Modern Fairy Tales, Part 2

By Kris

Dan's hands shook, his vision blurred, his mouth went dry, his heart was pounding...he was gonna die.

"Dan! What's wrong? What does the letter say?"

The BWGs were gathered around Dan in the Wheelers' stable. It was the beginning of winter break. It was also Early Decision time.

"I got into... I got into..." Dan collapsed onto a bale of hay. He couldn't move.

"Into what?" His uncle Bill clapped him on the shoulder, then took two envelopes and an open letter from his hand. "Spit it out."

Regan looked down at the letter. " Dear Mr. Mangan, it is with great pleasure that we.... My god."

"Oh, for gosh sakes, what is it?" Trixie snatched the letter from Regan's hand. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that Jim was grinning from ear to ear.

"YALE!" she shrieked. "Dan got into Yale!"

The BWGs started yelling, hugging Dan and each other, and even crying. Regan sat down next to his nephew. Now they were both speechless.

Trixie pointed to the other, much thicker envelope. "Dan, this one has a Y on it, too."

Suddenly, Dan could move. He pounced on the envelope, tearing it to shreds in his desperation to see the contents. Sure, he got in, but would he get to go?

He read the letter, then read it again. He finally looked up. "I can go. They gave me full tuition, partial room and board, and a campus job. I can go!!!" He almost shouted the last sentence, he was so relieved.

He turned to hug his uncle, who could only manage, "When did you...? How did you...?" Regan had hoped he'd be able to help Dan swing the tuition at Westchester Community College next year. They'd never talked about something like this.

Dan had Mr. Maypenny to thank for the idea of taking a shot at the Ivy League college. That suggestion led to their first and only real argument.

 

Why not try, Daniel? I've seen your transcript and your test scores. You're as qualified as anyone else. I'd be happy to write an alumnus recommendation letter for you.

Yeah, right, they're gonna pant after a former street kid with a record!

Don't let that stop you, son. You have to believe in yourself and your abilities.

I believe in my abilities. I DON'T believe in myself. I'm a loser compared to those kids.

Come now. Even little children know what it takes to succeed. Don't you remember the story of "The Little Engine That Could"?

Oh, man, don't go there. I HATE that insipid story. It's a load of b---, uh, baloney.... Look, I'm just lucky I'm not in prison. I'm not falling for that "I think I can" junk. I'm just gonna be grateful for whatever comes my way.

It isn't junk, my boy. Good advice stands the test of time, no matter how simplistic it may be.

Somehow, Mr. Maypenny had prevailed, the twinkling in his eyes reassuring Dan that the older man understood.

Dan hadn't told anyone else except the teachers and the judge who had written his recommendation letters that he'd applied to Yale on the Early Decision program. He hadn't even told his friends how high his SAT scores were. They only knew his grades had improved dramatically since the winter he was placed in his uncle's custody.

Sleepyside Junior-Senior High initially refused to place him in the sophomore class, assigning him to Mart's freshman homeroom instead, because his attendance record in the city had been so bad. With the BWGs' support, he'd turned his life around, and the next fall the school promoted him to the junior class, after all. It had been hard to watch Jim, who was younger than Dan, graduate ahead of him with Brian.

When it was time to complete his college application essay, though, he'd turned to Jim for input. Among all his friends, only Jim could understand how difficult it was to put down on paper what it was like to lose so much, so young.

Even though Dan's juvenile criminal record was sealed, there were a lot of gaps in his transcript to explain. He'd decided to be honest. He'd also prayed, hoping against hope that his guardian angel had just been on vacation for awhile.

"I don't get it. Why me?" Dan looked around at his friends, still reeling but beginning to feel the blood flow in veins again.

Mart thumped him on the back. "Dan," he exclaimed, "they say college admissions are one-third academics, one-third extracurriculars, and one-third pure luck. Your luck has turned, man."

"No, my luck turned when I met you guys. Thanks," Dan choked out.

Dan had figured he needed to be a team captain, president of the student council, or editor of the school newspaper for a college to take notice of him. He'd never dreamed all the community service projects with the BWGs could make such a difference for him, too.

"You wrote an amazing essay, Dan," Jim said quietly. "It probably set you apart from the dozens of boarding school lacrosse players."

They all smiled at Jim's none-to-subtle dig at his obnoxious cousin, Ben Riker, who hadn't gotten into Yale last year. Man, this is so sweet. I beat Riker on his home court.

"Well, whatever it said, it got the admissions committee's attention," Brian added.

"Just remember, you deserve it, Dan, as much as anybody else there," Honey said firmly. "We're so proud of you."

"Group hug!" Diana cried, and soon all of them, including Regan, had encircled Dan in their arms.