The Handy Helpers: No Burping!—No Slurping!

By Rosemary Morgan Heddens

In this book, Laura is presented with an opportunity to do something that will make a difference. Challenged by her teacher to “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” (Mahatma Gandhi), she reaches out to a lonely woman who works in the cafeteria. The affects of this act go far beyond what she could ever have anticipated.

Every day, we are called by God to join with him in small acts of holiness. When we respond to those calls, we are able to bring about amazing changes in the lives of others. It is my hope and prayer that when we hear that small voice, we will act according to God’s will. It is in this way, we will change the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796021066

Rosemary Morgan Heddens

Rosemary Morgan Heddens recently retired after thirty years as a high school special education teacher. Her characters face many of the same challenges as her former students. Just like her students, her characters don’t let those challenges keep them from doing what they believe in. Mrs. Heddens is a native of Arizona and lives in Chino Valley with her husband, Craig. Together, they enjoy hiking, biking, and kayaking. She has two grown children and three grandchildren. She is the author of This Little Light of Mine, a book she wrote with her daughter, Kirstin, who has Down syndrome. Kirstin, an avid reader, was her advisor on this book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Rosemary Morgan Heddens.

ISBN:                Softcover              978-1-7960-2084-7

                          eBook                   978-1-7960-2106-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/12/2019

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

544843

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Other Handy Helpers Books

To my readers:

In this book, Laura is presented with an opportunity to do something that will make a difference. Challenged by her teacher to be the change you wish to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi), she reaches out to a lonely woman who works in the cafeteria. The effects of this act go far beyond what she could ever have anticipated.

Every day, we are called by God to join Him in small acts of holiness. When we respond to those calls, we are able to bring about amazing changes in the lives of others. It is my hope and prayer that when we hear that small voice, we will act according to God’s will. It is in this way that we will change the world.

To my dear friend, Teresa Mullins.

Without your unwavering support and encouragement, the town of Bluesky would cease to exist, along with all the people who live there.

CHAPTER ONE

Laura put on her backpack and started toward the door. She would be meeting Amber at Melissa’s house so they could ride their bikes to school together. It was what they had always done on the first day of school since third grade.

Laura had her hand on the doorknob when she heard her mother calling. Laura, you can’t leave!

I’m riding my bike to school with my friends. I don’t want to be late for the first day of school.

You can’t ride your bike, her mother told her. You are going to have to take the bus with Taylor and Molly.

I thought you were going to drive them to school since it’s the first day.

I was going to, but now I can’t. Sophie was scheduled to teach this morning’s adult jazz class, but she just called to say she’s sick. I’m going to have to cover her class. Sorry, I know you had plans with your friends, but this is Taylor’s first day of kindergarten. I need you to walk her to her classroom.

Laura’s mother, Emma, owned a dance studio. All three of Laura’s sisters were ballet dancers. Laura gave up ballet when she was four to train in gymnastics. But even that had taken a backseat to her greatest obsession—cooking. During the summer, her older sister, Amanda, an amazing dancer, had been teaching some of the beginner classes while Laura watched her little sisters. Now that they were back in school, Laura was hoping to have more time to perfect her recipes. But without Sophie, her mom would be busier than ever.

Hurry up! Laura yelled to her sisters. The bus will be here any minute. Laura waited at the door. Molly came first, dressed in her first-day-of-school outfit. It was a black-and-white patterned skirt with a white knit top, white knee socks, and clunky black shoes that their mother had been unable to talk her out of. Every year, their mother took them shopping for school clothes. They were allowed to select one complete outfit and a few additional pieces. The rest of their school wardrobes consisted of what their mother called redistributed clothing, but the girls called hand-me-downs. Even Amanda who was the oldest was not totally exempt. Her wardrobe included a few castoffs from their mother’s closet.

We are just being thrifty, Emma reminded her daughters, and good stewards of our resources. Many of Emma’s family members lived in New Orleans, and some of them were still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Any extra money Laura’s family had was sent to help them rebuild and get back on their feet.

Laura and Molly were waiting outside for Taylor who was struggling to get through the door with her backpack. What do you have in there? Laura asked.

Books. I need books for school. I’m going to learn to read today.

Your teacher will have books for you. You don’t need all that. Laura opened Taylor’s backpack and took out six heavy books from their dad’s library.

Gus held Rachel’s hand as they walked down the breezeway at Bluesky Elementary School to the second-grade classrooms. Daniel had been nervous when Gus left him in his fourth-grade room. All the way to school, he kept asking if his teacher knew about his problem. Yes, Gus assured him. Mr. Brown knows all about your Tourette’s. He is going to make sure the other students understand. Just give it a chance. I think you’re going to like school.

Daniel had a previous bad experience in public school. Because he has Tourette’s syndrome, he makes involuntary noises and gestures. The teachers in Harrison had been unable or unwilling to make allowances for what they called distracting behavior. To avoid similar problems, Gus had spent time at the school, informing them of Daniel’s situation. His new teacher, Mr. Brown, met with Daniel and the two seemed to hit it off. Hopefully, having the teacher on his side would make it easier for the other students to accept Daniel.

Rachel had been up since five o’clock, dressed in her new denim jumper. Underneath, she was wearing a pink polo shirt and pink and yellow striped leggings. Pink high-top sneakers completed her outfit. Gus had to admit that taking her shopping for school clothes had been an adventure. Nearly every pink item caught her attention. I thought yellow was your favorite color, Daniel had said.

Not anymore. My friend Trisha likes pink and I like pink.

Trisha’s mother, Fran, had provided Gus with a list of what the children would need for school. When it came time to choose a backpack, Rachel was only interested in My Little Pony.

Exhausted but happy, Gus had driven home after a stop at McDonald’s for lunch—the van loaded down with packages. Daniel had never eaten at McDonald’s, so Rachel taught him the ropes, including how to get inside the playground. Getting them to come out proved to be a little challenging, but after calling their names several times, Rachel’s head appeared in the tunnel opening.

It’s time to go, Gus said. Get your brother and your shoes.

Their older brother, Jeremiah, had been away, working as a wrangler at a summer camp. When he got home, Rachel made a big production of showing Jeremiah all her new things for school.

You’re spoiling them, Gus, Jeremiah said with a sigh.

A little, I guess. But they have a lot of catching up to do in the happiness department. Besides, I don’t remember having this much fun in a long time.

Although he was sixty-nine years old, Gus had taken in the Cole children after they were discovered living in the woods. Their mother died of cancer three years before. After working in the copper mine in Harrison for a few months, their father, Charles, took a job on the Morgan Ranch. During that time, the children were enrolled in an online school because the ranch was located in a remote area. Rachel started kindergarten there and had never been to an actual school.

When Charles was killed in an accident, Mr. Morgan called the authorities to tell them about the children. Jeremiah was worried that if they went into foster care they would be separated. So the night before someone from Child Protective Services could come to the ranch, he bundled up what he could of their belongings and smuggled them away. They moved from place to place, finally living in a little lean-to Jeremiah built on Granger Mountain. That was where Spike discovered them and learned their story. He helped by bringing them food and news from town.

After Spike and his friends rescued Rachel and Daniel from a forest fire, Gus took them in. Although Gus promised to keep the children together and become their foster parent, Jeremiah was suspicious. He was worried that it would be too much for a man Gus’s age and he would soon turn them over to the foster care system. Now, after living with Gus for almost two months, Jeremiah was beginning to trust him a little.

Laura found her friends waiting for her on the playground. Before she left on the bus, Laura had called Amber’s new cell phone to let her know of the change in plans. To Laura’s surprise, Melissa answered the phone. Amber let me use her phone, Melissa said. I wish I had a phone.

I’m surprised your parents didn’t give you a cell phone, Laura told Melissa at school.

Me too. I’m a responsible person, really.

If you had a phone, your parents could call you to check up on you or even track you everywhere you go.

I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe I don’t want a phone after all.

Spike tried his best to keep his mind on what the teacher was saying. It was so hard to get back in the groove of school after summer vacation. Just a day ago, he had been on Lake Mead on a jet ski. One of his dad’s friends had a houseboat and they had gone there for Labor Day weekend. Now he was back in school. Somehow it all felt like a bad dream. Usually, the teacher eased them into it with something fun. Mr. Simons seemed to be different. It was the first time Spike had a man for a teacher. Maybe that was the way they were—all business.

This is a review of what you learned last year in fourth grade. You should already know how to multiply two-digit numbers. We are going to do some practice problems together, so you will be prepared to do your homework.

Homework? Spike looked around at the other students, guessing that they were thinking the same thing he was. Homework on the first day of school? Laura, who was sitting two rows in front of him, was focused on what Mr. Simons was saying, even making notes in her notebook. Beth Anne, seated across from Laura, was muttering under her breath, Baby math. This is baby math.

Aware that Mr. Simons was staring at him, Spike tried to pay attention. His friends, Chris and Logan, who were in Mrs. Richardson’s class, were probably having it easy—maybe giving oral reports on their summer vacations. Spike wanted to look at the clock but didn’t dare. Then Mr. Simons bent over to help Elizabeth Sawyer, seated in the front row. A quick glance at the clock showed twenty minutes until lunch.

Spike didn’t really know Elizabeth Sawyer, but Chris told him a little about her. She was in his Sunday school class. He said she was very competitive and liked to win everything. Spike was always a little suspicious of students who sat in the front row. He couldn’t imagine why they would do that unless it was to get on the teacher’s good side. Teacher’s pet, Spike whispered as he watched Elizabeth flick her brown pony tail so that it whipped across the face of Damien Long, who was seated behind her.

The cafeteria was crowded and noisy as usual. It took Spike several minutes to find a place to sit. Chris and Logan were in the lunch line and would be joining him soon. Spike liked to bring his lunch on the first day because he wasn’t sure what they would be serving in the cafeteria. He took out his peanut butter sandwich. His mother had made the sandwich with natural peanut butter on seven-grain bread, using all fruit preserves instead of jelly. She was on a health-food kick, a phase that Spike knew moms go through sometimes. He was hoping she’d get over it soon. No chips or cookies, he said, just carrots and grapes.

Hey, you with the purple hair, move over so other children can sit down! It was a woman Spike had never seen before. She was about his mother’s age, wearing a cafeteria worker apron, and looking like she could melt ice with her fiery eyes. Her name badge read Mrs. Meniere.

I’m saving these seats for my friends, Spike muttered, weakly.

There’s no saving. Now move over so other children can sit down.

My friends are right there in the line. They’ll be here in just a minute.

I said move!

Spike did as Mrs. Meniere demanded, but moved back as soon as she walked away.

Spike’s real name was Michael, but the kids all called him Spike because of his spiked hair. Sometimes he liked to add a little color. His mother wouldn’t let him actually dye his hair, but colored hair spray did the trick.

Who’s that new cafeteria lady? Spike asked his friends as they sat down with their lunches.

I don’t know, but she’s strict, Chris said. She busted some kids for talking in line—just talking, not messing around or anything.

After lunch, Logan and Chris said goodbye to Spike and went back in Mrs. Richardson’s classroom. The school day always seemed so long on the first day. Nobody was used to sitting for hours. That was why the students were happy when Mrs. Richardson announced that they were going to change things up a little bit.

You all worked hard this morning, and I know you’re dying to talk about what you did for the summer. So that’s what we’re going to do this afternoon. One by one, students stepped to the front of the class and talked about trips they had taken or projects they worked on during the summer. Chris told about his trip to California to visit his grandparents. Everyone was excited to hear how he learned to surf and saw the stars in the sidewalk on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Melissa and Amber asked to do their report together so that they could tell everyone about summer camp. Melissa talked about swimming in the lake and learning archery. Amber filled them in on the overnight campout and horseback riding. Some of the kids said they wanted to go to camp next summer; it sounded like so much fun.

When it was Logan’s turn, he shared his experiences on a camping trip with his father to Blue Ridge Reservoir. My dad rented a cabin in the White Mountains. We did some hiking and spent a lot of time at the reservoir. There was a great swimming hole and tall boulders to jump off into the deep water. My dad rented a kayak and we took it down the reservoir, which is more like a long, deep river than a lake. The water was smooth as glass but choppy in some places. The current carried us, so we hardly had to row. Rock cliffs and tall pines were on both sides. When we reached a sandy beach, we got out and the kayak people drove us back to our car. We went fishing and ate trout for dinner. It was a great trip. I hope I get to go back there some day.

Jeremiah left his last class of the day, advanced biology. He spotted Melody talking with some kids who were gathered in an outdoor area of the high school that the students called the quad. It was a grass area surrounded by trees. Students were seated on benches and at tables, talking and laughing. Melody gestured to Jeremiah to come over, but he held up the books in his hands, indicating that he had lots of homework. Melody mouthed, Sorry, and went back to talking with her friends as Jeremiah continued to the student parking lot and got in his Ranger pickup.

Government was the only class he and Melody had together. It was just before lunch, which made it convenient, as they had naturally gone to lunch together. Melody had talked in an animated fashion about all the things she was looking forward to as a senior—football games, homecoming, student council. Jeremiah felt overwhelmed. He had always been a good student, but he was missing some of the credits he needed to graduate. When he ran away from the Morgan ranch, it was in the middle of a semester and he lost all the credits he had been working on. That meant taking extra classes before and after the regular school day. With his job caring for horses at the community stables, he knew he was going to have to work very hard to keep up with everything. Having a