'Tying Tennis Shoes'

ROXANNE sat in her art class painting a grove of palm trees. Holding the paper down with her right arm she stroked purple watercolor shadows with her left hand. She had been born with just one hand and had to do everything that way. The hardest thing was tying her tennis shoes. Was she ever happy to discover Velcro shoe fasteners.

"Roxie, you should enter your painting in the county fair contest," her friend Julie said.

Roxanne felt uneasy. Julie must feel sorry for her and wanted to make her feel good.

"Julie, you're making me nervous."

"I'm entering my mosaic tray. You should enter your painting."

"You're saying that just 'cause you're my friend." Roxanne grabbed her sweater to cover her arm on the way to the cafeteria. It embarrassed her when people stared. She didn't want them to feel sorry for her.

When Roxanne turned in her painting, Miss Pendleton studied it silently.

Then Julie bounced up. "Shouldn't she enter it in the county fair contest?"

"Julie!" Roxanne burst out.

"It's good, Roxanne. The perspective is dramatic."

"Thank you." Roxanne's cheeks burned. She wished she were invisible. After stacking her paintings to take home she went to wash up.

"Are you going to enter your picture?" Julie pestered.

"Maybe," But she didn't want to. It wouldn't win anything.

"If you don't enter it I will." Julie persisted.

Next day! Roxanne answered the phone. It was Julie.

"The newspaper says contest entries must be at Webster's Market before 4 o'clock Saturday. That's tomorrow. Here come us winners! Me in handicrafts and you in painting!"

What confidence Julie had. "You nut," Roxanne said with a laugh.

On Saturday at 10 minutes after 4 Roxanne was doing homework. Glancing at the clock, a quivery feeling passed through her. She was a coward to not enter her painting.

Julie called just then. "Did you enter your painting, Roxie?"

"Heck, I forgot."

Julie burst out laughing. "That's OK. I entered it for you."

"What? I brought it home with my other drawings."

"I slipped it out while you were washing up."

"You! You!" Roxanne stuttered, "I'm never going to speak to you again."

"Hey, Roxanne, I just wanted to help you. I'm sorry."

Roxanne hung up the phone and stood seething. After a moment she felt silly and angry for being a coward and burst into tears. She forced herself to walk to Julie's house. When Julie opened the door Roxanne said, "I'm, sorry I yelled at you."