Page 54 (1/2)

Fortunately, Joanna co her nose and casting rined look out from under the veil of her hair "Fuck I hadn’t cried all day," she mumbles "It was a new record"

"If I were you, I wouldn’t even get out of bed"

"I did that for the first couple of weeks, and then I woke up and thought, Beau would kickstupid and new"

"Doesn’t sound so stupid toa different career in music is her dream, better to chase it now than later

"You really believe that?"

"Of course I do"

She stuffs the tissue in her coat pocket "Beau always said you were so driven I figured this was the sort of thing you’d look down on"

I frown "You make me sound like a callous asshole"

"No I didn’t mean it that way It was a co planned out--I’d get a degree in perforet a fantastic role in a Broadway play, and ride my star to the top of the marquee Then Beau died and all of it just seeht

"Anyway, I better get going" She leans forward and hugs ly fierce "Take care of yourself, Sabrina I hope you live your lifeyourself happy"

Yeah If only I knehat path that required

The next day, I find myself in front of my advisor’s office Professor Gibson has her head bent over her desk, grading papers I knock softly so I don’t startle her

"Sabrina, co s?"

"Easy I kno to take a test now"

"Or you’ve trained yourself to think h scads of information to find the sih as I take a seat

"Are you excited about Harvard this fall or looking forward to su to miss this place" I take in Professor Gibson’s cozy office with its oversized stuffed chair that she gets recovered every four years, and the towering stack of books that threaten to tumble over at any second but never do She has pictures everywhere--with her students, with her husband

And it hitskids is because from the minute I met Professor Gibson, I wanted to be her She’s smart, successful, kind-hearted, and so well respected Everywhere she goes, people look up to her And for a kid like me, from the South Boston slums, that sort of admiration was a dream--one that I’ve pursued relentlessly here at Briar