Page 129 of Hidden Ascent

“Dyslexia and other learning disabilities. It’s amazing when you tell a kid there’s a reason they can’t read, and it’s not because they’re stupid. That’s usually what they’ve heard their whole lives.”

Across the room, a door flew open. “Time’s up!” Jay bellowed when he entered the room. “I bet you all failed.”

The room went into an uproar with shouts of, “No!”

“You know I’m only kidding. Or maybe I’m jealous. You guys are too smart.”

Jay spotted Isla, and his smile dropped for a second but then picked up again.

“You didn’t tell me Jay was here,” Isla mumbled.

“Would you not have come?” He looked at her with a curiosity that said, ‘I dare you to admit you’re afraid to see him.’

“I’m just surprised.”

“All right, all right,” Jay said to the kids. “Hand me your papers. I know you guys smashed it as usual. But I won’t pronounce the winner until Mrs. Aitkins grades you all. For now, it’s basketball in the park. Everyone get your butts outside.”

Chairs scraped across the floor, and kids bumped Isla and Carl as they rushed out the door. Several adults smiled apologetically and shook hands with Carl as they followed.

Jay waited until the room cleared before walking up to Carl and Isla. “Hi.”

“I found her loitering in the park,” Carl said. “I thought you might know what to do with her.”

“Loitering, huh? Sounds suspicious.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ve got to get back to the courts. I’ll see you down there.”

“Thanks, Carl,” Isla said.

“So.” Jay rested his hands on his hips. “This is unexpected.”

“Yeah. I know. I’m sorry to barge in on you. Carl didn’t tell me you were here.”

“Would you rather I wasn’t?”

“No. We just haven’t seen each other in a while. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“That’s okay. It’s a good surprise. But what are you doing here? Checking up on Carl?”

“Peter told me about his new project and that you were helping him.”

“Of course he did.”

“I can go if—”

“No. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m glad you’re here. When Carl first told me about his ideas, I thought of you and how much you would approve. Fewer criminals on the street. Should help you do your job.”

“It looks like you guys are doing fantastic work.”

“I’ve been amazed by how fast it’s grown. And Carl has been very open to conversations about God.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“You want to take a walk?”

“Sure. Or do you need to go to the courts? I don’t mean to keep you from your work.”

“They’ve got plenty of supervision. I was here helping with the test.”

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