Log: Fred and Sam

[x-cannonball.livejournal.com]

Sam and Fred talk about History and class. Fred gets a dangerous assignment.

Fred had put off going to Mr. Guthrie's classroom for as long as he could. He'd been told by Julian that the writing assignments they'd turned in to the history teacher last week were done and to be picked up today. Fred didn't really want to know what he'd made. He had been nervous about the assignment, and was fairly certain he'd bombed on it. Oh well, it wasn't like Fred wasn't used to it...

Fred opened the door to the classroom slightly, and poked his head in, "Hello? Mister Guthrie?"

Sam looked up from the papers on his desk and smiled. "You must be here for your paper." He shuffled through a stack of papers for a moment, holding up a paper in success with a smile to his student. "Why didn't you tell anyone you're so insightful about the past?" He set the paper out on display for the young man; the large, red 'A' could be easily seen.

Fred had to regard the paper for a moment to make sure that it was indeed his, and Mr. Guthrie hadn't made a mistake and handed him the wrong paper. He looked a little dumbstruck, looking from the paper, to his teacher, and back again, "Erm, thank you, Mr. Guthrie. I don't know if yah'd call me 'insightful or anything..." he'd become flustered slightly, and his Texan was leaking from his mouth, "..jus' seems like common sense, s'all. Fraco-Prussian conflict begits nervous alliance buildin', which leads to World War one, and the bad 'conomy plus the sore feelings from tha Napoleanic era begit World War two..."

"Seeming common sense is the mark of a savant. I look forward to reading more of your work, Fred." Sam said soothingly with an honest smile. "You should consider spending time as a tutor. It'll help give you a reason to get in a little deeper with some more of the students and it'd be good to show some people your strength in the subject, I expect."

Fred balked at the large and earnest compliment, and chuckled, obviously embarrassed, "Why, uh...thank you, sir. I, uh, heh..." Fred looked down and, when he looked back to Sam, his smile seemed a bit more introspective than jubilant, "...Don't think many people would be receptive to my help, uh, sir..."

"Why's that? I think in the mansion you can't really expect people to judge you based on any of the things they would elsewhere. You're just as much a person as anyone else and capable of all the things that means, like helping others with all sorts of things." With students, like this, is where Sam was always the most comfortable. He knew how to do these conversations.

"Oh! It's not that, uh, sir." Fred said, and shook his head a little, "It's not that they, uh, think less of me or anythin', but..." he laughed a little and held up his paper for Sam to see, "Sir, you know...when ya come from a certain place...talk a certain way...people are bound ta make judgments. 'S not really their fault. Just the way people were wired..."

"I talk about the same way and I manage to run a whole class. From the South and all." Sam replied reassuringly. "I think you should work with Catseye, if you think you can handle her. She should be finishing up a pretty interesting paper about cats and I think it would show you that you have more to offer then you'd think and it would help give her a more usual perspective to respond to."

Sam took a deep breath, thinking for just a moment. "It's not other people making judgments about you that should matter; so long as you don't believe them yourself."

Fred was quiet for a moment...then chuckled, nodding, "Never...really thought about that. Gotta good point, sir. Real good point." Fred's grin seemed to come easier now, and he tucked his paper into his jacket, "And, honestly, Catseye might be more than a match for me, heh, at least at first..."