The Power of Testimony

RAY AND BETTY WHIPPS
instructions: “Run a mile in six minutes, or you’ll have to
do it again.”
Wetzler leaned toward me as we prepared to start.
“Don’t show me up and run fast, you little twerp.”
I just shrugged and made my way to the front of the
group, clocking the six minutes with a few seconds to
spare. My partner was not so swift, however, and he didn’t
make the time limit.
Wetzler got his revenge on me a few days later when we
were playing soccer. Going in too hard and too high for a
block, he kicked my knees out from behind me and laid
me flat out on the grass. I had to be helped off the field,
and though my injury didn’t hinder my progress in the
program, it did put a temporary hold on my participation
in sports.
Inside I was steamed for a few days, but I never bad-​
mouthed him. I’d been brought up better than that. And
whether we liked it or not, we were both on the same team.
✪
Flying had become a part of me by now. The hours I spent
perfecting my maneuvers were the best way to escape the
nagging feelings that caught up with me whenever I was
on the ground. Up in the sky I felt peaceful and free, but
as soon as I landed and entered the classroom, my worries
came crashing down on top of me.
The academic demands of the program had increased
significantly since I’d moved to California, and with the
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