บท 11: The Grandparents
"Well, I see she didn't teach you any manners," said the older man, looking down at me.
"Oh, she did," I assured him. "However, the precipice was that I was to be shown manners and respect first. In fact, her exact words were that manners were important, but that I wasn't to be a doormat and let people walk all over me."
I could hear how young my voice sounded, and I wanted to cringe every time I opened my mouth. But I would not let them get away with disrespecting my Mother.
"And wasn't there a saying that a gentleman didn't argue with a woman or a child?" My grandfather, such that he was, looked at me, startled. "Maybe your mother should have taught you the same manners mine did."
Mom let out a soft sigh and pulled me behind her so I could be hidden. "Don't," I told her. "I don't want to owe them anything. We can always homeschool me if it comes down to it."
"Why? Cause too much trouble in your old school? Is that why you need to transfer?" demanded Grandfather, crossing his legs in front of him.
"Hardly," I replied in the same tone. If he could dish it out, he needed to be able to take it, too. "Mother felt that I was not being challenged enough."
"So you want us to get her into Trinity Elementary?" asked the woman sitting across from my grandfather. She looked like an older version of Mom, and it made me smile. Clearly, we had some good genes in our family.
"Trinity High School," answered Mom, lifting her chin up. "Tian Mu has passed the grade nine exams, and the school has decided to place her in grade ten starting tomorrow." Her statement seemed to have startled her parents, and they both turned their attention to me.
"How old are you?" demanded my grandfather, and it was all I could do not to roll my eyes. He had no idea how old his only grandchild was? That was a mark against him, that is for sure.
"Six."
"And they are putting you in grade ten?" asked Grandmother softly.
"She would have been placed higher if they gave her more than four hours to write 37 exams," grumbled Mom under her breath, but the rest of us could hear her just fine.
"Huh," grunted Grandfather, approval slipping through his tone. "Impressive."
"Thank you." If he could be civil, I could be as well. However, the three of us were still standing in the doorway while the two of them were sitting on the white couches of the drawing room. They could have at least offered us a seat or something.
"What are your plans for the future?" he continued, like I was much older than six years old. In fact, I am pretty sure that when I was six the first time around, I wanted to either be a marine biologist looking for mermaids or the pink power ranger.
"A doctor," I answered. I was pretty sure that he would not have accepted the power ranger answer.
"What kind?" he pressed. It was like he was purposefully trying to mess me up.
"I am mostly interested in becoming the director of the Emergency department," I continued. "That way I would be able to practice a much wider range of medicine than limiting myself to one speciality. However, if that is not a good enough answer for you. I would also be willing to look into the surgery department. However, I find that there is a certain mentality connected with surgeons that I wouldn't want to deal with on a daily basis."
To say that they had a god complex was an understatement. It was all I could do to not hit them when they got in my way at work before.
"That seems precise," said Grandmother, a smile on her face as she looked me over.
I nodded. They wouldn't have been willing to accept any other answer. Or at least, they wouldn't have taken me seriously.
"I have my goals set," I assured them. Our meeting now seemed to have turned in to a grant request and if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was get money out of people that had too much for it. "I believe that it is important to know where you are going, not only in the next five years, but the next ten to fifteen as well. Those that fail to plan, plan to fail."
Grandfather grunted and nodded his head at my words. "A very practical approach."
"I try," I replied dryly. In fact, I wasn't doing anything I hadn't done in my old world, so it wasn't like this was some type of revelation.
However, I knew that I was going to have to get a lot more patience than I currently had. If I had my way, I would already be applying for medical school now, instead of in the next three years. But… I wouldn't be able to see over the operating table no matter what I did. I would need to wait for this body to grow bigger.
Any maybe enjoy being a kid again.
Thank god I didn't enter into the body of a baby. I shuddered at that thought. I was not wearing diapers or nursing from my mother. That just seemed wrong on all levels.
"So, grade ten?" muttered Grandfather. I could see my mother's shoulder relax and I understood the worst of it was over. Grandmother tapped the seat beside her and Mom pushed me forward gently.
Walking over, I sat down beside the woman.
"Yes, Sir," I answered once I got comfortable.
"One of my friend's grandsons goes to that school. He should be in grade ten right now. I'll call him and let him know to watch out for you. There will be several obstacles in your way as it is. I will not let my granddaughter be bullied on top of it."
And just like that, whatever happened between Mom and her parents was settled.
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