjusting the sound to low and putting one of the ear buds in her ear. I picked up the scarf to cover her eyes but Hope’s hand reached up and grabbed mine. She was frightened and looked scared to death. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“You will. Please, just give me a chance.”
She let go of my hand slowly and nodded at me. I took the scarf and tied it around her eyes so she wouldn’t be able to see. I smiled to myself as I thought of Willy’s offer to loan me his sleeping mask he used when flying. The words ‘OUT TO LUNCH’ on the mask just didn’t seem to fit my plan. At least with the scarf there was some dignity if anyone walked into the room.
“Tonight we are going to study Marco Polo and the spice trade. The music is from India. Sorry it’s as close as I could get on short notice. With the spices, and the heat in here, I’m hoping to help you remember this lesson better. Oh, and I almost forgot.”
I reached into my bag and grabbed a small take out box.
“Some fortune cookies, I thought you might like a snack.” I put them in her lap. She fumbled with the box to open it, not being able to see. I watched her break one cookie open and put the fortune back in the box. No doubt she would read it later. I had to smile at her glad she couldn’t see me as I sat down in the other overstuffed chair.
“Now I am going to read to you. Just sit back and relax.”
Discover
* Find unexpectedly or in the course of a search
Chapter 4 - Hope’s story
Everything was ice blue. Everywhere I looked. The blue seemed to change and form to slowly become orbs. I blinked and when my eyes opened, there in front of me were those big beautiful ice blue eyes with long lashes. They sparkled with tiny bits of light that seemed to be dancing through them. I wanted to see the face that went with them. But for some reason I couldn’t see past the blue eyes. I so wanted to know what was beyond those eyes. It seemed all I could do was stare at them in wonder. A touch made me look down at my hand, so small in his. His hands were strong and powerful, yet the hold on mine was gentle and caring. I wished I could hold onto his hand, hold on so tight, so tight that they could not be pulled apart. The truth is I never wanted him to let go of me. A soft light seemed to glow around me. It was transparent at first. But the brighter it got, the more it seemed to become solid, a white light with sparkles of multifaceted
