Chapter 2 – Alice Is Surprising
Even though Alice was a perfect nuisance to everybody, she played a deft game of tennis and was a good swimmer. Bianca, who was not good at games at all herself, admired Alice terribly. But all the same, no one really did want to make friends with Alice.
Miss Kellie was quite demanding that term because she wanted the whole grade to move up to the fifth grade the next term. She had great faith in the kindly Esther, who was always eager to help. Miss Kellie was a kind, no-nonsense teacher, who helped every student as much as she could, even ones like colorless Bianca and the menace Alice. Then came the Big Surprise.
One hot Saturday morning, Miss Tina took the drama class as usual. She was not in a good mood, for the first grade girls had disappointed her in the extreme. One by one, the girls went up onto the stage. Ava, who admired Miss Tina’s fairness a lot, had practiced her part carefully. Bad luck for her, because she was the last one to go on stage. Anyway, Miss Tina coached the girls earnestly, taking away their flaws and trying to make them act perfectly. Alice’s turn came. She was acting the part of the old man.
When it was her turn, she stood in the corner, not taking any notice at all.
“Alice!” said Miss Tina, impatiently. “Get up on stage. Now! Do you need to see the mean side of me? Go on like this, and you’ll see!”
Alice was quiet, as if nothing had happened, and Miss Tina was not there. She seemed to be in a world of her own.
“Alice!” cried Miss Tina, beginning to tremble with anger. “All these years I’ve taught, I have never yet sent a girl out of my class. Do you need to be the first one?”
Her temper was Miss Tina’s main flaw. She didn’t keep it like Miss Caty or Miss Kellie would’ve; she would flare up suddenly. It was never predictable.
The sharp eyes of the girls swung to Alice, who was feeling rather uncomfortable. She spoke up, at last, and gave a most surprising speech which made Miss Tina’s face go fire-red.
“Miss Tina,” she said in a calm voice, “I think that you are a most tiresome teacher. You do not give a chance to the most eager ones, who are willing to work. Instead, you waste their time by dealing with ones that are difficult. The eager ones try to work really hard for you, and yet, if you go on like this, they will never get a chance. Yes, I know that you are angry, but is it a good thing to interrupt one of your students in front of the whole class? No, Miss Tina. I have not gotten to the point yet. The thing is, you need to be more flexible. Can you not let the last be first, for every other week? Does the first, Janet, always have to be first? Is it a written rule? No, it isn’t. And, when the difficult ones do not do what you want them to do, you lose your temper. Your temper will give away a lot – your character, your desire, what you think. You say rude words when you are in a temper. That is your flaw. If you do not wish to change, I suppose it is none of my business. But if you think over what I have said,” continued Alice, with something the girls didn’t know that she possessed: but they didn’t know what it was either! “You will be a good teacher, earning everyone’s respect, and you shall be honored. Do it either way; both are fine to me, and the girls, too, I think. Is this correct, Esther?”
“Alice!” cried a dozen voices together. Whatever could have made Alice act like that? Esther took a deep breath.
“Alice, you are right, but if you talk about respect, respect Miss Tina. It is true, all you have said, but you may not speak of it so openly. Now, I will talk over this with you after class. You will miss special coaching in order for me to talk to you.” said Esther, slowly. “Miss Tina, next time, please could you keep your temper? Sometimes it is getting to be too much.”
By now, Miss Tina was white with anger. Then she cooled down rapidly, much to the girls’ relief.
“Esther, I will leave the outspoken girl to you.” she said, shortly, walking out of the classroom. The girls couldn’t stop talking about it, at break, at mealtime, or even in class when Miss Kellie gave them free time. Miss Kellie felt rather puzzled about this matter that she did not know about. She was the grade mistress, so she thought she must know what was happening. But she did not encourage snitching, so she thought if something really was up, Esther or Elsie or Alicia or Celine would have the sense to tell her. So she kept quiet about her queries.
That night Esther and Alice tried to co-operate, much to the surprise of the girls.
“Alice, you know that I must punish you for your behavior in drama class today,” said Esther that night, in front of the girls, for she thought Alice’s punishment simply must be announced in public.
“Yes,” said Alice meekly. The girls gaped at her calm attitude. Why, they had expected a quarrel, or even sulks! “Esther, I will gladly forebear any punishment, no matter how bad it is.”
Esther, too, stared at her in surprise. “Alice, your punishment is to have to wait on the 5th graders for one week, like a silly 1st grader. That is all.” And Esther went out of the room. She went to see Miss Caty about the change in Alice’s behavior. It really was strange. The curious girls all crowded round Alice, who was beginning to cry.
“Alice, please do tell us why you were so awfully tiresome at the beginning of term. Please do.”
“Now we know what you really are, and you needn’t be in a shell anymore!”
“We’ll be friends to you.”
“You were a little menace at the beginning of term, we will still remember it, but the grudge will soon be forgotten, so cheer up!”
Alice went red. She gave a small sigh, and explained her tiresomeness.
“Mother was awfully ill. She’s already 53, you know. She got a peculiar kind of cancer, and the chances of her recovering were low. But, yesterday night, I crept out into the fields, and I found Hannah, Mother’s nurse there. Hannah told me Mother was getting on OK, and they were planning to get a surgeon to clear out the cancer, and she’ll be good as ever!” exclaimed Alice. But how strange it was to think that a nine-year-old’s mother should be 53!
Alice went on explaining.
“I’ve got an awful lot of sisters, six, to be exact, but no brothers, and I’m the third youngest. My oldest sister, Donna, has a husband already. Sallie, who’s in college, has met a wonderful boy, but they aren’t engaged or anything. Nancy and Mandy are both in the senior section of this school. They came this year, too. At last comes Evelyn and Alexis, the twins, who are turning nine. Donna was born when Mother was 35, so now Mother’s 53.”
The girls were very surprised. Meanwhile, Esther was talking to Miss Caty.
“Miss Caty,” she said. “I have come to you about Alice. Alice has been awfully tiresome, but a change has come to her. I don’t really know why, but I bet the girls have already gotten everything they need. So I will ask the girls what the matter is.”
Miss Caty smiled, glad of Esther’s directness. She told Esther to bring Alice down to her room, and that Esther, Alice and Miss Caty must talk things out carefully. When Esther told Alice to go down, Alice went beetroot red.
“You... you haven’t been telling tales about me, have you?” she stammered. Alicia rolled her small black beady eyes. “Come on! We all know that Esther isn’t a snitch!” she said, chuckling.
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