Irises Read Free Page B

promised her. Kate had been the best student in her class for the past three years, and this trip was a reward for all her hard work.
    One morning, Mother woke her up earlier than usual.
    â€œCome on, lazybones,” she said, shaking Kate awake.
    â€œWhere are we going?”
    â€œIt’s a surprise!”
    Aunt Julia had already left for work. They caught a bus to downtown San Jose. Then they climbed on the Caltrain, got off in Palo Alto, and took a shuttle to Stanford University.
    â€œWhy are we going to Stanford?” Kate kept asking as the small white bus made its way through the palm-lined streets.
    â€œYou’ll see,” her mother answered.
    When she stepped off the shuttle, Kate was awestruck. Stanford had everything El Paso lacked. It was green and colorful, not dry and brown. She loved to study, and here was a place brimming with an atmosphere of learning, of curiosity. She saw the aged red roofs of the buildings, the students speeding to class on their bicycles, and she felt at once a sense of belonging. This was the place she had always dreamed about.
    â€œYou want to be a doctor, don’t you?” Mother said.
    â€œYes,” Kate answered.
    â€œWell, here’s where you’re going to study to be one.”
    â€œHere? At Stanford? This is one of the best universities in the whole country. How do you know about it?”
    Her mother smiled. “When we were growing up in San Jose, your grandfather worked here as a gardener. He loved Stanford. On Sundays, he and Grandma would sometimes bring your aunt Julia and me to spend the day here, even though he’d spent the whole week working here already. It was his dream for Julia and me to come here someday. We would be the first ever in the family to go to college. But Julia wasn’t interested in college, and I married your father right after high school. Besides, I don’t even know if I could have gotten in. You have to be real smart to get into Stanford. Smart like you.”
    â€œBut it’s so expensive. . . .”
    â€œYou’ll need to work extra hard to get a scholarship.”
    â€œPapa’s never going to let me come here. He’ll want me to go to UTEP.”
    The smile on Mother’s face disappeared. She grabbed Kate by her shoulders and turned her so that they were facing each other. “You are so smart,” her mother told her, looking deep into her eyes. “That kind of intelligence is a gift that you have to develop. If you want to come to Stanford, then we’ll figure out how. God wants you to be as smart as you can, to hold nothing back, to be the best doctor you can be so you can help others. This is the kind of place where you can be the very, very best. You have to promise me you’ll work very hard in the next four years so you can come here if you want to. Do you promise?”
    Kate touched her mother’s hand. “I promise.”
    â€œDo you think you’d like to come here?”
    Kate laughed, excited. “Yes, yes, yes!”
    â€œYou must keep this a secret between us until the time is right. Okay?”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œPromise me you won’t tell anyone. Not even Mary.”
    â€œI promise.”
    â€œGood. See, now you have a dream that will carry you through. No one can keep you from your dream unless yo u let them .”
    â€œWhy would I let them?”
    Mother was quiet for a second, and then she said softly, “Because you love them.”
    â€œIs that why you didn’t try to come to Stanford? Because of your love for Papa?”
    The only answer was a silent smile.
    Mother moaned and Kate snapped out of her reverie. For a moment it almost seemed as if Mother had squeezed her hand, encouraging her not to forget the promise she’d made. She let go of her mother’s hand quickly and stood up. Such things were impossible.
    But she stood for a moment looking down at Mother. Despite what had happened to her