Jade was touched by her sensitivity. “That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Hearon. Anyway, there’s nothing more to be said.” She replaced the strap of her handbag on her shoulder, hoisted Graham off her lap, and stood up. “Thank you very much for the breakfast.”
“Just a minute, Miss Sperry,” Dean Hearon said. “Sit down, please.” He waited until she complied. Folding his hands beneath his chin, he gave her a probing look. “Frankly, I’m stunned and disappointed. I’ve rarely seen a candidate for a full scholarship more deserving than you, or one as obviously delighted when it was granted. You fairly flew out of my office. What’s happened since I last saw you?”
Jade considered a number of viable lies. However, looking into their eyes made lying impossible. They were curious, yes, but that distasteful human trait was allayed by something not so common—genuine concern.
“My mother eloped.” Evidently her answer wasn’t what they had expected, so she elaborated. “My mother took care of Graham while I worked. I had planned to continue working after classes and on weekends, but now I won’t be able to afford child care in addition to our living expenses.”
“Surely—”
Jade shook her head, cutting off the dean’s interruption. “I’ve exhausted all options, believe me.” At the expense of her job in Savannah, she had been making weekly runs to Morgantown in search of lodging, a job, and acceptable child-care facilities. Her search had been futile.
“Any child-care facility that I would consider—and I admit to being very particular—I can’t afford, even if their hours of operation were compatible with my schedule. On top of that, with the influx of students beginning the fall semester, I haven’t even been able to find a job. Since my mother is no longer available to help me, it’s impossible for me to enroll this semester.”
She lowered her eyes, unwilling for them to see her fear. Not only was her college career at stake, but their livelihood as well. Her supervisor in Savannah had lost patience with her for requesting so much time off and had fired her. Before her elopement, Velta had emptied their meager savings account, taking what was left from the sale of the house in Palmetto.
Jade was down to her last twenty dollars. Twelve of it had to pay for their room at the Pine Haven Motor Court tonight. Tomorrow she would run out of money. She supposed she would have to throw herself on the mercy of her former supervisor in Savannah and beg for her job back.
“Turning down this scholarship seems a rather dramatic and drastic step, Miss Sperry,” Dean Hearon said.
“I agree, but at this time I have no alternative. It won’t deter me from getting an education, Dr. Hearon. I promise you that. I have reasons for wanting to earn a diploma as quickly as possible.”
“Those reasons being?”
“Personal.”
Her terse answer caused him to frown. “Why did you apply for a scholarship at Dander College?”
“Truthfully?”
“You’ve been painfully candid thus far.”
“It was one of the remaining few in a three-state area that I hadn’t tried. I’ve been declined financial aid from scores of other colleges and universities. Since it’s a church-related school, I relied on Dander’s Christian benevolence.”
“And if we had turned you down, what did you propose to do?”
“What I still plan to do—keep trying.”
Dr. Hearon cleared his throat. “Am I correct in presuming that Graham’s father—”
“Graham’s father is dead.” People would always want to know. That seemed the simplest answer. She doubted that they believed her, but they didn’t pursue it.
“I know about a job,” Cathy Hearon said suddenly. “Dear,” she turned to her husband, “you know Dorothy Davis. She owns that shop where I buy most of my clothes.” To Jade she said, “Just yesterday, Miss Dorothy told me she’s looking for someone to handle her bookkeeping. She said her eyes have gotten so bad she can’t read the invoices anymore.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. The old bat must be pushing eighty.”
Cathy slapped the back of her husband’s hand. “Don’t listen to him, Jade. Miss Dorothy is rather crusty, but really a kind soul underneath. She’s had to be tough in order to be a good businesswoman. Would you be interested?”
“I’m interested in anything, Mrs. Hearon. And business is my major. But a job alone won’t help. I still haven’t found a suitable daycare center or a place to live.”
“Surely there’s something available.”
Jade thought of the twenty dollars in her purse. She couldn’t even put down a deposit to move in. “I’m afraid not, Mrs. Hearon.”
The Dean of Student Affairs consulted his watch and stood up. “I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now. It’s time to cut to the heart of the matter.”
He lowered his bushy eyebrows in a vain attempt to make himself look stern. “Miss Sperry, I believe that what you are too proud to admit is that, through no fault of your own, you are destitute. I’ve never interviewed a young person more determined than you to get an education. Only the gravest set of circumstances could have dampened your enthusiasm and determination. I admire your pride.
“On the other hand,” he said with an authoritative ring that had often roused dozing students, “too much pride can work against an individual. That’s the time to step from behind your pride, expose your vulnerability, and give someone the honor of helping you.