Shannon K. Cook

Mary's Girl: a Story About Growing Shannon K. Cook

Glancing through her rearview mirror, she could see the world she was leaving behind - college, college with its professors, algebra, and alarm clocks. She was going home for the summer, leaving the educational process behind, leaving it until she reclaimed a forgotten piece of ground and found a new teacher, what a teacher she was! "Always remember to bloom where you are planted, young lady," she could hear her mother say, "In a garden, nothing is lost." It was just a piece of dirt in the corner of the back yard, but it held so many secrets. Amid the tenacious Bermuda grass and discarded paraphernalia, was promise. She could see a vegetable garden with cucumbers, lettuce and mustard greens, but she would learn it held far more. From the back porch, she surveyed the seeds she had just planted. Feeling pleased, Mary's girl was glad to be home. She knew she had one long hot Oklahoma summer ahead of her but was totally unaware of the real struggle waiting.