Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 91212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
"Have a good day, miss," he says with a gentle dip of his head.
There have been very few changes to the campus since the last time I was here. Old money has old values, and they're not very interested in change. Change brings on new blood and reasoning, and if we aren't living in a time where the good old-boy system isn't entrenched into every decision, then most folks around here aren't interested. It gives them less control, and as I park and climb out of my car, I know I'm part of the problem.
I know that my mother played her part in my dad's society because it was expected of her. The husband makes the money on Capitol Hill, and his wife and kids do things to fill their time that won't interfere with his needs. She started her non-profit not only because she wanted to help people, but also because it was expected. Women have been fighting for their place in government for a very long time, but it's always an uphill battle, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
Personally, I have no interest in politics. I won't get into an argument defending anyone's point of view, not even William’s, and it chaps his hide that I'm not as compassionate as he thinks I should be.
He has more staying power than I could ever have, and I'll give him credit for that. I think he wants to make some real changes in the world, and that takes a lot of determination. I just don't have the stomach for everything that it takes.
But am I wrong about my brother?
I can't help but wonder this as I make a turn at the admin building and use the sidewalk to go toward the fountain at the back.
Eddie wasn't shy about mentioning his suspicions about Willam and his possible involvement in Sadie's disappearance, but I just can't see it as a possibility.
Those two never saw eye to eye and that had more to do with Sadie causing problems for him. I'm certain that people stopped paying much attention to our little sister a long time ago, so William's need to make her disappear is pointless, really.
I take a seat on one of the benches near the fountain, a hint of nostalgia hitting me in the chest when I watch students chatting and studying. College can be an insanely lonely place. The time requirements for a degree program here alone can put you in the library nearly every waking hour a person isn't in class. The pressure from family to do well, because it reflects back on your parents, is astronomical. It contributes to the high suicide rates for students attending Ivy League schools.
I spent many days trying to soak up the sun when I could while I was at school, and I know that's what some of the students here are doing as well. The ones sitting by themselves need to study, but they also need a connection to the outside world so they're not as lonely.
I hate the idea of kids like Ben having all the pressure of college weighing them down and then having to turn around and work jobs like the one he has just so he can stay in school. It makes me insanely irate with the secondary educational system in America.
It also makes my thoughts circle back to Sadie, and I wonder what she has been forced to do to support her drug habit when we refused to help her. I don't know which is worse, giving her what she wants or making her find a way to get it herself. I think the latter probably did more damage even though it made us less culpable in the results.
The wind whips around me, and as I pull my jacket a little tighter, I watch a guy chase after a paper that escaped his grasp.
It's hard to be here and not think about the sacrifices I've made for my family. I always wanted to be in education. It's why it was so easy to work for my mom. Literacy for today's children shouldn't be an issue. Making sure every child knows how to read is fundamental to life in America. It's a given, or least it should be, but there are schools that just don't have the funding to ensure it happens.
I didn't see my life going in this direction. I wanted to help Mom with her foundation until it was time to spread my wings and fly, and that flight path to me always looked something like this place. I wanted to be a college professor. I wanted to teach those who wanted to teach. I wanted to make sure I was helping on the front end, making sure elementary teachers knew what to look for in a student's struggles with reading. I wanted to help people become as passionate as Mom and I were.