Bless Us Father by Kathy Pratt

us without the other knowing. Let’s shake on it,” Mary Margaret said, offering her hand to Linda who grasped it eagerly and shook hands heartily.
     

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.
    -General George Patton-
     
     
    CHAPTER TEN
     
    “Aren’t you nervous?” Mary Margaret asked, kicking her leg high in the air while shaking her black and gold paper pom-poms.
    “Of course I am, ding-a-ling,” Linda said while kicking her leg even higher. "Push 'em back; shove 'em back, waaaaaaaaaay back," she shouted as she kicked.
    Mary Margaret practiced jumping in the air and kicking her legs out to the side all the while flashing a big smile at the imaginary people sitting in the imaginary bleachers in front of her.
    “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do the splits,” Linda said, positioning herself sitting with both legs out to the side. “This really hurts. How are we supposed to jump up in the air and then land on the ground this way?”
    “I don’t know,” Mary Margaret said, pausing to catch her breath. “Maybe we don’t really need to know the hard stuff before tryouts.”
    “Do you think they’ll choose us?” Linda asked, suddenly quiet and serious. “I think we’d be great cheerleaders.”
    “Why wouldn’t they?” Mary Margaret replied, pushing her hair back from her face.
    Linda curled her legs underneath her and sat quietly for a bit, not answering Mary Margaret.
    “Linda, I’m talking to you,” Mary Margaret said. “We have as good a chance as anyone else.”
    “Not really,” Linda said, tears filling her brown eyes and rolling down her nose. “We’re not part of the popular group .”
    “So what? I don’t see a lot of that going on here. We’ve practiced enough and we’re really good. We’ll do fine.”
    “Maybe you will,” Linda said, looking pointedly at Mary Margaret. “You’re busty and have blonde hair, but what do I have? A flat chest, mousy brown hair, and freckles! What popular girl do you know that has freckles?”
    “Come on, Linda. I don’t even know who the popular girls are. I just know that if you work hard enough at something you’ll eventually succeed.”
    Mary Margaret watched as Linda composed herself and stood back up to continue practicing. “Okay. That’s better. Now let’s practice our jumps. You watch me first and then I’ll watch you and tell you what I think you’re doing right--or wrong.
    “What about your rectory job?” Linda asked before resuming jumping. “Are you going to be able to get time off for practice if you get on the squad?”
    “I hope so. I’ll have to start an hour later one or two nights a week and have Friday nights off during football, but I’m sure it will be fine with Father O’Malley and Mrs. Hunter.”
    “Yeah, but are you sure it will be fine with Father Antonio?” Linda asked. “Didn’t you say you’re his assistant now?”
    Mary Margaret frowned and looked down at the floor. “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask him, I guess. He hasn’t said there are any more projects for me to do, so I think it’s going to be all right.”
    “It better be. You learned these cheers really fast. You’ll get picked for sure.”
    “You, too. You’re really bouncy and enthusiastic. The judges will love that.”
    “Do you know who the judges are?”
    Linda stopped midway through the kick. “I suppose it will be our gym teacher, Miss Groban and the head cheerleader, Andrea Noble. And from our school it’s the principal, Sister Marianita. I don’t know who it will be from St. Dominic’s.”
    “What do you mean from St. Dominic’s?”
    “You are so lame, Mary Margaret. Surely you don’t think we’re going to be cheerleaders for St. Mary’s. We don’t have any teams to cheer for.”
    “I know that, you dummy, but what right do they have to come over from St. Dominic’s and choose cheerleaders?”
    “Oh, please. St. Dominic’s has the best football team in the diocese. Their cheerleaders have