The Butterfly Ethic/11

'''11 '''

'''The Other Substitute '''





            As usual, I told Rachel about my adventures. She was quite fascinated, yet confused with what had happened. She was surprised with what we were able to do: we drank coffee, said the “A-word”, and knew how to play cricket.

            “When I went into books,” she said. “I was never able to violate my own standards.”

            “Then why was I able to?”

            “I was about to ask you that, Martin.” Rachel said. “You need to be careful with this, if this world can make you do things you wouldn’t normally do, I wouldn’t mess with it too much.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Rachel,” I said. “Do you think I could use this to learn new things?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I’m not sure, I know you can learn things about the world within, and you can probably learn a thing or two about yourself, but I don’t think you can learn about anything else.” She saw my disappointment. “But then again, this is an unknown science. Nobody’s exactly sure what you can do with it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Well, in this world, I was friends with Robert Osburn, maybe I can still do that, I could try talking to him in P.E. tomorrow.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">Rachel gave a skeptical nod. “I doubt it, isn’t he the one who stole your notebook?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Yeah, but he doesn’t seem that bad when Giovanni’s around.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “You might as well try.” Rachel said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            On Thursday morning, we played dodgeball before school. I stood on the west side of the court with Ross, Nephi, Samuel, and Brother Phil. We quickly learned that Phil was very good at the “dodge” part of the game. When a ball came his way, he rolled out of the way and grabbed a ball from a fifth grader, then threw it at one of his foes. The foe caught his ball, but it was cool while it lasted. While Phil stood against the fence, cheering his teammates on, I figured out a way to test my new ability’s potential. I was about to ask him a question, but Shelley got to him first with a message. She took him to the tree and spoke with him, then gave him a notebook.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just wasn’t sure who was substituting Amber’s class.” Phil turned away from her and quickly went inside. I had to follow him in. I stood at the fence next to Nephi, who had just launched a suicide charge, taking three opponents down with him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Hey, Nephi.” I said. “Do you want to sneak into the school with me?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Nah, it’s too warm out here.” I had to agree, the feeling of the sun’s warmth on my neck was very welcoming. Perhaps my question for Phil could wait. The bell would ring in only ten minutes, anyway.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">When it did, I rushed into Amber’s classroom. I found Phil sweeping the floor.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Good morning, Martin.” He said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Brother Phillip, can I ask you a question.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “May,” he corrected. “Sorry, a habit at the home. What do you want to ask me?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Do you know anything about The Butterfly Ethic?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What is that?” Phil asked as he straightened the rows.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “So I take it you don’t know?” I asked. Ross walked in with Joseph and Richard.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Ross, there is a cold turkey hanging from the range over in the kitchen, could you get it down and put it back into the freezer.” These instructions seemed to make just as much sense to Ross as they did to me, but Ross was off to follow them.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What is The Butterfly Ethic?” Phil asked me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I don’t know, what does it sound like to you?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Perhaps it would be a way to live more like a butterfly.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “How do butterflies live?” I asked. Phil handed me his broom.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Go put this in the closet, Martin.” As I walked to the closet, Phil said: “Gracefully, I would suppose.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            Well, that’s nice, how do I live gracefully? I thought as I put the broom in Amber’s closet. The closet was full with her filing cabinet, school supplies, a confiscated block puzzle, nunchucks, a whip, and a water valve with a sign indicating it went to the fire control system, but I was sure it was the gate to Amber’s evil lair. I wanted to ask Phil why Amber had nunchucks in her closet, but he was too busy giving orders for me to ask. It was probably better I didn’t know anyway.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            We cleaned the classroom and surrounding areas until fifteen minutes after school started.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Why are we doing this, Phil?” Ross asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “We have someone coming today.” Phil said as he sat at Amber’s desk.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Who?” Ross asked

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Teachers from other schools, they want us to take the SAT tests.” Phil opened the notebook Shelley gave to him, and smiled. “This stuff shouldn’t be too hard.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What is it?” Richard asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I’m handing out the English section, but this is nothing compared to what Amber puts you through. Phil looked through the notebook and found two notes from Brother Alex.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I guess there’s a field trip next Tuesday?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Really?” Ross asked. “That’s cool! Where are we going?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“It says Ogden, but this is pretty short notice for a field trip.” Phil read the next note from the principal and laughed. “Here’s another note from Brother Alex. It says to throw out anyone who isn’t wearing school uniform.” He glanced at Vince. “If we do that, the curse will be lifted.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">Those of us who had older siblings in the school laughed at this. Elijah told me that last year, an eighth grade girl took the test wearing a shirt cut lower than a comic book super-heroine’s. Brother Alex was so outraged that he allegedly cursed the school in the name of The Lord. The entire class failed the test that year. This year, we would see if the curse was still in effect. At 9 o’clock sharp, an Asian looking woman walked into the room and addressed us. She was tall, with a pale skirt, a baby blue cardigan, and black hair. I knew I had seen her before, but it took me a while to know where.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Hello, my name is Mrs. Nguyen, and I am here to test you.” Now I remembered, she was my third grade teacher at Salem Elementary. She turned to Phil. “Have you told them why we take the CRT tests.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “No, I haven’t.” Phil sounded as though he didn’t know why.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Fair enough, I will explain it to you. The state is concerned about the education of private schools, and they wonder if private school children have what it takes to make it in the real world. These are tests that are taken by public and private schools alike to test the students for college eligibility.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">She gave us the test, which was moderately difficult. As we took the test, there was something in the room that wasn’t there since Amber left: silence. Nguyen only had to shush Richard once, and for the rest of the test time, you could hear a feather drop. The loudest noise was the chatter of birds outside, but that world didn’t exist to us. We were in the world of English.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            Nguyen took the tests from us when we were finished. She left the room before I had a chance to ask her if she remembered me. She probably did, as I noticed her eyes on me more than anyone else,=. Nevertheless, we were all relieved to have her gone; we could now start talking again. There was no more work to be done until we got to Rose’s class, where we were to take the social studies portion of the test, which the eighth graders and seventh graders took together. Our teacher was a fat man with thinning hair and wide cheek bones. His name was Mr. Weigand, with the ‘w’ making a ‘v’ sound. His test was easy for me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">I sat next to Robert Osburn. Phil may not have known what The Butterfly Ethic was, but that didn’t mean Robert and I couldn’t be friends. Unfortunately, the “no talking” rule was in place. Mr. Weigand had to shush three students throughout the class.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            Our next teacher in Kolleen’s class was a scrawny man with black comb over hair flowing forward. His eyes had a grayish tint, and his face suggested a diet consisting entirely of citric acid. He introduced himself as Mr. Reynolds. I raised my hand and asked what his first name was. It was Jared.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            I now knew that Beckford College was fake. This man looked nothing like the burly man who was hunting Jeeves. I would’ve been disappointed, but there were bigger concerns. I now knew the true reason we were taking this test. They were trying again to prove that polygamists are uneducated. I could not stand for that. I had to do well on this test. I might have been imagining things, but it seemed that Jared gave a wicked smile as ha handed me the test. I rushed through the test, this time making sure to fill in the scantron entirely. I rushed through, making sure I had all of my formulas right.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            This test was slightly harder than Kolleen’s usual tests, but I still had the necessary knowledge. I felt confident when I gave my test to Mr. Reynolds, but as I walked away, doubt crept into my mind.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            With the artistic classes in the second half of the day, the public school teachers had no reason to stay. We were left alone to our own ways, but while we were learning about Microsoft Power Point in the computer lab, Jared Reynolds came to Brother Alex and requested more students to be tested.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“It turns out that Judge Dane Nolan wants some children from your school for testing.” Jared said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Is that not why you came here?” Alex asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Yes, but there are two students that are to be given extensive examinations.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Who are those two students?” Alex asked Jared.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Martin Carter, and his sister, Freya.” Jared said. “I have a warrant to take them, along with four of your middle school students.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Why do you need them?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I need one from each class to show that those teachers are at top performance.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            Alex was frustrated, but he could do nothing. Jared had proper authority to do this.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Very well,” he said. “but this will have to take place on your own time. I cannot have some students missing school just because a judge wants them to.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “A judge’s word is law, but I see your point. There’s nothing in the warrant that says I can pull anyone out of school.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What students will have to take the test?” Alex asked.“Aside from the Carters.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Helen Peterson, Robert Osburn, and Gwen Faber.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">Those three students, along with Freya and me, were brought to Jefferson Jr. High after school. We were brought into Jared’s domain. None of us made a sound while in his car. Jared turned on the radio to break the silence with The Bangles, but that did nothing to ease our souls.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">The school was dark and empty, save for one classroom. We were put in this classroom with a group of Mexicans watching an educational video in Spanish. At the end of this large room were tables where Jared divided us by seventh and eighth grade. I sat across from Gwen to take my science test.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“None of you speak Spanish, right?” Jared asked as he handed out the scantrons.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I do a little.” Robert said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Well, then, ignore that video.” Jared said. “I just needed to make sure you couldn’t use it to cheat.” Jared took Freya into a different room to take her test, and then returned, taking a seat at a desk in the corner. He pulled out some paperwork to meddle with while he watched us with the eyes of a coyote.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">One of the questions on my test was: At the Poles, would one weigh more, or less than they would at the equator?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:DotumChe">I didn’t know the answer to that question. I glanced at Jared, who was now talking to a Hispanic boy in Spanish. I peeked at Gwen’s scantron. She wrote that the answer was B, so I put B as well in hope that Jared wouldn’t notice. I couldn’t give him any evidence that polygamists are evil.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">I wondered what goal he was actually trying to attain. Was he giving us harder tests to make us look bad, or was he simply studying us? I wondered who he was, and what his job actually was.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">When I finished my test, Jared brought me to the administrative offices. There in the waiting room, Freya sat at a table, completing her test. When she finished, Jared excused her and led me into a room with a sign on the door that read: <span style="font-family:"ErasMediumITC","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"SegoeUI"">Asst. Principal: Jack McKenzie.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">On one side of the room, there was a desk with a computer, a miniature refrigerator, and a window behind, looking out to the empty front lawn. On the other side of the room was a wooden armchair with a red cushion. On the left wall, there was a picture of a civil war ironclad charging at Charlston, with a golden panel below reading: U.S.S. Mahopac. <span style="font-family: "SegoeUI","sans-serif""> Following this was a sophisticated poem.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“That chair is for you.” Jared said. I wondered if he found out that I cheated from Gwen’s paper. I sat in the mahogany chair and put my arms over the wood. Below my left hand was an unnatural lump in the chair, as though a pebble was wedged and covered with wood.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“So what do you think of the war?” Jared asked me. “The one we started yesterday.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">I’d say it’s a bit one sided.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“You think America will win?” He asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Yeah, I mean, the war’s good. America needs to show its enemies not to mess with us, but we’re just bombing the heck out of a city.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I see, America hasn’t had a fair fight since 1945, but that’s good. Today, there are no Hitlers, Stalins, Tojos, but there is still war.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Bin Laden’s pretty dangerous.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “He is, and there are others. The world is an evil place, and America starts wars against it. Would you be willing to give a life in a war for your country?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I would be honored to.” I lied. I liked the way the military brought people together, and I did believe that George W. Bush was a good man, but I would never fight for Utah.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “A patriot, then, you are.” Jared said. I didn’t want to say anything about that, I wanted to appear patriotic. “Would you like something to eat?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Sure.” I said. Jared opened the refrigerator and pulled out a ham sandwich.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “You eat meat, right?” Jared asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Of course I do.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Well, one can never know. There are many vegetarians out there.” I wasn’t one of them, humans are omnivores, meaning there’s no reason I shouldn’t eat meat. “Let me heat it up.” Jared left the room, leaving me to ponder this strange character. Jared returned and gave me the sandwich; he then pulled a microphone out of his desk and hooked it up to the computer. I looked closely at the sandwich. Ham.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal">''<span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">I knew this guy was evil, he must’ve been trying to get me to violate my religious standards. I suppose next he would force me to date his daughter. Oh wait, this guy probably isn’t married. ''<span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">While Jared fidgeted with the computer, I ate the parts of the sandwich that weren’t meat, hoping he wouldn’t notice I was stashing the ham in my pocket. The computer made a noise, implying an error. Jared groaned and muttered: “I have administrative privelages.” He looked at me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“So Martin, do you speak any other languages?” Jared asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Well, no.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“If you could learn a language, what would it be?” Jared asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Probably Swedish or Scottish,” I said. “Latvian sounds cool too, and I guess Spanish would be useful.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Why those languages, the ones that aren’t Spanish?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I have Scottish and Swedish ancestry, and I’ve heard someone speaking Latvian before.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I would recommend Spanish, that’s the only language you’ll really need.” Jared said. “Knowing Spanish is what grants me a job here. Did you see those videos the minoritieswere watching in the testing room?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Yeah.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I dub those videos in Spanish.” Jared said. “There are some students who don’t speak English, so I help them by translating the curriculum in Spanish.” Jared got up. “I suppose it is time to leave.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Is this all you wanted me here for?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I wanted to speak with you here, seems how our last conversation ended so rudely.” He said. “Your friends are probably waiting, anyway.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">When we were all at his car again, he insisted that I sit in front. By the time we got back to Deseret, the sun was beginning to set. We reported to the office and Shelley sent each of us to call our mothers. Each one of them was outraged, save for my mother, who was intrigued.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What did Mr. Reynolds have you do?” My mother asked me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Um, he put us through some examination.” I said. Behind me, Helen and Gwen were waiting to use the phone. “There’s other people waiting to use the phone, so I can tell you more when we get home.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Okay. See if you can find a way home.” My mother said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I will.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“Goodbye, then.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Bye.” I said. I gave the phone to Helen and went to find Freya. I rightfully thought to check the GameCube room and found her playing Super Smash Bros. alone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Can I play with you?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Very well.” Freya said. We played a few rounds, and I found Freya and me to be rivals in skill. The final report was four wins for me, and two for Freya, which is good, but Sam’s seven year old brother can do better. We would’ve gone on for longer, but Robert came in with a cordless phone and said it was for me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Hello?” I asked as I took the phone out into the hallway.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Martin.” My mother said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Did you find a ride home?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “No, I didn’t.” I said. “If I can get some money, then Freya and I could probably get on the train.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “And take the bus home?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Yeah.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I don’t think I want you two taking the bus.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I’ve ridden it before.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Well, see if you can find anybody who’s going out to Sandy.” She said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I will.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Okay, call me back if you can’t find a ride, or when you do.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Okay.” I said. “Bye.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “What did mother say?” I jumped and turned around. Freya was behind me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “She wants us to find a ride home.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Oh, well, I shall go to find one as well.” She said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Come on, let’s go find everyone else.” I said. We found Gwen and Helen doing their homework in the lunchroom and asked the two of them for a Ride.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “I live in Holladay.” Helen said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “And I live in West Valley.” Gwen said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Dangit.” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">            “Where do you suppose Robert is going?” Freya asked me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">“I dunno, I’ll go check.” I said. I looked around to make sure nobody was looking, then pulled the ham out of my pocket and put it in the garbage. I was going to be using extra laundry detergent with this batch.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">I left Freya with the girls to do feminine things, which may or may not include homework. She soon realized I wasn’t coming back and assumed I was playing GameCube with Robert.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:"SegoeUI","sans-serif"">We were not playing GameCube, but were instead watching The Simpsons on the TV. Robert was going to the Damrosch Copy Shop in a half an hour. In the meantime, we enjoyed watching a show about a very dysfunctional family. My vision of the past was right, we could be friends.