Puzzle Pieces (formerly Reach for the Sky)

Chapter 3

The next day I sit with Bianca and her friend Lisa at lunch. Halfway through the period, I hear the chair next to me scraping back as Bianca stands up. "I'm going to pick up the sign-up packets for outdoor track before I forget. You're joining too, Lisa, right?" I assume Lisa nodded, because Bianca says, "I'll get yours, too" before leaving the room. I am quiet, beginning to see a possibility.

I've never been able to play sports. When I was little, frustrated at not being able to play like normal kids, I once convinced my neighbor from my old town to try playing basketball with me. I told her I'd be able to hear to the ball coming toward me in time to catch it, and that if she talked I'd know where to throw it. Well, that only ended in a bloody nose and lots of tears, and I've never made an attempt at playing sports since.

I'd never considered running, though. If Hope could come with me on runs, I could actually join the track team. Even if I can't participate in meets, I could at least go to practice.

I ask Lisa for the name of the track coach and where I could find her. "Her name's Laura Davidson, and she also teaches statistics, right across from the geometry room. Why?" I tell her I am going to ask her about joining track, and she sounds a little confused, but doesn't say anything else, out of politeness I suppose.

I decide to see the coach right now, before the sensible part of my brain catches up with this crazy idea. A few minutes later, I'm stepping through the door of the room across from my geometry classroom. Turning my face toward the corner where the sound of computer keys clicking is coming from, I ask, "Mrs. Davidson?"

"Yes?" comes the rather sharp reply. The computer keys continue clicking.

I take a deep breath, and tell her, "I would like to join track."

The clicking stops. She is silent for a long moment before saying, "Go ahead. You'll have to pick up a sign-up packet in the athletic office like everyone else."

"You know that I'm... That I'm blind?"

"Yes, I am aware of that. But you would not be here telling me you wanted to participate in track if you did not believe you could. I will have to talk to the athletic director, maybe some other people on the board, but I think I can get you on this team if you are willing to do what you need to do to be a part of it. And the first step of that is for you and your parent to fill out the sign up packet and turn it in to the athletic director or to me by March 1st. Practice starts on March 7th."

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. She's going to let me do this. I can make this work. I will make this work. Because once I set my mind to something, I am never backing down.

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I spend the rest of the day alternating between thinking about track and dreading geometry. All too soon, the bell letting me out of English rings, and I walk slowly down the hall towards Mr. Gibson's classroom. "Lisa and I have a bet on about what Mr. Gibson's going to do to you today," is Bianca's encouragement. "She thinks he's going make your life difficult in any way possible, but I say he'll just pretend you don't exist for the rest of the year."

It looks like Bianca was right, because Mr. Gibson hands out a pop quiz like nothing ever happened. It's only my second day taking his class, but Mr. Gibson doesn't offer for me to take the quiz later, and I could never ask him, not after yesterday. In fact, he doesn't say anything to me at all. I'm confident I know what will be on it, anyway. I have to take the quiz in another room, with someone working at the school to read me the questions. It's material Grandmother and I already covered at the beginning of the year, and I finish quickly. When I'm done, I set the paper on Mr. Gibson's desk. He ignores me. Well, at least it's an improvement from yesterday.

Hope and I walk home as I ponder the day's events. Track. I can actually be on the track team. I can be on a team, be a part of something. I've never gotten a chance to do that before.

I step into the house, drop my backpack by the door, and remove Hope's harness. No longer a working dog, she becomes like any other puppy as she nudges a short rope into my hand, asking me to play tug-of-war with her. I don't have too much homework today, so I pull at the rope as I tell Grandmother all about my classes, Bianca, Mr. Gibson, and especially track.

I repeat my conversation with Coach Davidson to Grandmother and Angelina, who has just arrived home. "You're going to do track?" is Angelina's incredulous reply. "Where they jump over the little wood things?"

"I'm not doing hurdles, silly." I smile. "I'm just going to run."

"That sounds like a great idea, Autumn," says Grandmother as she hugs me. "You already walk and sometimes run with Hope, and I think it's good for you to meet other kids your age."

"Autumn's going to win lots of races!" says Angelina happily, jumping up and down. That kid has more energy and cheerfulness than all the people I've met in my life combined.

I lie awake for a long time that night, with the day's events playing over and over again in my head. Eventually, I roll over and close my eyes. Tomorrow I will turn in the sign-up packet, officially committing myself to joining track. Tomorrow is the day I will do something I've never dared to do before.