The Mouse that Scored
Reuben sat on the bench during gym class, daydreaming. As his classmates hustled up and down the basketball court, he was imagining a different game—one in which a squad of colorful bricks whirled and side-stepped and dunked. At the center of this spinning circle he could see a giant basketball… made out of Lego bricks.
Reuben had this dream all the time. A few weeks earlier, he had built exactly that kind of huge Lego basketball. It was for a city-wide art contest that everyone was excited about: the prize was a $100 check for the student artist and a visit to the winner’s school by the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. Since he had submitted his entry, Reuben kept dreaming about his creation, imagining it would show his classmates how good he was… at something!
So even though students’ sneakers made lots of loud squeaks across the floor, Reuben was caught up in his basketball ballet, envisioning the bricks move closer … and closer … and closer…
Suddenly, a piercing whistle cut through his daze, followed by an urgent shout from the gym teacher: “Reuben!”
Startled, he jumped to his feet and responded, “Yes, Ms. Henries!”
“Where is your attention, young man? I had to call you three times. Now go take Lamar’s place.”
“Who, Reuben? He’s too busy building Lego contraptions in his head,” Kiana yelled as their classmates laughed.
Of course Kiana was right. What made it worse was that Reuben was the tallest boy in his class, and his combination of his height, long arms, and wiry fingers screamed “basketball player.” Based on his physical appearance, Reuben was expected not just to be good at basketball, he was expected to be great!
But he was neither. Chasing and shooting balls was not his thing. He loved to tinker, to build and design and draw things. Once, he even made a humane mouse trap out of wire, springs, and cups he’d collected.
“Why are you worried about mice?” his mother complained. “They eat our rice and are totally useless!”
“But did you know, Mom, that mice sing to communicate and feel empathy for other mice? And that some carry seeds to other parts of the environment, which helps things grow!”
“Huh,” his mom said, then frowned and replied, “Even so, mice are no use to no one.”
“Mice matter too, Mom!” Reuben retorted.
Back on the basketball court today, Reuben felt like an oversized mouse himself, trapped in his wiry body and just about useless in the eyes of his peers. He knew he mattered, but he couldn’t prove it in gym class.
Now Ms. Henries wanted him on the court, so Reuben took Lamar’s place. Soon, he was caught in a flurry of arms, elbows, and more screeching sneakers sliding across the gym floor.
“Shoot, Reuben, shoot!” he heard Lakeisha yell. “And hurry up!”
Reuben tossed the ball toward the net, praying it would go in. Would it? Could it?
Nope, it barely reached the backboard and bounced away.
“Nice shot, Shaq,” Lamar taunted from the bench.
Reuben shook his head, then Ms. Henries blew her whistle and gym class was over. He ran off the court, relieved to be done today with gym and basketball.
For the rest of the day, however, Reuben couldn’t shake his sadness. Why didn’t people see his usefulness? The basketball court wasn’t the only place that counted, was it?
As the clock ticked toward 3 PM, Reuben was counting the minutes till he could tear out of school. But just before dismissal, an announcement came over the classroom loudspeaker: “Good afternoon, students,” said Mr. Green, the principal. “I have wonderful news. The citywide art contest has made its choice, and the winner is one of our students!”
The class began buzzing. Who would it be?
“I’m delighted to tell you that our fifth-grade artist Reuben King and his remarkable Lego basketball have won the contest,” Mr. Green continued. “Congratulations, Reuben! Thanks to you, the Globetrotters will be coming to our school next month.”
Reuben’s classmates cheered, and Kiana, of all people, leaned over her desk to offer him a high-five.
And from the very back of the room, he heard a voice call, “Hey, dude, looks like you finally found a way to win!”
Reuben turned around and saw Lamar holding up a fist and giving him a distant pound.
“Finally, this mouse matters,” Reuben thought. “Finally, this mouse scored!”
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