Theoracism

Jolie pressed the doorbell. She clutched some non-alcoholic sparkling cider. The door opened. Tinkerton stood with a satisfactory look plastered on his face.

“Come in, Miss Doddard. Please.” Tinkerton showed the Board member to a seat on the couch in the living room.

“I’m so glad you welcomed me into your home. Where’s Ophelia and Gadot?”

“Ophelia’s in the kitchen, and Gadot is upstairs doing her homework.”

“You know I like to hear that.”

“Thanks for the cider,” Garfield mentioned as he placed it in the refrigerator to chill.

“Dinner, Gadot!” Ophelia chimed. She walked in the living room, and stopped short. “Forgive me, I’m a mess. I didn’t hear the bell. I hope you like jambalaya.”

“Absolutely. It’s a favorite of mine.”

At the table, Tinkerton sat at the head across from his wife. Jolie sat across from Gadot.

“If I may say, this is a beautiful home. You must spend hours keeping up the place,” Jolie observed.

“We do our best,” Ophelia said before biting on some sausage.

“There’s a great deal of patience that must come with owning a home like this. I commend you.”

“Mom, Dad, may I please be excused?” Gadot asked.

“No, honey. You finish your meal,” Ophelia insisted.

“No, it’s alright. You can go finish your work, dear,” Tinkerton intercepted.

Gadot left the table without even acknowledging Jolie’s presence.

“She’s so bright, you must be so proud of her,” Jolie remarked.

“I think she’s proud of herself,” Ophelia replied. “Now, let’s get the gist of all this. We accepted you into our home to do what exactly?”

“Pardon me for my poor manners. I’m here to get a sense of the home life of one of our best students.”

Tinkerton cut straight to the bone. “And the theory?”

“Yes, of course. Why split hairs? I’m also here to encourage you to uphold and abide by the guidelines, as parents, of the theory espoused by the Board,” Jolie’s tone was a bit sharper and her words slightly clipped.

“We’re not sure if the theory is the best thing for Gadot. She came home crying one day because she had spoken against a fallacy of the theory.”

Jolie’s eyes widened. She glanced back and forth at Tinkerton and Ophelia. “I can assure you, the theory only aids students in their educational journeys.” She spoke with a bit of levity in her voice now. “Studies have shown with this theory, the success rate for students entering four year colleges is over ninety six percent.”

Tinkerton cleared his throat. “Yes, but what falsehoods, misleading information, and outright lies will pave the road to higher education?”

Jolie changed her tone. She sought out words to properly represent her argument. “The theory not only works, it is right. I’m truly sorry Gadot became upset at some point, but it is students like her who are best suited to live by the measures of the theory.”

Ophelia sipped some wine. She lowered her voice, “I don’t care where you came from, and how you got to be on a Board that is eroding the education of our students, but you can either tell us why this was a good idea for you to be here, or we can show you the door.” Tinkerton folded his arms.

“You know, with the curriculum being so demanding, I know it is difficult for parents and students to see eye to eye with teachers and staff. I’m here because you graciously let me into your beautiful home. I only wish to say this theory—” Tinkerton interrupted.

“Could you, in layman’s terms, explain the theory?”

“I wouldn’t want to waste your time with a great deal of data and information, but essentially it is a revolutionary way for teachers to instruct, and for students to learn. It is a tool for showing the real America and the world. Through encouraging our young people to absorb the knowledge of multiple instructors, we have a chance to shift the paradigm for a more brilliant future.”

Tinkerton looked at Ophelia who sipped some more wine.

“I didn’t get anything out of that,” Tinkerton declared.

“It’s getting late. I should go,” Jolie declared with a hint of animus.

“I’ll show you out,” Tinkerton offered.

Ophelia began gathering plates.

He lingered at the door, watching the Board member walk away. Jolie made it to the bottom of the steps, then suddenly turned to face him. “You know the theory is for the good.”

“We’ll make that judgment call,” came his retort, as he slammed the door shut.