The Power of Testimony

16 || ALL BUT NORMAL
about twenty?” It seemed to him that teachers were assigning
arbitrary numbers to arrive at easy solutions. John questioned
everything in the same independently minded way. It didn’t
help his grades.
His parents put him in college prep classes in high
school, clinging to their dream of another generation of
Fighting Irish. Many family members—​cousins, uncles,
grandparents—​were college-​bound or had their degrees
framed and hanging on the wall. The plan was for John to
attend college and become a teacher. But reality was going
another direction.
Finally, the high school principal sat the Thorntons down.
“John won’t be following in your footsteps to Notre
Dame, Mr. Thornton,” he said bluntly. “He hasn’t performed
well enough. He’s had to take extra classes to make up for
the ones he failed. Right now, he’s struggling in all his college
preparatory classes. My question is, do you want him
to graduate from high school at all? If so, I recommend he
switch to classes he can pass and enroll in summer school so
he can at least earn a diploma.”
It was bitter news for the Thorntons, but not much more
could be done. They had given him the best they could with
their money, inf luence, and encouragement. Now, with an
uncertain future ahead of him, John would have to make his
own path.
“Say, how do you drive a car like this?” Bev asked as they
glided through the night. A light spring snow still graced the
sidewalks, though the streets were clear of it.
“You mean shifting gears?”