“Something troubling you?”
Adam hesitated.
Then he told her about the teasing.
Mrs. Harris listened quietly.
When he finished, she pulled a chair beside him.
“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
Adam shook his head.
“I see a boy who comes to work on time, studies harder than most adults I know, and takes care of his mother.”
He looked away.
“Other people don’t see that.”
“Some don’t,” she agreed. “But their blindness doesn’t change the truth.”
She pointed toward the book in front of him.
“Keep reading. Keep learning. One day, you may have the opportunity to speak for people who have never been listened to.”
Her words reminded him of Judge Bennett.
One mistake did not have to define his life.
Adam returned to his studies with renewed determination.
He worked during the afternoons and studied late into the night.
When his classmates went to parties, he often stayed home reviewing assignments.
