Chapter 20: Nothing Is As Easy As We Thought?

With the start of fall term only days away, a move to Athens wasn’t feasible, but preparing for a move after Christmas was possible if they pushed hard. As they did with most of their studies and projects, the Covey identified a team and team captain for each area to be addressed. The weekend following the extraction in the park, they were sitting in the family room.

Roycealee led off first, “Each of you needs to use UGA’s website to contact y’all’s department and let them know you plan to start in January. Try to get an appointment for the third week in September; their big rush should be dying down by then. They should already have your transcripts, but send them a list of this fall’s course load. Recognize that you’ll be asking for a lot of unusual flexibility. Be firm but polite.”

Bob followed, “I’ve gone over our finances with Uncle Pete and we’re more than fine. Then I contacted a realtor in Athens and told him I was looking for a large older home with big bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms. He said that with the start of extractions, more houses were on the market, and he thought this would continue. On the other hand, he said that with our specifications, we would not see much in the way of price drops. Some of the empties are not yet listed. He’s going to send us links to those properties as soon as he gets them.”

Susan was next, “I’ve talked to John and Sandy Eavis, and they think our house will sell because of the location and size of the property, pretty much like Eva Mae’s did. We likely won’t get top dollar, and it may take a while, but the money should be available before we’re too far along at UGA. Like Bob said, Mom and Dad’s insurance and the rest of our inheritance, will see us along - see our whole family along.”

They left home on a sunny temperate day. Roycealee was driving her minivan, with Bob on shotgun, Priscilla and Melba in the middle captain’s chairs, and Eva Mae and Susan on either side of Cassandra Anne in her car seat. Though single, Roycealee bought the minivan so she could transport students to such events as STEM, debate, and speech contests. Now, with its all-wheel-drive and seating for seven, she could comfortably and safely accommodate her new family.

Cassandra Anne, now approaching her first birthday, rode in the ‘baby bunker’, a padded, armored encasement with a flip-down top that surrounded her car seat. Because of the previous shooting incidents, Bob had designed and commissioned the bunker to provide added protection for his soon-to-be adopted daughter. The back seat was crowded, but with the two smallest women, the three-hour trip to Athens was reasonably comfortable.

Roycealee booked two adjoining suites near - practically on - UGA’s North Campus, a ten-minute walk from undergraduate admissions and less that that from Moore College, home of the Honors Program. The law school was equally close. Not having moved to the family’s home, she took advantage of the opportunity and claimed one spot in the king bed that Bob would occupy.

Upon arrival and check-in Roycealee suggested that they walk to stretch their legs and begin to get oriented. First, she guided them away from the campus to see the famous “Tree That Owns Itself” whose property narrowed Finley Street down to one lane. They read the old plaque telling the story, then walked over to North Campus where many of their classes would be held. Roycealee’s charges marveled at the old architecture, the grassy, oak-surrounded quad, and the ‘presence’ of the first state-chartered university in the United States.

Legs fully stretched, hunger took them. They returned to their hotel and freshened while Melba fed and changed Cassandra Anne. Then, they loaded the van for the short drive to the Varsity. As she drove, Roycealee recommended, “We can surely come back, more than once if y’all want, but ya’ won’t go wrong with a variety. So I suggest y’all each get a chili dawg, a glorified burger, onion rings, and a frosted orange. Bob could handle a heavy dawg - that’s with extra chili, and I’ll get a slaw dawg and a chili slaw dawg if anyone wants to trade bites.”

There wasn’t a speck of food left, though Bob had to help Eva Mae with her last two onion rings, and Melba batted cleanup on half of Roycealee’s slaw dawg.

Roycealee, comfortably full, moaned and told them, “I’m thinkin’ some time in the pool, maybe some horizontal recreation, a nap, and driving around the whole campus after most of the classes are out. Early to bed. Tomorrow, we have several meetings on campus, and if by then we aren’t too tired, Bob says we can meet with Stuart Pettis to get started on house hunting.”

The first meeting was at ten in a good-sized conference room. Clearly, the Covey had made an impression because the dean or an assistant dean from each program of interest, including the Honors Program was present. After introductions were completed, the head of admissions nodded and told them, “Y’all are quite likely, on aggregate, the highest scoring group ever to sit in this room, and we are very pleased that you are interested in becoming Bulldogs. On the other hand, we don’t quite understand the purpose of this meeting. Scholarship money is available through the usual channels.”

“Let me position this,” Roycealee began. “I am the principal of the school where these young people are currently enrolled. I am also their occasional tutor, very occasional because they seldom need tutoring from anyone outside their group.” She stopped, then told them, “I need each one of you to agree not to reveal what I’m about to tell y’all - nothing illegal, but discretion is warranted.”

She looked around the room as each gave a puzzled nod, then she explained, “So to have time to mature and to complete their educations, each of these young people declined at least one Confederacy extraction. To remain their coach, I too declined.” There were several gasps down the table.

“They are serious, and I can tell y’all that their individual scores don’t touch their capabilities when they are working together. Not only their own, but every student that has participated in their study sessions has raised his or her grades.”

“Needless to say, my school is barely adequate to meet their needs and goals.” She knew the hard part was upon them. “UGA can. So can Vanderbilt and Emory. They’ve been accepted full ride at both, but Georgia is first if we can reach an agreement.”

“I hear you,” said one of the deans, “So what do your wunderkinder want?”

“First, they want an education, not a free pass. You set the bar for the exceptions we request,” she told them. “If they don’t meet or exceed your requirements, then you are free to tighten up. But no petty departmental politics or ‘we don’t do that’s’.”

“In short, they intend to meet every criteria for whatever degree - probably degrees - they stand for, but they feel they need to pick which courses and in which order and under which professor. They want Honors classes whenever they apply. My students currently carry overloads - AP coursework - and they intend to continue.”

“Isn’t that special?” the education dean declared, receiving evil looks from his peers.

“Well, like one of your professors taught me, some teachers and professors match better with different students, and every institution has its stars and its drones.” Roycealee explained. “Unless you’ve managed to dump them, I bet I can name every one of y’all’s drones.”

“Oh holy Hell,” exclaimed the dean, finally recognizing her. “Not you! You’re back!”

The Honors dean turned to the others, “Miz Bashar is the youngest high school principal in Georgia. She’s a Bulldog, graduated magna cum laude from the College of Education, then finished up with her masters. She had two Bs from the same professor who she says downgraded her because she asked questions the professor could not answer. Her requests for a review and for another professor were denied.” The dean turned to his peer and told him, “I told you that Brewster was a twit. Now your chickens are home to roost.”

Roycealee proceeded as if the aside had not taken place, “Eva Mae, that’s the cute little mouse here, has the highest SAT and the highest CAP in the room. Susan’s SAT was exceptional for a high school sophomore. I expect her to add at least a hundred points to her math component after she finishes her two AP classes. They’re both education majors, and...” looking directly at the education dean, they’re gonna be all y’all’s. I bet you find their ‘end of course’ reviews enlightening - I do.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Roycealee told the assembly “I can’t just sit home and twiddle my thumbs, so I took my ATGSB and GMAT. I’ve applied to get my MBA and my EdD. We’re a package deal. So what’s it gonna be. Emory, Vandy, or UGA?”

As the deans began to leave paired with their students, Roycealee touched the admissions official and asked, “One more minute please?”

When the others had exited, she told the woman, “They won’t be pains in the ass, driven certainly, but pains - no. Financially, Melba and Priscilla are the ones who need help. The rest of us are okay. A boost would be nice, and really, we could carry Melba and Priscilla. But you know, fair is fair, and this crew will boost the hell out of your admission and graduation stats. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them bring in a couple of grants, too.”

“But really, this little talk really isn’t about academic,” she added. “I just wanted to give ya’ll a heads up so you won’t be blindsided. We’re planning to live off campus. If things work out with Alumni Relations and Housing, I think we’re going to buy y’all an Honor’s dorm...”

Before they went out looking, Bob and Stuart Pettis had eliminated all but two homes; the rest available were too small. The Covey was all crowded into the realtor’s conference room, and the realtor was explaining, “Both of these homes are vacant because of an extraction - the same extraction. The one closer in has seven bedrooms and five and a half baths. It’s at a prime location near Five Points - the intersection of Lumpkin and Milledge. I understand that they haven’t located any relatives, so except for cleaning out the freezer and refrigerator, it’s pretty much as the owners left it.”

He moved to the second home, “The second is about half an hour from the campus on the north outskirts of town. When it was built, it was more of a country home and still has considerable acreage. It has six bedrooms and four baths. The relatives are squabbling over it. To my mind, no one is going to let one of the others have it, so selling is their only option.”

“Both houses were built in the very early nineteen-hundreds and have been completely restored, updated, and brought up to code. In fact, that’s why there are so many bathrooms in that old a house. Neither house is formally listed, so the estate lawyers say I can only show them and give a good guess what they might bring...”

Both houses were beautiful, had huge bedrooms, and would have worked. The one near the campus had several advantages, including location and being furnished. Plus, as far as they knew, it would have no family fights or complications. “So what’s the real deal on this one?” Roycealee asked. “You really have no idea who owns it or what it would take to buy it?”

“Well, if I were representing the old owners and they were in no hurry, I’d advise listing it at seven hundred thousand dollars. They’d probably want more.” He thought for a moment, “This is speculation understand, but it’s possible that the Confederacy owns the house. All my information comes from a local law firm, so they must represent someone...”