Reading with Patrick

Kuo met one of her former students, Aaron, at a Chinese restaurant in Helena—a place that she had avoided when she lived there due to the terrible food. Aaron was doing well. He had graduated from Central High and was working on a degree in environmental science at the local community college. He also worked part-time at McDonald’s and was raising a son.

Aaron had news about other students. Tamir was a homeless crackhead in Little Rock. Miles had a habit of shooting at people and did little else. He had his family were living off of the million-dollar settlement they had gotten after Mrs. Clark filed suit against the flower shop owner. They were blowing through the money. Many of the girls—Jasmine, Kayla, and Cassandra—had children.

Kuo wondered why Aaron had done better than so many of his classmates. She wondered if it made a difference that his family was better educated and had more resources. His mother was an administrator at a nursing home and his grandmother owned a sewing a fabric shop downtown.

Kuo asked Aaron if he wanted to drive with her through the neighborhood. He agreed, showing her where Miles lived before his family got their windfall.