Chapter 19: School Daze

A few months later, Brandon had mostly recovered from his injuries. He wore a protective and padded sleeve on his left knee, so the split patella would not be too stressed. The cast was finally off his left wrist, so he could do simple things with both hands without too much soreness.

In the bedroom, their first successful doggie style was cause for extreme celebration. They agreed to a once-per-week limit to make sure his knee would completely recover.

Outside the cabin, an SUV was parked next to Dee’s behemoth pickup. She was used to the pickup and continued to prefer driving so high off the ground and feeling the mighty V8’s power. The SUV seemed too wimpy by comparison, so the vehicles were known as “hers” and “his.”

In March, Ron got a special 14th birthday present when Brandon took him and two best friends (grandchildren of Lisa Rivers) to seven days at the Disney and Universal Parks in Orlando.

Dee came up with a brilliant idea. Brandon would drop Ron off at middle school and then spend his days at the adjoining high school as a volunteer teaching assistant. What was clever was that during the process of (academically) coaching the 9th and 10th graders, Brandon was going through their text books and learning the material with them.

At the end of the school year Brandon realized that he understood algebra, for the first time in his life.

“Dolores, we need to talk.”

Ron had gone to bed, and she was suddenly uncomfortable. Those four words could mean relationship trouble.

“Tell me the truth. Why am I coaching the high school kids?”

“It gives you something productive to do while Ron is finishing up at the middle school.”

“Yes, and...”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Dolores, have I lied to you? Have I kept secrets from you? Have I been dishonest?”

“No. Not at all. Please, just tell me.”

“I understand algebra now.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“DOLORES!”

“Alright, you got me. Brandon, like you just showed me, you are a very smart man with a lousy education. And we both know how that happened when you were young.”

“You had a plan?”

“Not a plan, just an idea. I thought if you spent time in high school involved with their learning process, you might come to realize what I already know. Inside your gorgeous body is a first-class brain. If you can pick up the basic high school knowledge you missed the first time, then you can take and pass the tests for college entrance.”

“Me, go to college? That’s crazy.”

“Brandon, I have a master’s degree. That’s a minimum of two years AFTER a bachelor’s degree. I’ve spent six years of my life enrolled at a highly-ranked university, with all kinds of students. Some of them were as dumb as a box of rocks, and they washed out quickly. That’s important. Can you imagine how dangerous a stupid nurse would be?

“Brandon, on top of being the love of my life, I respect you as an equal. I value your opinions. I’m grateful for how you patiently help Ron with his homework. There is no doubt in my mind that you help high school students every day. The world is a better place with Brandon Ellis in it.

“And after some more preparation, you’re going to be enrolled in college. You’ll be astonished by how well you perform. And just like with you and those kids, I’m going to help you succeed.

“All you have to do for now is continue helping those kids. It’s not that you know a lot more than them. It’s that you’re respectful, confident, and patient. You expect them to succeed, and that’s why they do. And you show your pride in their achievements. There’s no way to calculate how much you mean to those kids you work with. Is there anything else I can say?”