To Fly
by
Greg Camp
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * *
PUBLISHED BY
Greg Camp on Smashwords
To Fly
Copyright 2011 Greg Camp
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Originally published in:
The Vanderbilt Review
Volume XIX, 2004
To Fly
When I think about what I know of Joey Martin, the most striking thing that I remember is his belief that he could fly.
My first contact with Joey was in his first-grade year. His teacher sent him to me because he was disrupting the class. Joey had seen some older children making paper airplanes during recess and circled the room, trying to find someone who would teach him how.
I thought at first that this was just a routine problem. I even considered sending Joey back to the teacher with a brief note about basic disciplining methods. After all, I had just finished an angry meeting with a parent whose child I expelled for bringing a gun, and later that day I had to review the cases of several students caught selling drugs on school grounds. "If my only problems were paper airplanes. . . ." I mused.
But something about Joey changed my mind. He was a small boy, smaller than one would expect even for a six-year old. His clothes were neat and showed quality, if a little drab. His clean blond hair was combed neatly forward. Everything about him was neat except his eyes. From his appearance and demeanor, I would have thought him the most polite young man I had seen had I not looked into his eyes.