Well, we got back our success projects this afternoon and was I ever surprised. I got a C-minus, how about that! Mr. Henderson wrote across my project, in red ink - all over my nice neat writing - that I must have misunderstood his instructions because I didn’t base my success sorry on a famous person. Well, why should I, why should just famous people be successful?
“Mr. Henderson” I said after I raised my hand, “my mother says there are a lot of people who are well known and rich but they have an unhappy personal life. I don’t think that’s successful.”
“Yes, that’s true, of course. There are many people who have achieved renown and wealth and are personally unhappy, but who is to say what constitutes true happiness? It is not a constant condition and changes with the personality and his aspirations. However, I plainly mentioned that you were to use as a vehicle for your project a person known to many, who had achieved success. While I did appreciate much of what you wrote, it was not quite what I asked for.”
“Sir, that mark I got wasn’t really fair.”
“Jennifer, I’ve explained to you that you handed in your assignment revolving around personal motivation and orientation, and that is not at all what I asked you for. Learn to listen better in future. I’m afraid I’m not prepared to negotiate a better mark for you.”
I usually get good marks in English composition and it’s one of my good subjects. And Mr. Henderson usually listens better than that, when I tell him my reasons for what I did. I guess he doesn’t much like me anymore, either.
What’s the matter with everyone, anyway? And what’s the matter with me?
“And now that I think of it", he said, turning back from the blackboard, “what on earth have you done with your name?”
“Beg pardon?” I said.
“Your name, Jennifer. Lately you’ve been handing in your work under a variety of name spellings. Are you searching for your identity?”
And wouldn’t you know it, all the kids laughed their fool heads off. “Hey, Jenny, you lost?” Kerry screamed all over the place. I could have smacked him.
“Not at all, Sir”, I replied, trying to sound calm, but I was so mad I felt like yelling at him. Why didn’t he ask me privately, instead of making me look so stupid in front of all the other kids? They’ll never stop fooling around with my name after this!
“Well Jennifer, which is to be your final spelling? I notice you’ve spelled your name Jaenifer, Jennyfer and Jennyfaer. All very exotic, I’ll admit, but rather confusing. Have you taken this matter up with your parents?”
He was making me look like an idiot-ass and I felt like crying. Honest, my eyes felt like they were burning. I couldn’t answer, because my throat felt swollen and I really thought I’d cry if I said something, so I just shook my head, and he chuckled and turned back to the board.
Kerry kept throwing spitballs at me the rest of the afternoon, and when I’d turn around to tell him to get lost, he’d mouth “Jennibear” at me, and all the kids would laugh.
“Gonna be a movie actress?” Sally asked me, blinking her dirty lashes at me, later.
“Not at all”, I said, real cool. “I’m practising to be a world-famous scholar, an expert in classical languages, a brain surgeon and maybe you’ll be my first patient. I’ll give you a lobotomy.” I’m sure she didn’t know what a lobotomy was, and I just found out yesterday after Larry told me, but she was mad anyway.
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