Dad was the first to reach me, his face unreadable.
He spoke carefully, as if he were testing the words, “Harvard Medical School.” “Complete scholarship.”
“Yes,” I replied plainly.
“When did you intend to bring this up?Mom had shown up next to him, her voice tight with what I couldn’t tell was confusion, shame, or rage.
I stated, “I wanted to wait until I was certain.” “Admission to medical schools is extremely competitive. I didn’t want to raise anyone’s expectations.
Raise our expectations?Marcus had entered the discussion and appeared genuinely shaken. This is Harvard Medical School, Sarah. This is enormous.
“This is more than enormous.”
My brother was staring at me with anything approaching respect for the first time in my adult life. It was confusing.
Mom said, “The dean said you’ve been working multiple jobs.” “Why didn’t you inform us that you required additional funds? We could have assisted with living costs.
This was sensitive ground. How did you tell your parents that you had been providing for yourself since you were sick of receiving lectures about responsibility and thankfulness with every dollar? Given that family support was always conditional, how did you explain to them that you had opted for financial independence?
I stated, “I wanted to prove I could do it myself,” which was somewhat accurate.
“But you didn’t have to prove anything,” Mom said, her voice taking on a tone I seldom ever heard aimed at me—almost parental pride. Your parents are us. We wish to encourage your aspirations.
I gave her a close inspection. This was the same woman who had been inquiring about my future plans for four years. The same woman who had advised me to think about attending a community college in order to save money on this experiment. Our daughter is a science student, and it was the same woman who introduced me to the neighbors.
“I appreciate that,” I said diplomatically, “but it worked out for the best. Financial independence was particularly cited by the scholarship committee as a consideration.
I was saved from the increasingly uncomfortable family dynamics when Dr. Hendricks showed up at my elbow.
Some Harvard students would like to meet you, Sarah. Are you able to spare a few minutes?”
“Obviously,” I replied appreciatively.
“Harvard folks?When speaking to Marcus’s law school teachers or anybody else he deemed significant, Dad’s tone had changed. What sort of Harvard folks?”
“Dr. Dr. Hendricks clarified that Amanda Foster traveled from Boston especially for the event today. Sarah will collaborate with her as a researcher. She wanted to talk about some initial study ideas with Sarah.
“Dr. Did Foster visit us today?Mom was staring at me as if I had changed in some way.
According to Dr. Hendricks, “the medical school takes their scholarship recipients very seriously.” Someone with Sarah’s potential for research, in particular. Her work on protein folding has far-reaching ramifications compared to what most students do.
