I? Did your stomach turn over the way mine did when I saw that F in math?
âAre you one of my students?â
âOh, like Iâm going to tell you if I am.â
âYou must be.â
âI could be, couldnât I? Youâre not everyoneâs dream teacher, are you?â
âPlease donât hurt my dog.â
âIâm not cruel by nature.â
I donât take after my old man. He said he was sorry that I flunked math because he knew how much I was counting on the hike through Yellowstone this summer. He said maybe the other guys would take some photographs so I could see what I was missing while I went to summer school to get a passing grade. âGee, Scott,â he said, âwhat a shame, and now you wonât get an allowance, either, or have TV in your bedroom, or the use of the computer. But never mind, sonny boy,â he said, âthereâll be lots to do around the house. Iâll leave lists for you every day of things to be done before I get home.â
Mrs. Whitman whined, âI just donât have a thousand dollars. I donât know where Iâll get so much money, either.â
Sometimes I whined that way, and my mom would say, âScotty, we wouldnât be so hard on you if youâd only take responsibility for your actions. We tell you to be in at eleven P.M. and you claim the bus was late. We ask you to take the tapes back to Videoland and you say we never said to do it. You always have an excuse for everything! You never blame yourself!â
âMrs. Whitman? I donât mean to be hard on you but thatâs the deal, see. A thou in hundreds.â
âJust donât hurt Gloria.â
âGee, what a shame that you have to worry about such a thing. Sheâs a sweet little dog, and I know she misses you because sheâs not eating.â
âShe doesnât eat dog food, Bud. I cook for her.â
âThatâs why she doesnât eat, hmm? I donât know how to cook.â
âYou could just put a frozen dinner in the microwave. A turkey dinner, or a Swansonâs pot roast. Iâll pay you for it.â
âA thousand dollars plus ten for frozen dinners? Is that what youâre suggesting?â
âLet me think. Please. I have to think how I can get the money.â
âOf course you do. Iâll call you back, Mrs. Whitman, and meanwhile Iâll go to the store and get some Swansonâs frozen dinners.â
âWhen will youââ
I hung up.
I could hear Dad coming up the stairs.
âScott?â
âYes, sir?â
âIâm going to take the Saturn in for an oil change. I want you to come with me.â
âI have some homework, sir.â
âI want you to come with me. Now .â
In the car, he said, âWe need to talk.â
âAbout what?â I said.
There was one of her Lost Dog signs tacked to the telephone pole at the end of our street.
âWe need to talk about this summer,â he said.
âWhat about it?â
âYou have to make up the math grade. That you have to do. Iâm sorry you canât go to Yellowstone.â
âYeah.â
âThereâs no other way if you want to get into any kind of college. Your other grades are fine. But you need math. ⦠Whatâs so hard about math, Scott?â
âI hate it!â
âI did, too, but I learned it. You have to study.â
âMrs. Whitman doesnât like me.â
âWhy doesnât she like you?â
âShe doesnât like anyone but that bulldog.â
âWhoâs lost, apparently.â
âYeah.â
âThe signs are everywhere.â
âYeah.â
âBut she wouldnât deliberately flunk you, would she?â
âWho knows?â
âDo you really think a teacher would flunk you because she doesnât like you?â
âWho knows?â
âScott, youâve got to admit when