smiled. "She ripped through everything
anyone gave her. She was like a sponge that had been left out to
dry for years, and then someone threw her into the water.
"She was one of the first Kay scholars, but
the program wasn’t what it is today. It paid for her room and board
the first two years, but then only half of it after that. And Josie
came from nothing." She caught Emily’s eyes. "She came from less
than nothing. She barely ate most of the time as it was. She
couldn’t get a loan to cover everything. She wasn’t going to be
able to stay."
She looked at Jessie pleadingly. Jessie took
a step back and Emily put her arm around her. "I thought I was
doing her a favor, I really did. She could have gone on to do great
things. I wanted her to stay. That’s why I introduced them. They’d
just started the scholarship."
Emily held her breath. "The Bartolome
Scholar’s fund?"
"That’s the one," Joanna said bitterly. "And
Tom was the chair. He was the one who was going to make the
ultimate decision. And Josie was so smart and so charming." She
sniffled. "I thought it might help."
"And don’t forget very pretty," Lucy hissed.
"Did you think that would help too?"
"Yes," Joanna said, the tears welling again.
"And I’ve never been more ashamed of anything in my whole
life."
Jessie’s lip trembled. She looked at Miranda,
who shook her head. She looked at Richard, who swallowed. "Richard,
what are they saying?"
"Jess." He walked over and embraced Jessie.
"It doesn’t matter sweetheart. None of this touches you."
She looked up. For the second time since
she’d met her, Emily saw tears in her eyes. "You’re wrong, Richard.
Tell the truth. They’re just going to keep lying like they always
have."
Richard’s eyes were red. "Jessie, it doesn’t
matter."
Jessie wept now into Richards shoulder.
Miranda started crying too. "Richard, it does. She deserves to
know."
Richard took a deep breath and hugged Jessie.
He glared at Joanna. "Finish what you started."
Joanna took a deep breath. "I arranged for
them to meet in a restaurant. I wasn’t there. I was crossing my
fingers the whole night. I was planning what I’d say to Tom to help
her—what I’d do—if I needed to. But then she didn’t come to class
that day. I was worried. I thought he’d turned her down, and she
was packing up. So I found out where her dorm was and I went to see
her." She was silent for a minute. She finally found her words.
"She was black and blue, on her face and her arms. She’d thrown her
dress into the garbage, but I saw it. It was ripped. She screamed
at me for making her go. She was hurt, but she wouldn’t let me take
her to the doctors.
"I checked on her every day for a week, and I
somehow managed to convince her to come to class by the next week.
At first she didn’t want to talk or do her work, but slowly she
came around. I was going to help her, I really was. I was going to
keep her there if I had to take out a loan myself."
"Such dedication," Lucy said with a sneer.
But Emily smiled in spite of herself, remembering the day Joanna
had offered her the job of her dreams.
"And then a few weeks later she came to
class, but she couldn’t talk again. Her eyes were red from crying.
I pulled her aside after class, and she broke down. I dragged her
into my office, and I finally made her tell me." Joanna closed her
eyes and put her face in her hand, trying to avoid Jessie’s
eyes.
Jessie couldn’t breathe. "Oh, God," she said
softly. "Oh, no."
"I think you can stop now," Richard said
forcefully.
"No!" Jessie shouted. "It was 1991. It
doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t she..." She looked sick. "She didn’t
have to keep me! I wouldn’t have kept me!"
Miranda’s lip trembled. "I’m glad she did,"
she said quietly.
"It wasn’t an option for her," Joanna said.
"She couldn’t make herself do it, even though it meant everything
was going to have to change." She shook her head. "And I was
terrified for her. I told her to leave
anyone gave her. She was like a sponge that had been left out to
dry for years, and then someone threw her into the water.
"She was one of the first Kay scholars, but
the program wasn’t what it is today. It paid for her room and board
the first two years, but then only half of it after that. And Josie
came from nothing." She caught Emily’s eyes. "She came from less
than nothing. She barely ate most of the time as it was. She
couldn’t get a loan to cover everything. She wasn’t going to be
able to stay."
She looked at Jessie pleadingly. Jessie took
a step back and Emily put her arm around her. "I thought I was
doing her a favor, I really did. She could have gone on to do great
things. I wanted her to stay. That’s why I introduced them. They’d
just started the scholarship."
Emily held her breath. "The Bartolome
Scholar’s fund?"
"That’s the one," Joanna said bitterly. "And
Tom was the chair. He was the one who was going to make the
ultimate decision. And Josie was so smart and so charming." She
sniffled. "I thought it might help."
"And don’t forget very pretty," Lucy hissed.
"Did you think that would help too?"
"Yes," Joanna said, the tears welling again.
"And I’ve never been more ashamed of anything in my whole
life."
Jessie’s lip trembled. She looked at Miranda,
who shook her head. She looked at Richard, who swallowed. "Richard,
what are they saying?"
"Jess." He walked over and embraced Jessie.
"It doesn’t matter sweetheart. None of this touches you."
She looked up. For the second time since
she’d met her, Emily saw tears in her eyes. "You’re wrong, Richard.
Tell the truth. They’re just going to keep lying like they always
have."
Richard’s eyes were red. "Jessie, it doesn’t
matter."
Jessie wept now into Richards shoulder.
Miranda started crying too. "Richard, it does. She deserves to
know."
Richard took a deep breath and hugged Jessie.
He glared at Joanna. "Finish what you started."
Joanna took a deep breath. "I arranged for
them to meet in a restaurant. I wasn’t there. I was crossing my
fingers the whole night. I was planning what I’d say to Tom to help
her—what I’d do—if I needed to. But then she didn’t come to class
that day. I was worried. I thought he’d turned her down, and she
was packing up. So I found out where her dorm was and I went to see
her." She was silent for a minute. She finally found her words.
"She was black and blue, on her face and her arms. She’d thrown her
dress into the garbage, but I saw it. It was ripped. She screamed
at me for making her go. She was hurt, but she wouldn’t let me take
her to the doctors.
"I checked on her every day for a week, and I
somehow managed to convince her to come to class by the next week.
At first she didn’t want to talk or do her work, but slowly she
came around. I was going to help her, I really was. I was going to
keep her there if I had to take out a loan myself."
"Such dedication," Lucy said with a sneer.
But Emily smiled in spite of herself, remembering the day Joanna
had offered her the job of her dreams.
"And then a few weeks later she came to
class, but she couldn’t talk again. Her eyes were red from crying.
I pulled her aside after class, and she broke down. I dragged her
into my office, and I finally made her tell me." Joanna closed her
eyes and put her face in her hand, trying to avoid Jessie’s
eyes.
Jessie couldn’t breathe. "Oh, God," she said
softly. "Oh, no."
"I think you can stop now," Richard said
forcefully.
"No!" Jessie shouted. "It was 1991. It
doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t she..." She looked sick. "She didn’t
have to keep me! I wouldn’t have kept me!"
Miranda’s lip trembled. "I’m glad she did,"
she said quietly.
"It wasn’t an option for her," Joanna said.
"She couldn’t make herself do it, even though it meant everything
was going to have to change." She shook her head. "And I was
terrified for her. I told her to leave
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