Chapter 26

Tina's turn:

Alan's at the office. I'm at home. It would almost sound like I was the little wifey staying home with the kid, except that right now the kid in question is talking to me about computer programming. What makes it worse is I'm answering her questions and in the back of my mind I'm thinking I need to send this eight year old down the sidewalk to talk to a fifteen year old who is leading the pack in computer skills. Or a fourteen year old who's just about that far ahead and is a little better on machine controls, which is the sort of question I'm being asked.

What manner of eight year old girl asks about feedback in motion control? Terri Addison, Of course.

"We need a waffle machine," she announced. "Automated."

"They have such an automatic pancake maker" I said. "I saw one in a hotel in their breakfast nook. They cost a few thousand dollars. And you still have to mix the batter for it."

"It's just that I really like waffles," Terri said. "The other morning when we all got together for breakfast, that was fun."

"And a lot of the fun comes from who you're sharing with," I said.

"I know. But automatic waffle maker."

"Could get those toaster waffles."

"Not very close, Terri said. "Just barely compares to yours."

"Mine," I said, "come from a plain ol' recipe out of a book."

"But definitely better than those frozen ones. But I was thinking about how an automatic machine would work."

"Some thing just aren't that easy to automate on a small scale."

"I guess we can still do it the old way," Terri replied.

"SO all this ... I take it Terri wants waffles tomorrow?"

Little blonde head nodded enthusiastically.

"As long as you load the dishwasher when we finish," I said. I really didn't have to ask. Terri took care of her share of the household chores.

"You sound like you really like your stepdaughter," Beck said.

"I do. She's like my little sister and my daughter and, gosh, that mind..." I answered.

"That's good. You hear so many stories about blended families and the friction..."

"Oh, I know," I said, sipping my Coke. "I worried about that when we first started talking, before I actually met. But Alan called her once or twice a week, and when he and I got together, I started talking with her, and then she started calling me to talk."

"You two relate, huh?"

"I guess it has to do with her mom's mental issues and her being on the West Coast and not being in comfortable surroundings. When she came to Tennessee for Christmas, we just clicked, almost as easily as Alan and I clicked. Compatible."

"I think she's good for Rachel," Beck said.

"They're a cute pair. I'm glad they fit together."

Beck smiled. "I sort of feel safe here with her. That last apartment, they had a lot of students renting and you have no idea..."

"I can imagine."

"Everything you imagine, and then more. Waking up in the morning, going out for a walk, finding a semi-nude, unconscious young scholar lying halfway across the sidewalk, his head in the shrubbery, and trying to explain such activities to your daughter."

"Quite the education," I said. "I got some of those lessons from my mom and her friends. I'd hate to have to explain it to one of my own."

Beck smiled wanly. "Especially with Little Miss Question there."

"Yours or mine?" I laughed.

"Either one. In that respect they're interchangeable. Except the college hasn't called me to interview Rachel."

"Rachel's plenty smart, Beck," I said.

"Yes, she is. Sim and I are very proud parents. But hanging around Terri..."

"Might be the way Susan and I are, looking at Cindy and Nikki. They have an order of magnitude on us. And Susan was third in her high school class and I had a 4.0 for my senior year. But then Cindy comes bouncing along, that's a surprise. Nikki's an even bigger one. We hung out for a few weeks before I moved. Never got into the academic side of things together. We were just relieved to find each other and be friends without judging one another. But now, academically..."

"I know," Beck replied. "Doctor Patel said 'unusual community. Very bright people'. I had no idea."

—

Today's the day we go meet the people at the local school board about Terri. Alan's at the office until nine. We have to be at the school board office at nine-thirty. I make sure that Terri's wearing the jeans without the holes in the knees, and her new shoes. And we're not exactly matching, but we're close. Clean. Casual.

"What do you think they'll do, Tina?" she asked me.

"I would guess it will be something like they did in Tennessee with Mizz Callirossa, baby. But we have to try and push them a little harder. We have all these letters." I had them in a folder, one from Mizz Callirossa, one from Mrs. Sorensen, one from Doctor Stanton on Auburn stationery with an official-looking signature.

Susan was doing taxi service for Cindy and Nikki today so I could take care of Terri. When we were dressed and I had her blonde hair brushed to perfection, we walked across the grounds and went in the back door of Alan's office. Alan was at his work station, along with Dan 1.0. Dan 2.0 had flown out the day before to meet with representatives from a big engineering house about picking up some of their electrical design work. That's a goodie.

Jason was working his way around the general vicinity with the local utility company, hauling almost a hundred thousand dollars of test equipment with him. You just know that when it came, he had to give us a demonstration first, then lessons. Susan goes with him when she has holes in the schoolwork. Today, though, she kissed him bye and let him go off by himself so we could all do what needed to be done.

"Dad, we're ready," Terri said softly. Loud talking was a no-no in the office.

"Hi, baby. You look cute." He kissed her head. "You look cute, too." I got a kiss, too. "We can go."

"Good luck," Dan said. "Like Terri needs it."

"I need all the help I can get, Uncle Dan," Terri said, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek.

A short time later we walked into the school board office and stopped at the front desk.

"Hi," Alan said, putting on his friendliest smile, "I'm Alan Addison. My daughter Terri is her for evaluation and enrollment."

The receptionist, a tastefully dressed black lady, smiled back. "Let's see if we can get somebody to take care of you. Good morning, Miss Terri!"

"Good morning Mizz Clayborn," Terri replied. I knew that Terri had read the nameplate. Mizz Clayborn didn't know that.

"Excuse me, Terri, how did you know my name?"

"It's on your nameplate. I read it." Terri smiled sweetly. Disarmingly.

"Oh, goodness, child," Mizz Clayborn said. "That's very good." She picked up her telephone and punched the keypad. "Mrs. Greybill? I have the Addisons here if you're ready for them." She paused. "Yes, ma'am. I'll direct them to your office." She turned her attention back to us. "If you'd take that hall over there, about halfway down is Mrs. Greybill's office. Her name is on the door." She smiled at Terri. "Nice meeting you, Terri."

"Thank you, Mizz Clayborn," Terri said as we headed off.

We found the door. Alan knocked gently.

"Please, come in!" came a voice from within. We entered.

"Hello, Mrs. Greybill. I'm Alan Addison. This is my wife Tina and our daughter, Terri."

Mrs. Greybill was tall and thin and grey, probably sixtyish. She looked at us, assessing. Her lips began to form a smile.

"I am pleased to see you. Please sit. Terri, you finished the second grade last spring?"

"Yes, ma'am," Terri answered.

"Mister Addison, you could have simply taken her to any of our enrollment days at the school nearest your home."

"Yes, ma'am," Alan said, "but I have a few letters here that made me want to run this case by you first."

"Letters?"

"Yes ma'am. From the school she attended in Tennessee last spring and from Auburn University."

"Could I see them?"

"Yes, ma'am," Alan replied, handing her the folder.

The three of us, me, Alan, Terri, exchanged looks as Mrs. Greybill scanned the letters. Finally she looked up.

"Sorry," she said. "This is unusual. Terri, do you know what these letters say about you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Terri answered. "They say that I learn a lot easier than most people. I read books that are way out of the elementary school level."

"She's doing math work that's easily in the middle school level," I said.

"You're her step-mom?"

"Yes ma'am," I said. "And I will be starting formal classes at Auburn in the fall."

"Formal classes? What other kind are there?"

"I'm working on advanced placement," I said. "I think I've knocked out a couple of years' worth of college."

"And you, Mister Addison?"

"I'm an electrical engineer."

"So you have a good, supportive family, Terri?"

"Yes ma'am. And this is the tip of the iceberg."

"How so?"

Terri told her about Cindy and Nikki and Susan and academic pursuits and hands-on explorations. I listened to her talk. By now I was used to Terri's decidedly precocious vocabulary and language use. I watched Mrs. Greybill's expressions as she listened. She was at first surprised, then she paid close attention.

"Cindy's the best of us at writing," Terri said, "so I go get her if I want to get help with writing. And math, that's either Cindy or Nikki. Susan and Tina are better choices for social studies. Sciences? It's a toss-up. And of course there's Dad or two other engineers and an engineering technician." She smiled. "And Grandma Desai for a view from another culture. She's an Indian immigrant."

"Okay, dear," Mrs. Greybill said. "Mister Addison, what exactly do you think this child will do in a public school?"

"That's the question we wanted to pose to you," Alan said. "I honestly don't know. She's done a lot of growing in the last couple of months."

"Terri, do you mind taking tests, dear?" Mrs. Greybill asked.

"I can take tests," Terri said. "On what subjects?"

"All of them," Mrs. Greybill replied. "If you could come back after lunch, we'd like to give you the elementary school assessment. That's what we'd give you if you were from a non-traditional education environment."

"Like home schooling?" Terri asked.

"Yes!" Mrs. Greybill smiled. "That's an excellent example."

"Or like the kids who sailed around the world with their family."

"That, too, Terri," Mrs. Greybill replied. "Now here's where I make a significant leap, people. I fear I know what the result will be from the elementary assessment. I would like to know if Terri will be available again tomorrow afternoon. I think we'd like to give her the middle school assessment."

Terri's head whipped around, grin beaming. I stroked her hair. "That's good, baby!"

"Will the three of you be coming back after lunch?" Mrs. Greybill asked.

"If it's necessary," Alan said. "I have a conference call that requires my participation, but if..."

"I can bring her," I said. "Cindy and Nikki can have lunch on campus."

"Cindy and Nikki are on campus? Summer semester?" Mrs. Greybill asked.

"Not exactly," I said. "Those two seem to have broken the standard college course progression. They're interviewing..."

"More like lecturing, from what I hear," Alan said. "I talk with their husbands."

"Interesting," Mrs. Greybill said.

"It's like you're sitting on the bank of the Mississippi and all you've seen is paddlewheel riverboats. And along come these two and there are no paddlewheels. And they're moving very well." I sighed. "They're scary smart."

"They're not scary," Terri said. "Just very smart."

"I know, sweetie..."

"Hyperbole," Terri grinned. Mrs. Greybill shook her head. "Goodness. Can you be back at one?"

"We'll be here," I said.

We walked out. Alan drove us back to the office.

"I have the conference call, baby," he told me. "I'm glad you can take care of Terri."