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Dec. 19th, 2017 05:32 pm"Yer results have taken a long time to come back." Bonnie commented, one evening, to Ted. "Maybe I should call the test center."
"No, it'll come." Ted had said, rather hurriedly.
This was her first clue that something wasn't quite right. Ted had taken his GED in secret weeks ago in the hope of getting out of high school. Surely he should be itching to get his results? She had dismissed it, however, as nerves. Perhaps he hadn't passed.
Her second clue comes this evening, when the envelope does magically appear. Ted hands it over, with a rather apprehensive look.
"You've read it?" she asks.
"Yeah." Ted says.
He can't have passed, looking at his face. She opens the envelope and is met with... a surprise.
Firstly, the date of the letter is a couple of weeks ago. Secondly, not only has he passed, but the grades are, for Ted, brilliant. Straight B grades or higher in every subject. A very decent pass for someone who is usually a D student and is a year young to sit the exam.
She fixes him with a Look. Then stands up.
"STUART MURDOCK, GET YER ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Ted grimaces. Stuart materialises at the door, looking equally shifty.
"Do you boys have somethin' you wish to tell me?" she demands.
The boys look at one another. Bonnie looks from one face to the other. The boys are ten months apart in age, and similar enough that they are frequently mistaken for twins. Of course, that sort of thing doesn't work on her, but to teachers who cared little for the boys in the past the brothers frequently switched positions in classes at their old schools. It would be easy as pie for one to impersonate the other at a test centre where neither boy was known.
Ted turns to Stuart, suddenly angry.
"I told you she wouldn't fall fer it."
"You're the one who was desperate to get out of school!"
"Yeah but you were supposed to get me plausible grades!"
"I have never been so disappointed!" Bonnie says. "Stuart, if you had succeeded, you would have cheated Ted out of ever knowin' he could pass that exam, which he can with time and work! Ted, you have cheated yerself more than anyone! And you put Stuart at risk too - if he'd been caught, that would be the end of his chance of a college scholarship."
Billie, peeping around the door to see what all the shouting is about, toddles up to Bonnie for a hug, which mollifies her only slightly. She picks the toddler up.
"Please tell me you didn't try and pass this off at school." she says to Ted.
Ted shakes his head.
"All right. You had best write to the test center and admit that you cheated without bringin' Stuart's name into it. They will, probably, let you sit it again, but if not you will have to complete high school. Yer boss needs you to have the maths skills before you can take on that job full time." Bonnie says, more calmly. "Stuart, you must never put yerself at this sort of risk again. I know why you did it but you didn't think it through. Money is less tight right now, but you would really benefit from that scholarship."
The boys slink off. Bonnie realises that she hasn't actually given either of them a punishment. But being chewed out was probably enough.
"Granma?"
Terry is in the doorway, with a piece of paper and an apprehensive look.
"You ain't about ter confess a terrible deed too, are you?" Bonnie asks.
Terry shakes her head and brings over the piece of paper. It's her letter to Santa. Bonnie takes it in the hand not holding Billie and has a look.
"Poodle dress. A lipstick?" Darnit, she'd already sewn the dress in anticipation, but she'd been making Terry a doll's house. "Don't you want nothin' ter play with this year?"
"Everyone else in my class is gettin' makeup." Terry says.
Bonnie considers her ten-year-old grandchild, then shrugs.
"I don't see why not, but you know they won't let you wear it to school, right?"
Terry nods.
"I think..." Bonnie says slowly. "That Santa Claus don't wear lipstick, so maybe we should go to the shops and choose one together to make sure you get a good color fer yer complexion." She examines the young girl's face. "You don't want one that's too bright, that won't look good."
Terry seems excited about the idea. Well, that's one happy person tonight at least. As the little girl skips off with her list, Bonnie kisses Billie on the forehead.
"Well I guess, Billie Rae, yer gonna be gettin' a doll's house. Just make sure you share it with yer niece."
"No, it'll come." Ted had said, rather hurriedly.
This was her first clue that something wasn't quite right. Ted had taken his GED in secret weeks ago in the hope of getting out of high school. Surely he should be itching to get his results? She had dismissed it, however, as nerves. Perhaps he hadn't passed.
Her second clue comes this evening, when the envelope does magically appear. Ted hands it over, with a rather apprehensive look.
"You've read it?" she asks.
"Yeah." Ted says.
He can't have passed, looking at his face. She opens the envelope and is met with... a surprise.
Firstly, the date of the letter is a couple of weeks ago. Secondly, not only has he passed, but the grades are, for Ted, brilliant. Straight B grades or higher in every subject. A very decent pass for someone who is usually a D student and is a year young to sit the exam.
She fixes him with a Look. Then stands up.
"STUART MURDOCK, GET YER ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Ted grimaces. Stuart materialises at the door, looking equally shifty.
"Do you boys have somethin' you wish to tell me?" she demands.
The boys look at one another. Bonnie looks from one face to the other. The boys are ten months apart in age, and similar enough that they are frequently mistaken for twins. Of course, that sort of thing doesn't work on her, but to teachers who cared little for the boys in the past the brothers frequently switched positions in classes at their old schools. It would be easy as pie for one to impersonate the other at a test centre where neither boy was known.
Ted turns to Stuart, suddenly angry.
"I told you she wouldn't fall fer it."
"You're the one who was desperate to get out of school!"
"Yeah but you were supposed to get me plausible grades!"
"I have never been so disappointed!" Bonnie says. "Stuart, if you had succeeded, you would have cheated Ted out of ever knowin' he could pass that exam, which he can with time and work! Ted, you have cheated yerself more than anyone! And you put Stuart at risk too - if he'd been caught, that would be the end of his chance of a college scholarship."
Billie, peeping around the door to see what all the shouting is about, toddles up to Bonnie for a hug, which mollifies her only slightly. She picks the toddler up.
"Please tell me you didn't try and pass this off at school." she says to Ted.
Ted shakes his head.
"All right. You had best write to the test center and admit that you cheated without bringin' Stuart's name into it. They will, probably, let you sit it again, but if not you will have to complete high school. Yer boss needs you to have the maths skills before you can take on that job full time." Bonnie says, more calmly. "Stuart, you must never put yerself at this sort of risk again. I know why you did it but you didn't think it through. Money is less tight right now, but you would really benefit from that scholarship."
The boys slink off. Bonnie realises that she hasn't actually given either of them a punishment. But being chewed out was probably enough.
"Granma?"
Terry is in the doorway, with a piece of paper and an apprehensive look.
"You ain't about ter confess a terrible deed too, are you?" Bonnie asks.
Terry shakes her head and brings over the piece of paper. It's her letter to Santa. Bonnie takes it in the hand not holding Billie and has a look.
"Poodle dress. A lipstick?" Darnit, she'd already sewn the dress in anticipation, but she'd been making Terry a doll's house. "Don't you want nothin' ter play with this year?"
"Everyone else in my class is gettin' makeup." Terry says.
Bonnie considers her ten-year-old grandchild, then shrugs.
"I don't see why not, but you know they won't let you wear it to school, right?"
Terry nods.
"I think..." Bonnie says slowly. "That Santa Claus don't wear lipstick, so maybe we should go to the shops and choose one together to make sure you get a good color fer yer complexion." She examines the young girl's face. "You don't want one that's too bright, that won't look good."
Terry seems excited about the idea. Well, that's one happy person tonight at least. As the little girl skips off with her list, Bonnie kisses Billie on the forehead.
"Well I guess, Billie Rae, yer gonna be gettin' a doll's house. Just make sure you share it with yer niece."
