12 · AARON THIER
Akash wasn’t the only one who had questions for me. Later that day, I was sitting in the common room with Burke and Lehman. The two of them were looking through the course catalog and I was enjoying a light doze on the couch. Suddenly I was startled by the sound of a book slamming shut, and I opened my eyes to see Lehman squatting in front of me. “Hey, man, listen,” he said. “Don’t you want to tell us what this is about?” I thought I’d play dumb, so I told him I wasn’t sure what he meant. “What are you, someone’s grandfather?” I saw Burke cringe, but I reassured him. It was a fair question, after all. I told them that I’d taken a few years off after high school. (And no, I don’t have grandchildren yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed!) It was naïve of me to expect a disguise to fool these young men, but now that the subject was out in the open, they seemed to take it all in stride. Soon, it almost seemed as if they had lost interest. I’ve been amazed to discover that most of the other freshmen I’ve met have reacted the same way. Today’s students are remarkably open-minded about deviant lifestyle decisions. Of course, I’ve been spending all my time with freshmen and I have yet to run across students I’ve known in my capacity as dean. I’ll have to improve my disguise! Now Lehman was explaining how relieved he was that his parents had finally gone. “College is a time to be independent,” I agreed, “and pursue a journey of self-discovery that could lead you to an activity or course of study that might become your consuming passion.”
9781620405277 The Ghost Apple (853h).indd 12
14/10/2013 14:19:04