Page 8 (1/2)

Sylvie kissed them all on the cheeks She knew intricate details about each of their lives--Jonathan had bought an eighteenth-century historic Quaker ed to William Penn He and Stewart, a man he always referred to as his friend, restored it theazine, featuring just one photo of Jonathan sitting on the couch, his hand clenched nervously in his lap Last year, Dan’s father had unexpectedly willed all hisDan to find his first job at forty-four Geoff and his wife had divorced, and he’d er woman named Melinda two months later

Of course they knew about Sylvie, too That her children had gone to school here, that Charles had attended Cornell, that he’d married Joanna, and that Joanna … well, Sylvie knew that Joanna had held some sort of job before they o, but she could never remember what that job had been, nor did she knohat Joanna was planning to do with herself now

They knew about Scott, too, though they never asked about him, as if it would be intrusive to do so And they were around for Jaone to the luncheon afterward

They had all attended Swithin and so had their children They’d worked together for years now, planning and debating and deciding When they considered adding an extra member to the board, they pored over each potential candidate as if they were running for political office, exa tax records, properties owned, and extramarital affairs They didn’t help vote for teachers or staff--which meant, thankfully, they hadn’t had to discuss Scott’s position as an assistant coach--although they did help to choose Michael Tayson as heado after Jero had been only one week after James had died, and Sylvie had felt too shell-shocked to come Now, she wished she had

They sat down and Martha pressed play on the s from start to finish, and afterward Martha’s husband, as adept at all things technological, would plug the recorder into his computer, press a few buttons to launch the software that could translate the contents of the audio file into a Word docu to feverishly write or transcribe

Martha started talking about the nuram, which issued laptops to every student to use to take notes and do ho them to do non-school-related activities," she said "Apparently, the network goes down at least once a week because everyone’s on their laptops, using all those Facebook sites And they’re not very careful with theone in for repairs just thisthe kids to learn?" Dan asked

"It’s hard to say," Martha flipped a page "The way kids learn isn’t the same anymore But the teachers are also a probleically savvy They’re still hand"

"Oh, God, especially that Agnes," Geoff said, rolling his eyes "How old is she now, eighty?"

Martha pressed pause on the tape recorder "And still spry as a fox," she whispered giddily "There are ruuidance counselors He was quite a bit younger than Agnes, the doyenne of the English teachers

"Speaking of Harold," Dan said while raising a finger "That daughter of his is back at home I heard somewhere that she was kicked out of Brown"

Martha’s eyes widened "Another one?"

"She’s all out of Ivies," Geoff said

"Cheating again?" Jonathan asked, shaking his head

"I thought she was kicked out of school because of prescription drugs" Martha blew her bangs into the air "Poor Harold"

Sylvie stared at her fingernails Nothing see at her pointedly, indicating they had heard about Scott Maybe Michael Tayson had kept his word, not telling the

Martha pressed play on the recorder again "Anyway Back to the laptops Should we take theh," Dan said "Parents are impressed by that kind of stuff"

Geoff stroked his chin "But it’s a big expense I’ve heard soetting more and more expensive, and they can’t buy what they need hat they’ve been allotted A few of the sports coaches have also co old uniforhtened her papers

Geoff shrugged "It was the basketball coach who spoke to istered a request in the office"

"We still have a gymnastics team?" Martha sniffed The others snickered, and just like that, the suggestion was dropped Basketball and gymnastics weren’t steeped in history and scholarship irls’ soccer was--the teairls were recruited by Division I schools--or the way the boys’ creas It ithin’s first official sport, and the school had sent several boys on to row for Yale and Penn, and froot the money

Sylvie often wondered why her fellow board members invested so much of their tiet after budget, graduating class after graduating class? Did they feel they were part of so? Did it define them, as it did her, or did they siation? Take Martha, for example, Sylvie reh Martha had been a few grades behind her Back then, Martha had been a bossy, controlling field hockey player, always preening herself, always surrounded by a group of cackling girls When a representative from the New York Public Library Conservator’s office spoke at an assembly about Swithin’s rare book collection, Martha whispered with the girl next to her the whole time, cootten involved in just as many school projects as Sylvie had There had been some discussion that Martha had become so involved because of trouble at home--she and her husband had wanted another baby, but then she unexpectedly started herapart," Sylvie once whispered to James only a fewout about him, "Maybe the school is Martha’s oasis" "So the only possible reason Martha could be so heavily involved at the school is because she’san eyebrow "Of course not!" Sylvie said quickly "I mean, I’ingly Sylvie looked back Neither said anything

"Next up?" Jonathan said He leaned over the table and glanced at the list "Hmm This"

Martha tipped forward, now curious "The boy’s death"

Sylvie’s heart started to pound She glanced at the recorder, thinking that Martha ain She didn’t