Stranger

Lin

The next afternoon, I knocked on Nora's door to tell her it was time to go check out some schools. She emerged in jean shorts and a t-shirt, which seemed to be her go-to attire. I guess she was more like me than I'd first realized. She had her own Metro card, so we hopped on the subway. The first stop was my alma mater, Hunter College.

The high school actually consisted of grades 7-12. Technically, the admissions window was closed, but I was pretty much their favorite alumnus. I'd done events for them, so when I called the principal he was more than willing to meet with me. Nora seemed unsure of herself as we entered the building. The kids here were all brainiacs, which I supposed was a bit intimidating to someone who came from a sub-par school. I had a hunch, though. If she was half mine, she was probably pretty sharp. She probably had just never been challenged.

The principal called us back and I shook hands with him, having met him on several occasions before. I introduced Nora and she bashfully shook his hand.

"I took the pleasure of faxing your current school this morning for a transcript request," he began, rearranging some files on his desk. "I have to admit, your grades aren't usually what we see from our applicants."

He set Nora's transcript down on the desk in front of us and Nora curled her face up, obviously not proud. I scanned it over, seeing mostly C's and D's, with a few other letter grades thrown in. Interestingly, she got A's in English. She did say she liked reading.

"However," he continued. "When we pulled up your standardized test scores, they were off the charts." He pulled out another paper, showing Nora was in the 98th percentile for the state standardized test for her 7th grade year. Other years had similar numbers.

"So, Nora," he folded his hands on the desk. "Why do you think your grades are so low but your scores are so high?"

I looked at her, curious as to what she would say. She just shrugged, slouched in her chair. I imagine this was not the type of child the principal envisioned me bringing in.

"Do you think Altman does a good job at challenging you?" He prompted her.

"Not really, I guess," she said softly, not meeting his eyes, her arms crossed.

"Do you think you might do better if you were in a challenging environment?" He questioned Nora. Again, she shrugged.

I cleared my throat, deciding to offer up my two cents. "Altman is a very low-performing school, so I imagine the teachers weren't able to challenge you much," I theorized. "Were you bored?"

"Aren't all schools boring?" She said, causing the principal to chuckle.

"We don't think so at Hunter," he said. "We have a very rigorous curriculum and lots of extra-curricular activities. Do you participate in any sports?"

"Skateboarding," she said.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm afraid we don't have a club for that, but if you'd like to start one, you might be able to find some interest."

I sat up in my chair a little. He'd said 'if you'd like to start one'. Did that mean he would accept her?

"So," I cut in. "Would you have an opening this year for Nora?"

He thought for a moment before continuing. "Usually, with those grades, no, but I'm willing to take a chance on you, Nora, based on your test scores. I have a feeling once you're taught at your instructional level you might thrive."

"Or is it just because of who my father is?" She asked bluntly.

The headmaster looked away uncomfortably. "Your father is one of our greatest alumnus," he admitted. "He won the Pulitzer Prize."