Anna All Year Round (2 page)

Wally, Rosa, and Beatrice are also in the high third, but Patrick and Charlie are in the low. Anna feels sorry for Charlie, but he and Patrick don't care. They hate school.

One day in October Miss Levine decides the high third is ready for long division. "Suppose we have 483 oranges," she says. "And we want to divide them among 23 boys and girls. This is how we do it."

Anna watches Miss Levine's chalk fly across the blackboard as she shows the children how to divide the oranges. Ever since Anna started school, she's been a top reader but she's always had trouble with arithmetic. In her opinion, numbers are much harder than letters. And not nearly as interesting. All you can do with numbers is make problems. But you can make stories and poems with words. Stories and poems are definitely more fun than problems.

"There!" Miss Levine turns to the class with a big smile. "Each of you smart children would get twenty-one nice juicy oranges! Do you see what I did to find the solution?"

Anna nods her head like the other children. Nothing Miss Levine has said or done makes sense to her, but Anna is afraid to raise her hand and ask a question. Miss Levine might think Anna does not belong in the high third.

Rosa sits beside Anna. She cannot read as well as Anna but she is very good with numbers. Anna is afraid she will lose her place at the top of the class to Rosa.

Instead of asking Miss Levine for help, Anna secretly copies Rosa's work. If Rosa knew what Anna was doing, she'd tell the teacher or cover her problems with her hand, so Anna is careful not to be caught. She feels bad about doing this, but she cannot risk telling Miss Levine she doesn't understand long division.

No one catches Anna until the day Miss Levine sends the children to the blackboard in groups of four. She tells them they are going to have long division races. Whoever solves the problem first will receive a gold star. Anna knows she will not get one today.

Miss Levine says, "The dividend is 6281. The divisor is 47. When you find the quotient, go to your seat."

The four children write the problem on the blackboard. Anna is so nervous she drops her stick of chalk. While she's picking it up, she steals a peek at Rosa's work, but she cannot see it well enough to copy from it.

Anna stares at the numbers she's written on the blackboard. On both sides, she hears the clatter of chalk as Rosa, Wally, and Eunice zip through the problem. What Anna writes is wrong. She erases the numbers with her hand and starts again. It is still wrong. She rubs it out. The sweat on her hands makes the blackboard slippery. Her chalk won't stick to it.

Rosa finishes first and goes to her desk. She smirks as she passes Anna. Wally finishes. Eunice finishes. But Anna is still rubbing out numbers and trying to write new ones. Behind her back, children begin to giggle.

Anna's hand shakes. Her knees tremble. Tears fill her eyes. Miss Levine must know the truth now. Anna does not understand long division. She will be sent to the low third with Charlie. She will never receive a gold star again. Mother will have nothing to brag to Aunt May about. Worst of all, Father will be disappointed.

Finally Miss Levine takes the chalk from Anna. "Go to your seat," she says crossly. "You will remain inside at recess."

Before Charlie leaves, he drops a note in Anna's lap. It says,
Dere Anna, Im sory yor in trubbel. I will by you a jaw braker after skool. Yor frend Charlie.

When the classroom is empty, Miss Levine sends Anna to the blackboard and gives her a new problem. "Perhaps you can work better when no one is watching you," she says.

Anna cannot do the problem, so Miss Levine gives her another one. And another. And then another. Anna cannot do any of the problems.

Miss Levine gives Anna one more chance. "Suppose I have 245 apples," she says. "How can I divide them among 11 children?"

Anna begins to cry. She wants to ask Miss Levine why she has so many apples. She wants to ask her why she wants to divide them up among the children. She wants to know if she, Anna, would get an apple. But she just stands there, crying.

Miss Levine scowls at Anna. "Tell me the truth," she says. "Have you been copying Rosa Schuman's answers?"

Anna twists her hands. She cannot look at Miss Levine. "Yes," she whispers.

"Anna Elisabeth Sherwood, I am ashamed of you," Miss Levine says. "Take your things and move to the back of the room. Until you learn long division, you will remain in the low third."

Still crying, Anna empties her desk. What will she tell Father and Mother?

When the children come in from recess, they are surprised to see Anna sitting in the back of the room. Rosa whispers something in Beatrice's ear that makes both girls giggle, but Charlie pats Anna's shoulder. "Don't worry," he tells Anna. "You won't stay here long. You're much too smart."

Anna hopes Charlie is right.

***

After dinner that night, Anna makes up the silliest problem she can think of. "If you had 517 bananas and you wanted to divide them among 28 monkeys, how would you do it?" she asks Father.

Father thinks a moment. "Why, I suppose I'd throw them all up in the air," he says at last, "and sit back and watch the fun."

Anna frowns. This is not the time for Father's jokes. "Please tell me how to divide 517 by 28," she says.

Father takes the pencil Anna hands him and begins to write. He shows Anna more than one way to divide. He lets her decide which method she understands best. Then he watches her work.

Finally Father says, "Why didn't you tell me you're having trouble with long division, Anna?"

"I was ashamed," she whispers. "I was scared you'd think I wasn't smart after all."

"Oh, Anna," Father says. "We all have trouble understanding things sometimes. You're only eight years old. I don't expect you to know everything."

Anna begins to cry. "I copied Rosa's long division and Miss Levine found out. She put me in the lower third. She says I have to stay there till I learn long division."

Father pats Anna's hand. "Promise you'll never cheat again, Anna. If you need help, please come to me."

Every night for two weeks, Anna and Father work on long division together. Mother sits nearby, embroidering. She doesn't know any more about long division than Anna does.

When Anna is sure she understands, she asks Miss Levine to give her a long-division test at recess time.

The problems are very hard, but Anna remembers Father's lessons. When she's finished, she sits quietly and waits for Miss Levine to check her answers. She hears the children shouting on the playground. They're having much more fun than Anna.

Finally Miss Levine says, "Anna, you may gather your things and return to your desk in the front of the room." With just the hint of a smile, she adds, "And please stay there. All this moving about is distracting to the other children."

When the boys and girls come back from recess, Charlie is happy to see Anna in her old place. "I told you you were too smart to stay in the low third," he says.

Anna glances at Rosa. She doesn't look pleased to see Anna sitting beside her again. "You'd better not copy from me," Rosa whispers. "I'll tell if you do."

Anna would like to pinch Rosa's plump arm but she keeps her hands to herself. It wouldn't do to make Miss Levine cross. "If you don't stop copying my spelling tests," Anna hisses, "
I'll
tell on
you.
"

Rosa hides her red face behind her reading book, but Anna raises her hand to answer Miss Levine's first question about today's story. She can hardly wait to tell Father she's back in the top third.

ONE NOVEMBER MORNING ANNA WAKES UP AND SEES
frost on her window. The bedroom floor is cold under her bare feet. She dresses quickly and runs downstairs to breakfast. At this time of year, the kitchen is the warmest room in the house.

Anna holds her cup of cocoa with both hands, feeling the heat. "Brrr," she says.

Father looks at Mother over the top of his newspaper. "I suppose it's time to order a wagonload of coal," he says."Winter's coming. We'll need the furnace soon."

"Anna wouldn't be cold if she wore long underwear like a sensible girl," Mother says.

Anna makes a face. She hates scratchy wool underwear. When the radiator in her classroom comes on, the heat makes her legs itch.

Mother sighs. "Eat your oatmeal," she tells Anna. "Perhaps it will keep you warm."

Anna makes another face. She hates oatmeal even more than long underwear.

"Oatmeal's good for you," Mother says. "It sticks to your ribs."

"Like plaster," Father adds, with a wink. "That's why it keeps out the cold."

Before Anna leaves for school, Mother reaches into the hall closet and pulls out Anna's blue coat. "You'll need this today."

When Anna puts on her coat, it feels tight across the shoulders.

"My, my, Anna, you've grown," Mother says. "It's time for a trip to the tailor for a new coat."

Anna looks at her sleeves. They are way too short. The shoulders are too narrow. Her dress shows below the coat's hem. It looks like she's wearing someone else's coat, someone much younger than she is. "I can't wear this," Anna says. "It's too small."

Against Mother's wishes, Anna takes off her coat. But when she opens the front door, the wind roars into the house. Its icy breath makes Anna shiver. She must wear her old coat to school after all. Reluctantly she buttons it tight and runs toward school. If she's lucky, she'll get to the cloakroom and hang up her coat before anyone sees her.

Unfortunately, Rosa and Beatrice catch up with Anna at the corner. They're both wearing brand-new coats. Beatrice's is a dull gray but Rosa's is bright red. It has black satin trim and a stylish little belt. Anna would love to have one exactly like it.

"See my new coat?" Rosa asks Anna. She spins around to show off. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Anna puts her hands in her pockets, hoping to hide her coat's short sleeves. "It's very nice," she says politely.

Rosa smiles. She looks hard at Anna's coat. Even though Rosa says nothing, Anna knows what Rosa is thinking: Anna needs a new coat, too.

***

On Saturday, Mother, Father, and Anna ride the trolley downtown. As they walk past Hutzler's department store, Anna sees a display of girls' coats in the window. One is just like Rosa's.

Anna tugs at Mother's hand. "Look, Mother," she says. "Why can't we buy one of those coats? We could take it home today and I could wear it to church tomorrow. I wouldn't have to wait for the tailor to make it."

Mother shakes her head and frowns. "Store-bought clothes are made of cheap material. They're not well cut or well sewn. Why, one of those coats would fall apart before you outgrew it."

Anna thinks the coats are beautiful, but she knows better than to argue. Mother is an excellent seamstress. She makes dresses for Anna and herself, as well as all of Father's shirts. Sometimes she sews for other people, too. She made Aunt May's wedding dress. She makes christening gowns and caps for all her nieces and nephews.

If Mother says the coats are no good, she's probably right. Maybe Rosa's coat will fall apart soon. Anna hopes it does. It would serve snobby Rosa right.

Mr. Abraham meets Mother and Father at the door of his shop. "What can I do for you today, Mr. Sherwood?" he asks Father.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Father says. "But Anna needs a new coat."

Anna stretches out her arms to show Mr. Abraham how short her sleeves are. "I'm eight now," she says. "I've grown a lot since I was seven!"

"My goodness, Anna, you're shooting up like a stalk of corn in July," Mr. Abraham says. "If you keep growing this fast, your head will go right through the ceiling!"

Everyone laughs except Anna. She thinks Mr. Abraham is teasing her, but what if he's not? What if she grows and grows and grows like Alice in Wonderland? What if she ends up as tall as Uncle Frank? He's over six feet tall. Every time he visits, he bumps his head on the living-room chandelier.

Mr. Abraham takes a measuring tape from his pocket and leads Anna to a low stool in front of a mirror."Stand here, please,"he says."And don't fidget."