“No, I don’t.”
“It means that he’s one of the people who makes policies for the school. He makes decisions on how money is spent to keep the school operating. And I don’t think he wants to see us because he agrees with how we’re spending the school’s money.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Ellis. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.”
“It’s all right, Tony. In a way, your honesty makes me proud. But—” she pushed a button and a clock appeared on the screen—“we have only half an hour until Mr. Drummond jacks in to talk with us. I suggest you jack out for that time and talk to your mother; let her know what’s going on. Then come back.”
“Can Mom come too?”
Miss Ellis looked at Tony sadly. “I’m afraid not, Tony. You only have one set of spex at home, and Mr. Drummond wants to see you, not your mother. But don’t worry. I’ll be here too.”
Tony had a hard time telling his mother about what had happened. He was worried that she would be very angry at him for ruining his chances of attending a good school. Fortunately, her attitude had been similar to his teacher’s.
“We’ll figure something out, Tony, we always have,” she said while hugging him tightly. “You just go back and talk to Mr. Drummond. Maybe you can make him change his mind about you. Show him what a good boy you are.”
Tony jacked in, for what he thought might be the last time, and was back in the classroom with Miss Ellis. She was talking to Mr. Drummond.
At the sound of the buzz signaling Tony’s arrival, the two adults turned to face him.
“So here’s the young man,” said Mr. Drummond gruffly. Tony took a good, long look at Mr. Drummond, and tried not to seem afraid. Mr. Drummond towered over Tony impressively. His hair was thick and grey, and he wore an elaborate suit with a vest and chain. Tony also noticed that Mr. Drummond was sporting a pair of metal frame glasses, which didn’t make sense to him. In real life, after all, Mr. Drummond had to be wearing a pair of spex, so having his image wear glasses had to be a personal choice.
Tony almost laughed at that—how silly of Andrew’s father to have his image wear glasses!—but he bit off the laugh quickly. Mr. Drummond’s glasses probably mean as much to him as my skin color means to me.
Tony greeted him solemnly. Mr. Drummond returned the greeting with an embarrassed smile and turned back to Miss Ellis.
“As much as you may like the boy, it’s unfair to the rest of us to keep him enrolled at this school. Your little billing stunt is grounds for dismissal, you know.”
“Yes, I know. But, Mr. Drummond, if you knew what Tony had to face each day in a regular school—”
“That is not the issue here. I understand what Tony has to deal with at his local school. But look at what his presence does to our own resources.” He tapped at the air and a sheet of figures appeared on the screenboard.
“The fact that you tried to spread the expense out to everyone is commendable, Miss Ellis, but it’s still patently unfair to those families who are just barely able to send their children to telepresence school. If you look at these records, you can clearly see that some families are about to receive bills that may only be slightly higher than expected—but still higher. Did you honestly expect that no one would take notice?”
Miss Ellis turned to look at Tony. “I hoped,” she said.
“Well, I’m afraid it’s not possible. The money simply doesn’t exist. The school cannot afford to keep him here.”
“He’s one of the best students in the school. Is there nothing we can do for him?”
Mr. Drummond sighed. “What about all the other Tonys out there? We’d be unfair to all of them if we favored just one particular student. This is a private institution, not a public one. It’s completely supported by the families, and quite a few of us are stretched to the limit. I’m sorry.”
“I knew you had to be rich to attend,” Tony heard himself say.
Mr. Drummond frowned at Tony. “Tony, to you we may seem rich, but believe me, we’re just getting by. Perhaps we don’t find it as difficult to live as you do, but we honestly can’t afford to keep you here.”
He turned back to Miss Ellis. “We’ll have to make arrangements to retrieve the simulator and the spex. I have to go now; I have a trustees meeting to attend.” He tapped his earpiece and disappeared, leaving Tony and Miss Ellis alone in the classroom.
“I guess I won’t be able to stay, then.” Tony said. “But I don’t want to go back to my old school.” He started to cry.
“Tony, don’t cry. Listen to me. There is a way out.”
The following Monday afternoon, Tony took the subway down to Greenwich Village. He had to show a pass at 96th Street in order to continue under the fence, but Miss Ellis had arranged everything.
He went to the address Miss Ellis had given him, a brownstone on West 10th Street, and rang the doorbell. A black woman opened the door. She had a thick red scar seared across her right cheek.
Tony stammered. “I’m sorry, I’m looking for Miss Ellis. I must have the wrong place.” He started to back down the steps.
“It’s OK, Tony, this is my house.”
Tony stared at her, afraid to enter. The voice was right, but…
She laughed. “It’s me, Tony. Come on in.”
Tony hesitated, then followed her into the house. “I’m sorry, Miss Ellis, it’s just that—”
“I understand. I’ve set up a classroom in back.”
They entered a small room with a tiny green blackboard in one comer and two small desks. Written on the board with actual chalk were the words “Welcome Tony.” Sitting on the desks were notebooks and textbooks. They looked old and worn, but also loved.
Tony looked at Miss Ellis and smiled. She smiled back. Even with the scar, she was the most beautiful sight in the world. “Well, let’s get started,” she said. “I told you things would be different.”