It was Daniel's certainty that wealth made him superior.
Mrs. Ramirez appeared beside me carrying two paper cups of coffee.
“Claire.”
I smiled.
“You made it.”
“Wouldn't miss this for the world.”
She handed me a cup.
Her dark hair was streaked with silver, and she wore the same red cardigan she had worn to nearly every competition.
She glanced toward the test hall.
“Nervous?”
“Terrified.”
“Good. That means you're a mother.”
We sat together near the back of the auditorium.
For the first hour, we spoke about the boys' projects.
Then the conversation drifted toward college applications.
Eli wanted to study electrical engineering.
Owen was considering applied physics and computer science.
Both dreamed of attending a university with a strong research program.
Both also understood that dreams came with tuition bills.
“We're waiting on scholarship decisions,” I admitted.
Mrs. Ramirez nodded.
“They have excellent chances.”
“I know.”
“But?”
I looked down at my coffee.
