Lessons Learned, Healing Hearts

Overcoming Obstacles (Chapter 16)

Marlow closed her textbooks and pushed them to the side. Unzipping her school backpack, she pulled out a rumpled practice test. The two pages were a graveyard of unanswered questions.

"We'll only go as long as you want," Piero said, his hand stroking her back.

"Okay." Marlow stared at the sheet.

Oblivious to the silent storm already brewing within her, Piero instructed Marlow to get a dark-coloured marker and two different highlighters.

Exhaling hard, she pushed away from the table. Rummaging through a junk drawer, she mumbled to herself, Why did I say yes to this? Markers in hand, she returned to the table and watched as Piero flipped through her test. Give it thirty minutes, then fake a headache. It wasn't a full out lie—one was already coming on.

"First," Piero said, scooting closer. "Let's calm your breathing. I want you to do what I'm doing."

Piero inhaled slowly through his nose, lifting his shoulders as his chest filled. Holding it briefly, he exhaled through his mouth.

"Now, you. Nice and slow."

Pushing herself to take in full, deep breaths, as Piero counted out loud, Marlow took one last good breath in and sighed.

"Good, now, you're ready." Sliding Marlow's test back to her, he added, "Let's start with a question you think you did right."

Marlow hesitated. None of them felt right.

"I believe in you," Piero said, squeezing Marlow's wrist.

Guiding her through the steps of marking key information, he sat quietly as she worked through the problem. Completing her first question and discovering she had, in fact, done it correctly, Marlow smiled to herself.

"You nailed it. High five. Let's keep going."

Even getting a few more right, it still did nothing to boost her confidence.

"Okay, let's do one you haven't already done," Piero encouraged.

Flipping to the second page, Marlow stared at a full page of blank answers.

"Just look for what is being asked. What do you have to solve? If you can't find it, move on."

Feeling her breathing becoming more rapid and shallow, she reached for a small textbook. Covering up most of her page, she tried to focus on only the questions she could see.

"Okay, now do the same thing as before." Grabbing a blank piece of paper, Piero pulled out his phone. Doing the calculations alongside her, he thought he was being helpful.

"Piero, could you... not do the questions too? Seeing you finish before I even start is not helping."

"I'm sorry, I just thought you might like to know if your answer was correct."

Shaking her head, she didn't answer. She just kept on working. Glancing at the clock, Marlow sighed in defeat. She was getting through each question, but it was taking too long and that wouldn't cut it on exam day.

"You're doing good," Piero quietly spoke, his hand rubbing gentle circles on her back.

When her breathing started to slip again, he counted aloud until it steadied.

"That's it. Always take a break after a hard question. Just a few seconds is all it takes."

Instantly agitated, Marlow snapped back.

"You just don't get it, do you? It already takes me longer than everyone else, and now I'm supposed to stop and—Marlow made air quotes—just breathe?"