igzAminESan dE
bF Ghenri GslIzD
H GJPdanz nevD spOk v H igzAm, not
until HX sun, Gdiki, woz twelv jCz Old. it woz on hiz bxTdE HAt misiz GJPdan
fxst menSand H subJekt in hiz prezans, n H ANkSas mAnD v hx spIc kYzd hx
huzband t ynsD SRpli.
"fDget abQt it," hI sed,
"hI'l dM Yl rFt."
HE wx At H brekfast tEbal, n H bq
lUkt up from hiz plEt kjUDiasli. hI woz an alxt-Fd juNstD, wiH flAt blond hX n
a kwik nxvas mAnD. hI didnt undDstAnd wot H sudan tenSan woz abQt, but hI did
nO HAt tadE woz hiz bxTdE, n hI wontid hRmani abuv Yl. sumwX in H lital
apRtmant HX wx rApt, biriband pAkaJiz wEtiN t bI Opand, n in H tFni wYl-kicin,
sumTiN wPm n swIt woz bIiN pripXd in H YtamAtik stOv. hI wontid H dE t bI hApi,
n H mqstnas v hiz muHD'z Fz, H skQl on hiz fyTD'z fEs, spqld H mMd v H flutDiN
ekspektESan wiH wic hI hAd grItid H mPniN.
"wot igzAm?" hI yskt.
hiz muHD lUkt At H tEbalkloT.
"it's Just a sPt v GguvDmant inteliJans test HE giv cildran At H EJ v
twelv. V'l bI getiN it nekst wIk. it's nuTiN t wuri avQt."
"V mIn a test lFk in
skMl?"
"sumTiN lFk HAt," hiz
fyHD sed, getiN up from H tEbal.
"gO n rId jP komik bUks,
Gdiki."
H bq rOz n wondDd tawPdz HAt pRt v
H liviN rMm wic hAd bIn "hiz" from infansi. hI fiNgDd H topmOst komik
v H stAk, but sImd unintDestid in H kulDfUl skwXz v fyst-pEst AkSan. hI wondDd
tawPdz H windO n pCd glMmili At H vEl v mist HAt SrQdid H glys.
"wF did it hAv t rEn tadE?" hI sed. "wF kUdant it
rEn tamorO?"
hiz fyHD, nQ slumpt intM an RmcX
wiH H GguvDmant nVzpEpD, rAtald H SIts in veksESan. "bikoz it Just did,
HAt's Yl. rEn mEks H grys grO."
"wF, GdAd?"
"bikoz it duz, HAt's
Yl."
Gdiki pukDd hiz brO. "wot
mEks it grIn, HO? H grys?"
"nObodi nOz," hiz fyHD
snApt, Hen imIdiatli rigretid hiz abruptnas.
lEtD in H dE, it woz bxTdE tFm
agen. hiz muHD bImd Az SI hAndid OvD H gEli-kulDd pAkaJiz, n Ivan hiz fyHD
mAniJd a grin n a rumpal-v-H-hX. hI kist hiz muHD n SUk hAndz grEvli wiH hiz
fyHD. Hen H bxTdE kEk woz brYt fPT, n H seramaniz kanklMdid.
an QD lEtD, sItid bF H windO, hI
woct H sun fPs its wE bitwIn H klQdz.
"GdAd," hI sed, "hQ
fR awE iz H sun?"
"fFv TQzand mFlz," hiz
fYHD sed.
Gdik sAt At H brekfast tEbal n
agen sY mqscD in hiz muHD'z Fz. hI didnt kanekt hx tCz wiH H igzAm until hiz
fyHD sudanli brYt H subJekt t lFt agen.
"wel, Gdiki," hI sed,
wiH a mAnli frQn, "V'v got an apqntmant tadE."
"F nO, GdAd. F hOp..."
"nQ, it's nuTiN t wuri abQt.
TQzandz v cildran tEk His test evri dE. H guvDmant wonts t nO hQ smRt V R,
Gdiki. HAt's Yl HX iz t it."
"F get gUd mRks in
skMl," hI sed hezitantli.
"His iz difDant. His iz a -
speSal kFnd v test. HE giv V His stuf t driNk, V sI, n Hen V gO intM a rMm wX
HX'z a sPt v maSIn -"
"wot stuf t driNk?"
Gdiki sed.
"it's nuTiN. it tEsts lFk
pepDmint. it's Just t mEk SUD V ynsD H kwescanz trMTfUli. not HAt H GguvDmant
TiNks V wOnt tel H trMT, but His stuf mEks SUD."
Gdiki'z fEs SOd puzalmant, n a tuc
v frFt. hI lUkt At hiz muHD, n SI kampOzd hx fEs intM a misti smFl.
"evriTiN wil bI Yl rFt,"
SI sed.
"v kPs it wil," hiz fyHD
agrId. "V'D a gUd bq, Gdiki, V'l mEk Qt fFn. Hen wI'l kum hOm n selabrEt.
Yl rFt?"
"jes, sx," Gdiki sed.
HE entDd H GguvDmant GedjUkESanal
GbildiN fiftIn minits bifP H apqntid QD. HE krost H mRbal flP v H grEt pilDd
lobi, pyst binIT an RcwE n entDd an YtamAtik elavEtD HAt brYt Hem t H fPT flP.
HX woz a juN mAn wXiN an
insignia-las tVnik, sItid At a poliSt desk in frunt v rMm 404. hI held a
klipbPd in hiz hAnd, n hI cekt H list dQn t H J'z n pDmitid H GJPdanz t entD.
H rMm woz Az kOld n afiSal Az a
kPtrMm, wiH loN benciz flANkiN metal-tEbalz. HX wx sevDal fyHDz n sunz Ylredi
HX, n a Tin-lipt wUman wiH kropt blAk hX woz pysiN Qt SIts v pEpD.
mistD GJPdan fild Qt H fPm, n
ritxnd it t H klRk, Hen hI tOld Gdiki: "it wOnt bI loN nQ. wen HE kYl jP
nEm, V Just gO TrM H dPwE At HAt end v H rMm." hI indikEtid H pPtal wiH
hiz fiNgD.
a kansIld lQdspIkD krAkald n kYld
of H fxst nEm.
Gdiki sY a bq lIv hiz fyHD'z sFd
riluktantli n wYk slOli tawPdz H dP.
At fFv minits v ilevan, HE kYld H
nEm v GJPdan.
"gUd luk, sun," hiz fyHD
sed, wiHQt lUkiN At him. "F'l kYl fP V wen H test iz OvD."
Gdiki wYkt t H dP n txnd H nob. H
rMm insFd woz dim, n hI kUd bXli mEk Qt H fIcDz v H grE-tVnikt atendant hM
grItid him.
"sit dQn," H mAn sed
softli. hI indikEtid a hF stMl bisFd hiz desk. "jP nEm'z GricDd
GJPdan?"
"jes, sx."
"jP klAsifikESan numbD iz
600-115. driNk His, GricDd."
hI liftid a plAstik kup fron H
desk n hAndid it t H bq. H likwid insFd hAd H kansistansi v butDmilk, tEstid
Onli vEgli v H promist pepDmint. Gdiki dQnd it, n hAndid H mAn H empti kup.
hI sAt in sFlans, fIliN drQzi, wFl
H mAn rOt bizili on a SIt v pEpD. Hen H atemdant lUkt At hiz woc, n rOz t stAnd
Onli inciz fron Gdiki'z fEs. hI unklipt a pen-lFk obJekt fron H pokit v hiz
tVnik, n flASt a tFni lFt intM H bq'z Fz.
"Yl rFt," hI sed.
"kum wiH mI, GricDd."
hI led Gdiki t H end v H rMm, wX a
siNgal wUdan RmcX fEst a multi-dFald kampVtiN maSIn. HX woz a mFkrafOn on H
left v H cX, n wen H bq sAt dQn, hI fQnd its pinpqnt hed kanvIniantli At hiz
mQT.
"nQ Just rilAks, GricDd. V'l
bI yskt sum kwescanz, n V TiNk Hem OvD kXfUli, Hen gid jP ynsDz intM H
mFkrafOn. H maSIn wil tEk kX v H rest."
"jes, sx."
"F'l lIv V alOn nQ. wenevD V
wont t stRt, Just sE `redi' intM H mFkrafOn."
"jes, sx."
H mAn skwIzd hiz SOldD, n left.
Gdiki sed, "redi."
lFts apCd on H maSIn, n a
mekanizam wxd. a vqs sed:
"kamplIt His sIkwans. wun,
fP, sevan, ten..."
mistD n misiz GJPdan wx in H liviN
rMm, not spIkiN, not Ivan spekjUlEtiN.
it woz YlmOst fP a'klok wen H
telafOn rAN. H wUman trFd t rIc it fxst, but hx huzband woz kwikD.
"mistD GJPdan?"
H vqd woz klipt; a brisk, afiSal
vqs.
"jes, spIkiN."
"His iz H GguvDmant
GedjUkESanal Gsxvis. jP sun GricDd Gm GJPdan, klAsifikESan 600-115, hAz
kamplItid H GguvDmant igzAminESan. wI rigret t infPm V HAt hiz inteliJans
kwOSant hAz iksIdid H GguvDmant regjUlESan, akPdiN t rMl 84, sekSan 5, v H nV
kOd."
akros H rMm, H wUman krFd Qt, nOiN
nuTiN iksept H imOSan SI red on hx huzband'z fEs.
"V mE spesifF bF
telafOn," H vqs drOnd on, "weHD V wiS hiz bodi intxd bF H GguvDmant P
wUd V prifx a prFvat berial plEs? H fI fP guvDmant berial iz ten dolDz."