.:Chapter 9: The First Outing:.
.:I was nervous when it was almost time for lunch the following day. I felt poor and shabby in my worn clothes, feeling ashamed of having clothes that looked like this. I washed my face several times; I kept imagining there was specks of dirt all over my face, that my hair was greasy:.
.:And when I had washed my face and hair again, I felt silly, for my face was never all that dirty and my hair was not that greasy. I wondered what was wrong with me. I knew it had to do with Darcy Wise. I wanted so much to impress her, even though I knew I could never do that:.
.:I sighed and closed my eyes as I heard Hope's soft voice urging me on:.
.:"It's not what is on the outside that is important, Colvin. What matters is what is inside," I heard her voice say:.
.:Suddenly I felt very silly for wanting to impress a stranger I had met at the chruch. I would simply be me and if she didn't like me, then it was her loss:.
.:Thinking of what Hope would say in a situation always helped me out. It was as if she was really with me:.
.:Darcy's house was even more beautiful in real life, when I had been impressed beyond words before. I tried to be strong, to remind myself that the inside what was what counted, not where you lived, how you dressed, the way you looked:.
.:I took a deep breath, wondering if she wanted me to go knock on the door when suddenly the door opened and she stepped outside:.
.:She was absolutely breathtaking. She wore a soft dress of lilac, and her hair was up into a ponytail. Her eyes were bright and fresh and I almost thought it were a pity she had gotten so dressed up for me:.
.:She smiled a little when she saw me, making me feel a little more calmer than before:.
.:"Good afternoon," she greeted as she approached:.
.:"Good afternoon," I echoed, even as I felt awkward and small:. .:"Ready to go?" she asked and I nodded with a small smile:. .:She looped her arm with mine before we were walking away from her house:. .:"Where are we having lunch?" I asked, thinking we was going to have it at her house:. .:"I hope you don't mind if we go to this little place in town. It serves country food that I like best, that my parents absolutely despise," she said:. .:"No, I don't mind," I softly said:. .:The place she wanted to go was almost as shabby as my house and relief started to wash over me like the roaring sea. If she could go to eat at places like this, maybe she wouldn't look down on me too much...:. .:We were seated at a booth, each of us facing the other. As we ordered, I was glad Darcy had picked a place like this, for I didn't have much money yet and wanted to offer to pay for her meal, like a gentleman would:. .:"Where are you orginally from? Here?" Darcy asked as the waitress left with our order:. .:"Well, I was born in the town right beside Winnerow. Almost on the borderline in fact. I suppose you were born here?" I inquired and she nodded:. .:"Do you have a job?" she blurted, as I felt my cheeks stain with blood:. .:"I just moved here...not yet," I said:. .:"What would you like to do?":. .:"I want to either be a teacher...or a writer. I think a teacher is out of the question though," I replied, as her dark eyes narrowed a little:. .:"Why is that?" she asked:. .:"Darcy...are you blind? Look at me. Look at my shabby, worn-out clothes and compare them to yours. You'd have a heart attack if you saw my house, it is almost as shabby as this place. I don't have the money to go to college.":. .:I watched as her face was tinted pink, then the color was back into her face as determination washed over her features:. .:"What did I tell you about that? Quit acting like I'm better than you are. I may have grown up under better circumstances, but I am the same as you on the inside. Human. Colvin you can go to college. There are scholarships for those who cannot pay for it. Why do you want to be a teacher, a writer?" she asked:. .:"Why do I have to do all the talking? What do YOU want to be?" I teased, raising my eyebrow. It was pure delight to see the way her smile softly curved onto her face, how it shattered into a wonderful laugh:. .:"Fine. Have it your way. I would like to be a therapist or a motivational speaker.":. .:She laughed when I wrinkled my nose in confusion:. .:"Motivational speaker?" I questioned, as her cheeks blushed:. .:"Yeah...someone who visits schools around the country and talks to kids. I've seen poverty in this town and I want to speak to other children about it. Some children are malnourished with shabby clothes, never see a dentist nor a doctor. I want them to know that it's all right to be poor, that there are places that can help. If that doesn't work, I'd like to be a teacher too," she said:. .:I looked at her for a long moment, feeling something as warm as honey glaze over my heart. The way she spoke of poverty amazed me. She was probably rich, though her heart was caring. She spoke the truth, for I had not seen a doctor since my birth, and not a dentist. I cleaned my teeth and they had no cavities yet, so white they looked bleached at times:. .:She told me more about her family, how her father hardly ever wanted her to go out on dates or to see people, as if he thought she would be easily corrupted. She said her mother was usually indifferent about all her father did and that they always seemed to be arguing:. .:I was a bit scared to tell her about my family, yet I did. I told her about the father I hadn't had and the whore of a mother I had, the stepfather I had put up with and then Hope. I only let a little of my poverty be known and didn't tell her what my stepfather had done to Hope and me...:. .:"Colvin, I really enjoyed talkin with you. I would love to read some of your work," Darcy said with a smile, as I felt my heart beating faster and faster...:.
.:"I have an idea..the elementary school is always looking for tutors to help the children out; the school doesn't have as much money as the church," she said, in a voice that suggested she was ashamed that the chruch was doing so well when the school was not...:.
.:"And?" I asked, as her eyes sparkled:.
.:"So maybe one evening we could volunteer...if you would like to, that is. I mean...we both have a desire to be a teacher...even though I'd rather be a speaker, I think it would be a great experience and would look good on resumes also," she said:.
.:"Oh...that sounds nice..." I said, for I had always wanted to work with children..:.
.:"Great. Tomorrow afternoon all right with you?" she asked and I nodded with a smile:.
.:"I'll be there..":.
.:I was nervous when it was almost time for lunch the following day. I felt poor and shabby in my worn clothes, feeling ashamed of having clothes that looked like this. I washed my face several times; I kept imagining there was specks of dirt all over my face, that my hair was greasy:.
.:And when I had washed my face and hair again, I felt silly, for my face was never all that dirty and my hair was not that greasy. I wondered what was wrong with me. I knew it had to do with Darcy Wise. I wanted so much to impress her, even though I knew I could never do that:.
.:I sighed and closed my eyes as I heard Hope's soft voice urging me on:.
.:"It's not what is on the outside that is important, Colvin. What matters is what is inside," I heard her voice say:.
.:Suddenly I felt very silly for wanting to impress a stranger I had met at the chruch. I would simply be me and if she didn't like me, then it was her loss:.
.:Thinking of what Hope would say in a situation always helped me out. It was as if she was really with me:.
.:Darcy's house was even more beautiful in real life, when I had been impressed beyond words before. I tried to be strong, to remind myself that the inside what was what counted, not where you lived, how you dressed, the way you looked:.
.:I took a deep breath, wondering if she wanted me to go knock on the door when suddenly the door opened and she stepped outside:.
.:She was absolutely breathtaking. She wore a soft dress of lilac, and her hair was up into a ponytail. Her eyes were bright and fresh and I almost thought it were a pity she had gotten so dressed up for me:.
.:She smiled a little when she saw me, making me feel a little more calmer than before:.
.:"Good afternoon," she greeted as she approached:.
.:"Good afternoon," I echoed, even as I felt awkward and small:. .:"Ready to go?" she asked and I nodded with a small smile:. .:She looped her arm with mine before we were walking away from her house:. .:"Where are we having lunch?" I asked, thinking we was going to have it at her house:. .:"I hope you don't mind if we go to this little place in town. It serves country food that I like best, that my parents absolutely despise," she said:. .:"No, I don't mind," I softly said:. .:The place she wanted to go was almost as shabby as my house and relief started to wash over me like the roaring sea. If she could go to eat at places like this, maybe she wouldn't look down on me too much...:. .:We were seated at a booth, each of us facing the other. As we ordered, I was glad Darcy had picked a place like this, for I didn't have much money yet and wanted to offer to pay for her meal, like a gentleman would:. .:"Where are you orginally from? Here?" Darcy asked as the waitress left with our order:. .:"Well, I was born in the town right beside Winnerow. Almost on the borderline in fact. I suppose you were born here?" I inquired and she nodded:. .:"Do you have a job?" she blurted, as I felt my cheeks stain with blood:. .:"I just moved here...not yet," I said:. .:"What would you like to do?":. .:"I want to either be a teacher...or a writer. I think a teacher is out of the question though," I replied, as her dark eyes narrowed a little:. .:"Why is that?" she asked:. .:"Darcy...are you blind? Look at me. Look at my shabby, worn-out clothes and compare them to yours. You'd have a heart attack if you saw my house, it is almost as shabby as this place. I don't have the money to go to college.":. .:I watched as her face was tinted pink, then the color was back into her face as determination washed over her features:. .:"What did I tell you about that? Quit acting like I'm better than you are. I may have grown up under better circumstances, but I am the same as you on the inside. Human. Colvin you can go to college. There are scholarships for those who cannot pay for it. Why do you want to be a teacher, a writer?" she asked:. .:"Why do I have to do all the talking? What do YOU want to be?" I teased, raising my eyebrow. It was pure delight to see the way her smile softly curved onto her face, how it shattered into a wonderful laugh:. .:"Fine. Have it your way. I would like to be a therapist or a motivational speaker.":. .:She laughed when I wrinkled my nose in confusion:. .:"Motivational speaker?" I questioned, as her cheeks blushed:. .:"Yeah...someone who visits schools around the country and talks to kids. I've seen poverty in this town and I want to speak to other children about it. Some children are malnourished with shabby clothes, never see a dentist nor a doctor. I want them to know that it's all right to be poor, that there are places that can help. If that doesn't work, I'd like to be a teacher too," she said:. .:I looked at her for a long moment, feeling something as warm as honey glaze over my heart. The way she spoke of poverty amazed me. She was probably rich, though her heart was caring. She spoke the truth, for I had not seen a doctor since my birth, and not a dentist. I cleaned my teeth and they had no cavities yet, so white they looked bleached at times:. .:She told me more about her family, how her father hardly ever wanted her to go out on dates or to see people, as if he thought she would be easily corrupted. She said her mother was usually indifferent about all her father did and that they always seemed to be arguing:. .:I was a bit scared to tell her about my family, yet I did. I told her about the father I hadn't had and the whore of a mother I had, the stepfather I had put up with and then Hope. I only let a little of my poverty be known and didn't tell her what my stepfather had done to Hope and me...:. .:"Colvin, I really enjoyed talkin with you. I would love to read some of your work," Darcy said with a smile, as I felt my heart beating faster and faster...:.
.:"I have an idea..the elementary school is always looking for tutors to help the children out; the school doesn't have as much money as the church," she said, in a voice that suggested she was ashamed that the chruch was doing so well when the school was not...:.
.:"And?" I asked, as her eyes sparkled:.
.:"So maybe one evening we could volunteer...if you would like to, that is. I mean...we both have a desire to be a teacher...even though I'd rather be a speaker, I think it would be a great experience and would look good on resumes also," she said:.
.:"Oh...that sounds nice..." I said, for I had always wanted to work with children..:.
.:"Great. Tomorrow afternoon all right with you?" she asked and I nodded with a smile:.
.:"I'll be there..":.