Chapter 3

September 1, 2017

A tall, young girl riding in the back seat answered her father’s question about her sleepover.

“It was great, Dad! We did extra practice at the pitch near their house then made dinner for the whole family last night. Rhee taught me how to make blackened green beans. Boy, were they good!”

Her mother interrupted her daughter’s excited response to say, “That requires a very hot skillet. I assume that ... Rhee made sure you knew that.”

“She did, Mom. In fact, she explained that at the very start and said that if it concerned me that I could trade jobs with someone else. I told her that I’d be very careful. I’m so happy there, Mom, and I don’t want to do anything that would ... jep ... What’s the word, Mom?”

“Jeopardize?”

“Yes, that’s it. I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize me spending time there. We both wore long aprons and Rhee showed me exactly how she did it. She stayed right next to me watching carefully when I did it. She said that had I been average height for my age, that I would not have been doing it, because I would have been too short to do it safely. She also explained why the skillet has to be so hot, saying that the idea was to heat the beans through and to sear the spices onto them, but not to let the beans get mushy. She also said that I did it well. Mom, I’ve always liked cooking with you, but the ... camaraderie ... Did I say that correctly?” When her mother nodded, she continued with, “The camaraderie of everyone working together on various parts of dinner, with lots of conversation, joking, and laughing ... It’s so fun. It was more like it used to be at home before Dad went back to school and had to study so much.”

The girl cut off her father’s comment.

“No, Dad. I understand, and I’m proud of you for going back to school. I’m not so selfish that I can’t give up something when you do. Mom explained that we had to support you, because you were doing something that was important to all of us but that, more importantly, it was important to you, and I understand that. I was just trying to give you a comparison so that you’d understand what I’m talking about having fun making dinner.”

“Thank you, Civia. I understand that you, too, have had to make sacrifices, and I’m very appreciative of your willingness to do so. I know that many other girls your age would complain, some of them bitterly, about things like this. I don’t know what your mother and I did to deserve such a wonderful daughter, but we are both very happy that we did it.”

“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“I love you, too, wonderful daughter. What else did you make for dinner last night?”

“Beth made the main course, rosemary chicken. Oh, that reminds me. I got the recipe from her because it was incredibly good. She said that it’s her dad’s mother’s recipe. It’s pretty simple, but it calls for marinating for a long time. Mom, do you think we could try it sometime? It’s really yummy.”

“Sure. What was the marinade?”

“It’s simple: orange juice, oil, rosemary, chives, and seasonings. Beth said that they’ve traded the salt and pepper for chili powder a couple times and that it’s different, but just as good. She also explained that it needs to marinate so long because rosemary releases its flavor very slowly. She said that it’s chemistry and physics. Is that right?”

Her father laughed and her mother smiled at her.

“Yes,” she said, “It is. That’s what all food preparation is. It’s why one does things in a recipe in a certain order and in certain ways.” She looked at Civia for a few seconds, then asked, “Those girls are smart, really smart, aren’t they?”

“They are, Mom. Gracey said that they’re all at least one year ahead in English and math. Of course, Heather will be taking calculus at the university this year, so she’s way ahead in math. Gracey’s ahead in science. I think it’s great. I’m used to being the smartest in my class, or, at least, the most interested in learning. They’re just like me in that. Mom, Dad, do you think that I could try to get ahead?”

“Let’s hold that,” her father said. “We’re almost home and we could have that discussion more comfortably there. I will say ... No, let’s just get home.”

He looked in the mirror at his daughter and saw an expression of concern.

“No, Civia, what I want to say is positive, not negative.”

“Okay, Dad,” she said with a slightly more-upbeat mien.

Once ensconced in the living room, the family continued the conversation from the car.

“What I wanted to say is that from what we hear and read, some smart children dumb themselves down to fit into friendships. We’re grateful that your friends encourage learning.”

“I like it, too. They told me that with the change from individual teachers teaching all subjects in elementary school to subject-based teachers in middle and high school, that it’s a lot easier to get ahead in classes. I think I’d like to do that, ‘cause ... because I found it ... frus ... trating ... frustrating to have to wait for the rest of the class to understand something before we moved on.”

“We understand, and we will support you in that desire. I know you understand, but I still need to state it. To get ahead, you will have to give up something else, because there’s only so much time in a day. I suggest that you hold off on speeding ahead until after soccer season, since so much of your after-school time will be occupied with that. You can still do a little of that, and I suggest you pick one subject in which to read ahead as you can. It’s easiest to do when you’re already in the book, anyway. If you have to read a chapter, read two, but make sure that you understand and can do what you read before you try to move further ahead.”

“Thanks, Dad. That sounds ... logical. I can do that. Do you have a suggestion on a subject?”

“I do, but I would like to hear what you think would be the best one.”

“I think math.”

“I agree.”

“Could I do it at the table when you’re working on your math?”

“What would be the advantage in that?”

“You’re really good at math and if I didn’t understand something, maybe you could help explain it. You’ve done that before, explained something in math that I didn’t get from the book, but that seemed obvious once you explained it. You’re like ... Rather, Heather’s like you in that way; you explain well.”

With a smile, her father replied, “That will work, at least most times. However, I’m having to work pretty hard to understand some of the math that I’m taking. Sometimes, interruptions make it even harder.”

“Okay, Dad. I’ll try not to interrupt you if it looks like you’re thinking extra hard. Thanks, Dad.”

“Civia, wonderful daughter of ours, we’ll always try to help you when it comes to things like education. You know we both believe highly in it, else your mom wouldn’t have a master’s degree and I wouldn’t be trying to get another, more-difficult degree. But I will appreciate it if you can pick your times for interruption carefully.”

“Okay. May I ask something else?”

With a smile, the girl’s mother asked, “Does it involve those smart friends of yours?”

The girl showed a bit of surprise, then replied, “Yes.” She breathed deeply once, then asked, “May I stay with them next Friday night, in addition to the Friday after that?”