Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story Page #2

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as the thieves chased them

across rocky, barren land.

These missionaries' feet

were cut open by sharp stones.

Their clothes were torn by brambles,

and, finally, they came upon a great fortress,

but the Bandit King was right behind them.

The doctor ran up to the front door

of the fortress and tried to open it.

But it was locked.

If only someone would let them in.

No one was there.

And the doctor and his wife hid, but the

Bandit King saw them and drew his sword.

There appeared to be nothing

that could save God's good people.

The Bandit King was after me,

and so I hid under some straw,

and a blue mouse came out

and scared his horse.

And I got away. I saw it in my brain.

That's good.

That's your imagination working.

But it was real, it was really real.

-Did I say it wasn't real?

-It's not real.

-That's why it's called imagination, dummy.

-Shut up.

Watch your mouth, Curtis.

Mother, I want to be a doctor.

A missionary doctor, just like the one

Pastor Ford told us about.

You can be anything you want to be

in this life,

as long as you're willing to work at it.

That goes for you, too, Curtis.

God will not abandon you.

excuse me.

I need to talk to someone.

I have a darkness I can't control.

Come with me, ma'am.

Let's see if we can help you. All right?

I've spent my childhood in foster care.

When my husband, Mr. Carson, marred me,

he was my ticket out of there.

-How old were you?

-13.

We were happy.

We had a lovely home, 2 beautiful boys.

Then what?

I don't like to talk about it.

He had another wife and kids.

When I found out, my life fell apart.

When was this, Mrs. Carson?

But I couldn't leave my husband

'cause my boys needed their daddy

and I didn't know

how I'd make it on my own.

-Are you still together?

-No.

I found out he was dealing drugs,

so me and the boys moved to Boston.

-I've got a sister there.

-Why'd you come back to Detroit?

I got the house in the divorce, and I kept it.

I rent it out for income,

but I've been saving money in a cookie jar,

and me and my boys

are gonna move back in.

-How do you support yourself?

-I clean houses, and I baby-sit.

That's about all I can do.

Nobody knows this.

I'm so dumb, I can't even read.

And I fear my boys

are gonna turn out the same way.

And nothing's gonna work out.

I try to fight these feelings.

I don't show them to Bennie and Curtis.

But, lately, I can't stop them.

I even think about killing myself.

Mrs. Carson, what would you say

to checking yourself in with us?

-No.

-Just for a little while.

-I can't afford to do anything like...

-Don't think about the money.

We'll find the money.

Boys, I'm gonna be going away

for a little while.

What? What do you mean?

-Where?

-Just for a few weeks.

I'm going back to Boston

to see your aunt Jean Avery.

-Can't we come with you?

-No.

You got school. You got homework.

-So, you're just gonna leave us alone?

-Of course not.

Sister Scott is gonna come

and stay with you.

In the meantime,

I want you boys to do me a favor.

I want you both to learn

your times tables while I'm gone.

-What?

-No way!

You can do it.

Do you know how many there are?

-That could take a year.

-Won't take my boys a year. You're smart.

Not that smart. Nobody can memorize them.

I did, and I just went to the third grade.

-But it's hard work.

-Well,

hard work ain't never hurt nobody.

Besides, you ain't going outside to play

till you learn them tables.

Wait. Mother, please, no.

Come on, that's not far.

Come on, Mother.

You're the meanest mom in the world.

-5 times 4.

-30.

-No.

-31?

This isn't a guessing game, Bennie.

Bennie, listen to your brother.

-Here you are, Mrs. Philiman.

-Thank you.

-Mildred?

-No.

-Kathy?

-22.

-Mark?

-25 out of 25.

excellent.

Benjamin?

-Benjamin?

-I didn't cheat.

I didn't say you did. What's your score?

Sister Scott! Sister Scott!

I got an A!

I got an A.

Sister Scott! Sister Scott!

I got... Mother!

-I missed you. I missed you.

-I missed you, too.

I know all my times tables.

I got them all right, except for one.

Let me see. I knew you could do it.

I knew you could do it.

Professor Burket,

I'm Mrs. Carson, your new cleaning woman.

-Mrs. Carson.

-Sir?

-The kitchen floor.

-What about it?

It sparkles.

Well, your last cleaning lady

didn't do a very good job.

What I do, I do the best I can.

The last cleaning lady was me.

My late wife was very sick.

I took care of her and not much else.

-I'm sorry.

-Thank you.

Sr.

-Did you read all these books?

-Most of them. Why?

Just curious.

Take the rest of your men off the post.

They can stay with Corporal Dolan's family

in Salt Lake till Barker's gone.

-Yes, sir.

-Come to think of it,

-you better stay there yourself.

-Yes, sir.

-Hey, why'd you do that for?

-What's going on? I was watching that.

You boys watch too much television.

-Not that much.

-No more than everybody else.

Don't worry about everybody else.

This whole world is full of everybody else.

From now on, you're gonna pick 3,

no, 2 pre-selected programs per week.

-A week?

-You're crazy. I mean, this is crazy.

And that's after you finish your homework.

What are we gonna do

with all our free time?

I'm glad you asked. You're gonna go

to the library and pick out 2 books,

and, at the end of the week,

you're gonna hand me a written report

about what you read.

-2 books a week?

-I don't believe what you're saying.

-I can't even read one.

-We cannot possibly survive

-without television.

-Well, you're gonna start now.

Why you waste all that time

watching the TV?

If you used that time to develop

your God-given gifts,

it wouldn't be long before

folks was watching you on TV.

-Man, there's a lot of books in here.

-Shut up, boy. It's a library.

''Hearing the great roar made the young man

wonder if he had chosen wisely.

''Maybe it was a trick.

''Was there really a tiger,

or just a recording of a tiger's roar?

''Maybe there was a tiger

behind the other door,

''and he'd de like

all the other princes before him.''

That's good, Bennie. That's real good.

Mother, what's this word?

I need to get new reading glasses.

Sound it out.

Ag... Ag...

Agriculture. A-G-R-I-C-U-L-T-U-R-E.

-Agriculture.

-excellent, Benjamin.

Kathy. ''Combine.''

Combine. C-O-M-B-I-N-E. Combine.

For a 20-point bonus, here's your toss-up.

You know, several limericks begin,

''there was a young lady from Perth. ''

Limerick is in Ireland.

For 10 points, where is Perth?

Australia.

Wow. How could they know so much?

-Right, for 10 points.

-I don't know.

And, finally, for 10 points,

what poet describes...

Bennie, come on, we're gonna be late.

excuse me.

Do you have any books on rocks?

Okay, class,

what about this one?

Does anybody know what this is?

Anybody?

Yes, Benjamin,

can you identify this rock?

-It's obsidine.

-Obsidian. That's right.

Do you know how it was made?

Well, it was formed after a volcanic eruption,

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