Read Online The Great Perhaps by Joe Meno - Free Book Online Page A

me.”
    Jonathan follows the principal into his office and takes a seat at Mr. Stuart’s urging.
    “Well, I’m sure Amelia has told you what has happened,” the principal whispers.
    “She has.”
    “Good. We’re all very upset by the incident. Has she also shown you a copy of the editorial in question?”
    “No.”
    The principal nods, reaching for the school paper lying on his desk. He solemnly hands it to Jonathan, who quickly begins scanning it. Jonathan nods, trying to hide his smile, then decides not to bother.
    “I don’t see anything wrong with this,” Jonathan says. “It’s her opinion. She put her name right there next to it. She’s not doing it anonymously or anything. I think she’s pretty brave for saying what she did.”
    “Brave, or a little inconsiderate, perhaps.”
    “I don’t know if I see a difference here.”
    “Well, perhaps Amelia will have some time to think about that.”
    “When can my daughter come back to school?”
    “We expect to see her on Monday the twenty-fifth.”
    “That’s more than a week.”
    “Your daughter called me a savage. And a dickwad, Mr. Casper. If it wasn’t for her outstanding grades, we would be looking at possible expulsion.”
    Jonathan nods, scratching his beard. “Okay.” He stands up and looks around the terrible little office. “I want you to know I’m taking my daughter to get Chinese food right now. Cantonese. I think what she did was wrong but I don’t think punishing her makes any sense at all.”
    “Well, we’ll see her on Monday the twenty-fifth, regardless.”
    Jonathan nods, opens the office door, and stands over his daughter, frowning.
    “We’re done here. You got your things?”
    Amelia nods.
    “Did you talk to your teachers? You know what you’re missing in your classes?”
    She nods again.
    “Let’s go get some Chinese.”
     
     
    A T N ICKY’S C HINESE F OOD Restaurant, Amelia orders lo mein and shrimp fried rice and shares it with her dad. Her dad always gets the same thing: two egg rolls, chicken kow, and an almond cookie. He refuses to try anything new. They sit in the same red vinyl booth, the one in the corner, and after switching entrees, Jonathan looks up and says, “Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you can get away with things other people can’t.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me. Just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you can get away with certain things.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like today.”
    “Dad, I knew what I was doing was right.”
    “Sometimes there’s the right thing to do. And then sometimes there’s the thing you do because the right thing is going to get you in trouble, when you really don’t need to be in trouble. Being smart and going to school and being able to write for the school paper, those are all privileges.”
    “I can’t believe you’re saying I should like…be a sheep. All I did was write down my opinion—”
    “I’m not saying you should be a sheep. But kiddo, you’re still a student. You’re still seventeen. Those people, that principal, is an adult. He’s not your equal.”
    “Well, that’s not what you and Mom taught me. You always said just because we’re kids doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have an opinion. All I did was write down my opinion.”
    “Amelia?”
    “Yes?”
    “I want you to think about this.”
    “Okay.”
    “Do you think anything you did today, that column you wrote, do you think that helped anybody? Do you think that helped those ladies, in the cafeteria? Or do you think it was something you wrote because you knew you could put it in the paper and get away with it?”
    “What?”
    “On the outside it looked like it was brave, what you did, but you and I know it really wasn’t. Don’t we?”
    Amelia sets down her orange chopsticks, sulking. “I’m done eating.”
    Jonathan nods, wondering if Madeline would agree with anything he has just said. He pushes his food around his plate, staring across the table at his daughter, who