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“I hope so,” he said. “Like with…what’s going on. Wendy says they’ll be setting me up so I don’t have to struggle.”
“Financially.”
“Yes, a trust fund, whatever that is. Enough to take care of me so I can keep going to school.”
I said nothing.
He said, “There’s no reason they should force themselves to stay together because of me.”
“You feel that’s what they’ve done.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“For always.” His eyes climbed to the ceiling. His hands knitted. “I mean they neversaidit to me.”
“But…”
“I heard it. When they were fighting.”
“You realize,” I said, “that doesn’t make their bad marriage your fault.”
“Well, it kind of does.” He smiled. “No, I get it, everyone says that so it’s got to be right. I don’t want to be a stumbling block. That’s what the counselor at school called it. Don’t feel like a stumbling block. She said the same kind of things—the same questions you’re asking. Wanted me to know it was their issue.”
He shrugged.
I said, “You’re not convinced.”
“I kind of am, Doctor, but also…I mean they said it nearly every time they fought. So it’s kind of obvious that it was a problem.”
“That still doesn’t make it your responsibility, Derek.”
“I know that,” he said. “I tell myself to keep knowing it, there’s no point getting freaked out over it. I’ll be at Hotchkins for three more years, anyway, and then hopefully I’ll get into a good college and hopefully that will lead to other good stuff.”
“What subjects are you interested in?”
“Everything, really,” he said. “I guess if I had to pick favorites it would be math and science but basically I’m curious about everything.”
“That’s great.”
He studied me.
I said, “Curiosity opens the world to you. It’s a big factor in success.”
“Really?”
“Really. So you’re going to be set up financially and happy about going back to school.”
“Exactly.”
“We’re not going to do this today, but next time I’ll be administering some tests to you to measure your ability.”
“Yes, Wendy said that. So they’d know how much schooling I’d need.”
“Sounds like you’re well informed.”
“I hope so.”
