Chapter 38: "I'd like to enroll my children..."

Mandy answered the telephone. "Sunny Acres ... How may I help you?"

"Yes ... Hello ... my name is Sergei Asimov. Some one at the school board gave me this number. I was told that you were a school ... I would like to discuss enrolling my children..."

"We aren't a school, as such but we DO have a school here. Hold on, please, and I'll connect you."

"..."

"Sunny Acres Charter School ... my name is Lisa. May I help you?

"Hello. My name is Sergei Asimov. Someone at the school board gave me this number; I'm looking at enrolling my two children in your school. I was wondering if I may drop by and discuss this with you."

"I see ... Do you know what kind of school we are?"

"No ... all I have is your number. I need to place my two children in a school. I'm afraid the reasons are a bit complicated to discuss over the phone, which is why I'd like to come over."

"May I ask how old your children are, please?"

"My daughter is fourteen and my son is nine. Why?"

"Because we are not a high school, sir. Your daughter may be too old."

"That is what I would wish to discuss with you. When would I be able to come over?"

"That would be a bit awkward, I'm afraid. May I suggest that I come to you, instead, say ... around seven tonight? I'm sure we will be able to discuss everything much more comfortably at your home. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes ... I imagine ... Very well ... till tonight, then.

"Good! What is your address, please?"

"..."

"Very good. I have it ... I shall see you tonight at seven."

After she hung up, she thought intensely for half a minute.

"Beth! I have a problem ... The school board is sending us students but they're not telling the parents we're naturist. I'm not sure whether it's an accident or whether they want us to crash and burn because we stepped on their toes. I have to meet with some parents tonight and we have nothing to show about the school."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know ... some sort of a brochure; I guess ... something that describes our curriculum and our teaching methods. I would need something with pictures, too, so that we let the parents know we're naturist but I don't want to make it a central theme of the program ... something that says... "Oh, by the way, all the students and the teachers are nude'."

"I have an idea ... you go write the text. Cathy still has her camera with her ... I'll have her take some pictures of the school, some pictures of the kids outside and in the pond and some classroom shots of the teacher ... I'll need you to pose for some of them and I'll take one of Joy with her mastectomy, as well. This afternoon, while you're in class, I'll build that brochure for you. When I'm done, I'll show it you. If you like it, we'll save it as a PDF file on your laptop so that you can show the parents tonight. If it works, we could bring the PDF to a printer afterwards so that we'll have something concrete to show to the others."