Page 27 of A Play for Love

“Thank you.” He knelt in front of Ella. “I hear you are a very gifted child.” He smiled.

“I am,” Ella said.

“Let’s go into my office, shall we?” He gestured.

We talked for a bit, and he took us on a tour. It didn’t make me feel any easier about sending my seven-year-old daughter to a school with high school kids. When we returned to his office, he told us to have a seat while he took Ella into another room and gave her a test to complete.

“Okay. While Ella is taking her test, do you have any questions for me?” Headmaster Walters asked as he sat behind his desk.

“I’d like to make a statement,” I spoke.

“Okay, Dr. Kind. Go ahead.” He folded his hands on his desk.

“I’m uncomfortable sending Ella here with kids who are more than double her age.”

“That is totally understandable, but the high school students here at Oak Crest aren’t your typical high school students.”

“They’re still teenagers with the same hormones running through them as any other teenager,” I spoke.

The office door opened, and Ella walked in.

“I’m finished,” she said, handing him the paper.

He blankly stared at her for a moment.

“How did you finish this so quickly?”

“It was easy.” Ella shrugged.

He picked up the phone on his desk and called his secretary in.

“Can you take Ella and let her pick out a snack from the snack basket?”

“Of course. Come on, Ella.”

“Please just give me a moment,” Headmaster Walters spoke as he studied Ella’s paper and shook his head.

“Is something wrong?” Sofia asked as she pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag.

“No.” He sighed. “There has only been one student who could figure out this problem since our school opened. “Hell, even my high school students can’t figure it out. But your daughter figured it out in less than ten minutes.”

“And?” I cocked my head. “You already know she’s a genius.”

“Three days a week at this school,” he said.

“Excuse me?” Sofia asked.

“She’ll attend Oak Crest three days a week and then attend virtual school the other two days from home via Zoom. The virtual classes are upper college-level classes. It’s not offered to just any student, and only a handful attending Oak Crest do it. I promise you, Dr. Kind, that Ella will be protected here. You don’t have to worry.”

I leaned back in my chair and stared at him.

“Listen, Dr. Kind. I know it’s scary, but you have to do what’s in your daughter's best interest. Believe me, I’m just as much of an overprotective father. But Ella’s brain needs constant stimulation, or you’ll have future issues with her.”

“Fine. When can she start?”

“She’ll start Monday morning. That will give me enough time to get all the paperwork ready, her classes assigned, and her enrollment in the virtual classes. You’ve made the right decision.”

“Thank you for your time, Headmaster Walters.” I extended my hand.

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