Boston, Mass
September 1991
"Mrs. Driscoll, I want to talk about your son."
Eileen Driscoll's stomach twisted into knots. She'd dreaded this day, ever since her husband had walked out the door, abandoning her and their two children. Chris had taken his father's desertion hard, and without any real father figure, she'd worried about him getting mixed up with the wrong kind of people.
"Is my son in some kind of trouble, Mr. Wilson? I'm not sure if you know this, but my husband left us some years ago, and it's been been especially hard on Christian. He's a good boy really. He just... He needs a little guidance."
The man sitting across the desk from her smiled and lifted a hand to reassure her. "I didn't call you here because Chris is in any trouble, Mrs. Driscoll. In fact, quite the opposite. I am not sure you are aware of this, but Chris is an exceptionally talented young man."
Eileen exhaled a sigh of relief and silently thanked God. What the elementary school principal was telling her came as no surprise. She knew that her son was an unusually bright boy when he chose to apply himself, when he didn't have his head buried in comic books and video games. "He's always been a bright boy."
Wilson leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. "Bright is putting it mildly. Chris scored a 130 on his I.Q. tests. I have to wonder if he really applied himself, could he have scored higher?"
"130?" Eileen asked, uncertainly. "What does that mean?"
"140 is genius," Wilson told her.
Eileen gasped, the color draining from her face. She knew her son was bright, but near genius? Her blue eyes blinked in rapid succession. "But his report cards..." Her son's grades had been less than stellar, no indication of anything other than average intelligence.
"Simply put, the boy is bored."
"Bored?" she echoed, puzzled.
"It's not lack of ability that's holding Chris back. It's his own desire to learn. He needs a challenge. He's bored here."
She paused a moment to consider what he was telling her. She didn't have the resources to send her son to private school. Raising two children on her own, she was struggling to make ends meet, as it was. "What should I do?"
Wilson smiled reassuringly. "Not you, Mrs. Driscoll. What should we do? I'd like to put Chris in an accelerated program. He shows exceptional aptitude with math and computers. One of our teachers is putting together a program for students just like Chris. With a little encouragement and the right education, the sky is the limit."
"Are you sure you're talking about my Christian?" she asked, uncertainly.
"We tested him twice to be sure. The results were the same. A little higher the second time actually. I'll be frank. His scores put my own to shame. He's an exceptional child, Mrs. Driscoll. But with intelligence like his comes a certain responsibility, and that responsibility lies with us."
Eileen hesitated. Her head was swimming. The sky's the limit? What did that mean? She blinked out of her thoughts and looked back at the school principal. "Very well, Mr. Wilson. I am putting my son in your hands. I trust you know what you're doing."
Wilson smiled again, pleased. It was a rare opportunity to encounter a student possessing Chris' abilities. "You won't regret this, Mrs. Driscoll. I promise you that."
Eileen nodded again, hoping he was right.
September 1991
"Mrs. Driscoll, I want to talk about your son."
Eileen Driscoll's stomach twisted into knots. She'd dreaded this day, ever since her husband had walked out the door, abandoning her and their two children. Chris had taken his father's desertion hard, and without any real father figure, she'd worried about him getting mixed up with the wrong kind of people.
"Is my son in some kind of trouble, Mr. Wilson? I'm not sure if you know this, but my husband left us some years ago, and it's been been especially hard on Christian. He's a good boy really. He just... He needs a little guidance."
The man sitting across the desk from her smiled and lifted a hand to reassure her. "I didn't call you here because Chris is in any trouble, Mrs. Driscoll. In fact, quite the opposite. I am not sure you are aware of this, but Chris is an exceptionally talented young man."
Eileen exhaled a sigh of relief and silently thanked God. What the elementary school principal was telling her came as no surprise. She knew that her son was an unusually bright boy when he chose to apply himself, when he didn't have his head buried in comic books and video games. "He's always been a bright boy."
Wilson leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. "Bright is putting it mildly. Chris scored a 130 on his I.Q. tests. I have to wonder if he really applied himself, could he have scored higher?"
"130?" Eileen asked, uncertainly. "What does that mean?"
"140 is genius," Wilson told her.
Eileen gasped, the color draining from her face. She knew her son was bright, but near genius? Her blue eyes blinked in rapid succession. "But his report cards..." Her son's grades had been less than stellar, no indication of anything other than average intelligence.
"Simply put, the boy is bored."
"Bored?" she echoed, puzzled.
"It's not lack of ability that's holding Chris back. It's his own desire to learn. He needs a challenge. He's bored here."
She paused a moment to consider what he was telling her. She didn't have the resources to send her son to private school. Raising two children on her own, she was struggling to make ends meet, as it was. "What should I do?"
Wilson smiled reassuringly. "Not you, Mrs. Driscoll. What should we do? I'd like to put Chris in an accelerated program. He shows exceptional aptitude with math and computers. One of our teachers is putting together a program for students just like Chris. With a little encouragement and the right education, the sky is the limit."
"Are you sure you're talking about my Christian?" she asked, uncertainly.
"We tested him twice to be sure. The results were the same. A little higher the second time actually. I'll be frank. His scores put my own to shame. He's an exceptional child, Mrs. Driscoll. But with intelligence like his comes a certain responsibility, and that responsibility lies with us."
Eileen hesitated. Her head was swimming. The sky's the limit? What did that mean? She blinked out of her thoughts and looked back at the school principal. "Very well, Mr. Wilson. I am putting my son in your hands. I trust you know what you're doing."
Wilson smiled again, pleased. It was a rare opportunity to encounter a student possessing Chris' abilities. "You won't regret this, Mrs. Driscoll. I promise you that."
Eileen nodded again, hoping he was right.