The Bet (Persaud Girl)

by Mott, Teisha

  Andie was crestfallen. She purposely dropped Nathan’s ‘Governance and the United States’ on the floor and it made a loud noise. Startled, Nathan glanced at her, and she looked away.

  “I’m doing some homework now, okay sweetie?” Nathan told the person. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning before you go to school, okay? Love you.”

  He hung up and turned to Andie. “You got the highlighter?”

  “Yes, I got the highlighter,” Andie replied coldly. She was fruffing like a mother hen who had gotten her feathers ruffled.

  Nathan looked at her face all screwed and puffed up. “What’s wrong with you? Did you have a quarrel with Fern?”

  “No!”

  “Then why you look like you’re about to kill somebody?”

  Andie glared at him. “I’m ready to go home! Can you take me, or call my sister or my cousin to come for me please?”

  “What? Why?” Nathan asked. “We’re not finished!”

  “No!” Andie puffed. “But clearly you have more important things to do. I wouldn’t want to keep you away from – from – from your important phone call, and your beloved ‘baby’!”

  Nathan chuckled. “Andie, I was talking to my sister!” He explained.

  “Yeah, right!” Andie said sarcastically. “So that’s what you’re calling her now. Your ‘sister’!”

  Nathan patiently reached for his wallet and pulled out a photograph. He handed it to Andie. “Yes, my sister, Joie. She’s ten years old. She called me while you were gone to get the highlighter.”

  Andie was sceptical. “You call your sister ‘baby’?”

  “Well she is a baby!” Nathan pointed out. “I mean, she’ll always be a baby to me. She’s my baby sister. Apparently, she was rude to Grandma, and Grandma spanked her and now she’s bawling down the place. She calls me when she gets spanked or if she can’t get her own way, and begs me to come home. She’s very moody – kinda like you!”

  Andie flushed, embarrassed. She did not know what to say. She just stared at the picture of a smiling Joie Hansen. She was dressed in her white Mt. Alvernia Prep School uniform, and looking very cute, with her hair in pigtails. She was obviously Nathan’s sister. They looked so much alike.

  “Who did you think I was talking to?” Nathan could not resist asking.

  “I don’t know,” Andie mumbled. “I just thought…”

  “I know what you ‘just thought’, Andie, and you thought wrong,” Nathan assured her. “I don’t have a girlfriend, and at the rate at which I’m going, I probably won’t have one for the next twenty years!”

  Andie’s mind came back to the present. She was glad she had been wrong. She thought how nicely she would fit into the role of Nathan’s girlfriend, even if it took twenty years. It would be an impossible dream once she handed in her paper though. She would not get the chance to spend any more time with him

  “Where are you?” Samantha asked, jerking her out of her reverie.

  “What do you mean?” Andie asked.

  “You’re just sitting there, quiet and staring off. Stop it. It’s creepy.”

  “I’m just tired,” Andie explained. “I’ll be fine once tomorrow comes and goes. This paper is a really big deal for me, Samantha.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, let’s get you home,” Samantha said pleasantly. She looked at her sister through the corner of her eye. Samantha was not convinced that Andie was tired as she claimed. Andie had something else on her mind, and she was sure it involved Nathan Hansen. She recalled how flushed both Nathan and Andie’s faces were when she came into the room earlier. It was clear that she had interrupted something. She was a little bit relieved that Andie had finished her paper so she would not need to spend so much time on Nathan’s dorm. Samantha was still troubled by what Jeremy Malcolm had said about preferring Andie than her. She did not want Andie spending any time around Jeremy. It also bothered her that Jeremy had implied that Nathan may have a hidden agenda with Andie. She wanted to know what he meant by that.

  Nevertheless, she suspected that although the paper was finished, Andie and Nathan were not. She was positive that there was something brewing between her sister and Nathan Hansen. Samantha smiled to herself, at the irony that her self-conscious, shy and sensitive sister would probably have a boyfriend before she did. Not that she minded – as she told Grandma, she was not interested in twenty year-old boys anyway – but it was ironic just the same.

  ***

  Thursday, 11.00 am. Week 3

  “Ready for your long awaited presentation?” Fern McNally plopped into the comfortable swivel chair in Seminar room 5, where eleven first year students awaited Professor Marcus Brown’s tutorial.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Andie responded, giving her friend a confident smile. She remembered what Nathan had told her – fake it till you make it.

  “You go’ be a’ight,” Fern reassured her. “And I promise, I won’t harass you with questions afterwards. I promised Nathan that I wouldn’t.”

  Andie took a deep breath. That was good to know. Four other students had presented the week before, and Fern had reduced one of them to tears. She had only backed off when Professor Brown warned that if she did not, he would deduct points from her grade.

  Andie felt she and Nathan had done a good job on her paper. She was glad she had met him. Together, they had put together eight solid pages of facts, arguments and counter-arguments. Nathan, she thought, had a knack for making the mundane things seem exciting. She smiled and pushed her hand into the pocket of her short denim skirt. She felt Nathan’s lucky quarter. She still could not believe that he had given it to her. It was a truly sweet gesture, she thought. She even recalled how his eyes had gotten misty when he mentioned his father. Andie made a mental note to find out how he had died, and why talking of him distressed Nathan so much.

  Her thoughts came back to the tutorial, when Professor Brown entered the room.

  “Andie Persaud, you’re up!” He greeted the class. “Are you ready?”

  Butterflies immediately started in Andie’s stomach. She looked at Professor Brown, her father’s best friend, and Samantha’s godfather. It never failed to boggle Andie’s mind how the same person who bought chocolates for her and her siblings, and who her Mother almost expelled from the dinner table for helping Christopher hide broccoli in his napkin, was the same person who could incite such fear and trembling in her.

  “I’m ready,” she said, rising to her feet. She faced the class, and gave a brilliant smile – just as Nathan had instructed her. “Professor Brown, classmates, good afternoon. My topic for today is as follows: On the eve of the 2000 U.S. Presidential elections, will it matter which candidate, George W. Bush or Al Gore, is elected to lead the Americans into the 21st century?

  Americans are faced, this November, with a historic choice between two men who differ drastically in terms of their intellect, experience, ability, philosophy and governing approach. The candidate that wins will have the distinction of being the first president elected in the 21st century, and the task of shaping the political landscape for the new millennium will be firmly on his shoulders. At cursory glance, one would say it should not matter. According to presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, ‘The White House is a corporate prison’. It hardly makes any difference who the prisoner is. After all, whichever candidate is elected will be bound by the constitution of the United States, and subject to the checks and balances found therein…”

  She looked at Professor Brown. He appeared not to be listening to her. She glanced at Fern, who gave her a thumbs up signal. Andie pressed on, discussing the role of the constitution and the purpose of checks and balances by the Congress and the Judiciary.

  “But despite the various constitutional restrictions on his power,” Andie continued, changing gears, “a United States President retains an awesome ability to make things happen by just saying so.
The constitutional mechanism for this is the executive order, and historically, these actions have been known to transform millions of people’s lives with a single stroke of the presidential pen. For example, FDR all but saved the Pre-Pearl Harbour British war effort against the Nazis with his own ‘Destroyer Deal’, and Harry Truman desegregated the military virtually overnight, both on their say-so alone.”

  She noticed Professor Brown was now listening keenly. “On the other side of the ledger, a president can also cause immeasurable harm purely on his own authority. Lyndon Johnson took America into Vietnam on the basis of an executive order, though he augmented it with the dishonestly obtained Gulf of Tonkin resolution…”

  She glanced at Professor Brown. He was smiling and nodding. Andie relaxed a tiny bit.

  “Americans have the Herculean task of choosing the next leader of the free world, yet there seems to be a pervasive apathy among the voters. A nation at peace, decreased crime and violence, teen pregnancy and welfare, juxtaposed with a booming stock market and increased home ownership have all successfully lulled voters into complacency -- believing that the good times to continue, regardless of who becomes President. This is a quantum leap of logic, since George W. Bush and Al Gore have polar ideas on governance; from how to manage the Balance of Payments surplus to how to curb American military strength, not to mention popular social concerns like the environment, gun control and education. That being said, it is no longer a question of ‘will it matter?’ but ‘to whom will it matter’…”

  Andie remembered Nathan’s firm words and kind eyes as she gave the rest of her presentation. She compared Bush and Gore on their various platforms on environmental issues, tobacco, gun control, and foreign policy. She discussed their position on minorities, organised labour and taxes. All eyes were on her, including the scrutinising pair of Professor Brown. She was feeling nervous, but was positive that she was not talking rubbish. Nathan had helped her, and she was sure he knew what he was talking about.

  Five minutes later, she was finished. Professor Brown was making notes in his black grade book.

  “Does anyone have any questions, or comments?” Professor Brown asked.

  Andie prayed no one would say anything. Her heart dropped when Fern raised her hand.

  “Go ahead, Ms McNally.” Professor Brown sighed

  “I think Andie did a fantastic job,” Fern said. “Her research was in-depth, the paper well written, and her presentation flawless.”

  Andie looked at her friend gratefully.

  “That’s quite a change from your usual way of tearing down and mincing, Ms McNally!” Professor Brown said. “Are you not feeling well today?”

  Fern rolled her eyes at him, and he chuckled. “Does anyone else have a comment or question?”

  Andie listened as her other classmates gave their comments on her presentation. A few requested clarifications on some of her points, but Andie was well prepared to answer their questions. Finally, Professor Brown advised the class that it was time to move on to the other presentations.

  “Good job, Andie,” he said, as Andie reclaimed her seat next to Fern. He smiled, and Andie thought he looked more like the Uncle Marcus she knew. “And I am inclined to agree with Ms McNally’s comment. Your research had scope; it touched on all the salient points. It is the best version of your topic I have heard all semester. Let me have the written paper by four tomorrow afternoon. I can see an A on the horizon.”

  Andie smiled, turning red with pleasure. “Thank you, Professor Brown,” she said, resisting the urge to hug him. “Thank you, so much!”

  She was so excited that she could hardly listen to the other presentations that took place that tutorial hour. She could not wait for class to be over, so she could find Nathan and tell him about her success – their success. She owed so much to him. An A in GT11A! She could not believe it! She fidgeted excitedly, as Duncan Richardson discussed whether character was more important than competence when electing a President. As Samantha had said, very few people could boast of an A in GT11A. She only knew two so far – Samantha and Nathan.

  Not soon enough, GT11A tutorial was over.

  “Congrats, friend!” Fern greeted her, as the students filed out. “Your paper was really good – and I’m not just saying so because I like you, or because I promised Nathan. I really, really mean it.”

  “Thanks, Fern,” Andie smiled. “I’m going to find Nathan now. I have to tell him all about it.”

  “And you say you aren’t crushing on him!” Fern said. “I don’t know if you think I was born big. You two are definitely doing the courting dance.”

  “Fern, he did help me!” Andie pointed out. “If it hadn’t been for him, I really wouldn’t have done well. And I don’t know what courting dance you’re talking about. We’re just friends.”

  “Whatever, Andie!” Fern said. “Listen, I have to go to the orthodontist, so I’d better run and catch the bus. See you tomorrow!”

  Andie watched her friend run towards the bus stop. It was noon on Thursday. Nathan would be finishing his Sports, Government and Society class two doors away in Seminar Room 8. He would be so thrilled to hear that she had done well on her presentation.

  Andie got to SR8. Sports, Government and Society was not over yet. The lecturer was a popular radio talk-show host and author, Dr Krystal Miller. Dr Miller had come to her house once, she recalled, when she was about 10, and had gotten into an argument with her mother. Andie’s grandfather, Mrs Persaud’s father, was nominated as a candidate for posting to Washington as the Jamaican ambassador to the United States. Dr Miller had made some unsavoury comments about James Moreno on her radio programme, and had raised them again to Mrs Persaud at the dinner table. Mrs Persaud had made her husband promise not to invite that horrible woman back to her house. Dr Persaud did not mind since he did not like Dr Miller much, either. A few weeks later, she invited herself into the family’s box at Sabina Park, and made coy remarks to Mrs Persaud about her father’s failure to make it to Washington. Ever since then, the entire family had been at loggerheads with Dr Miller. Dr Miller made it her point of duty to constantly make negative references on her radio programme about The Ravi P hotels, Izzy Fashions and everything else Persaud or Moreno related. Andie thought she was spiteful and evil, and avoided her like the plague.

  Andie peeped into the classroom through the small, square window on the door. Dr Miller was still speaking, as though the class time had not expired. Her long grey hair hung in twists around her head, and reminded Andie of Medusa from Tales of Greek Heroes.

  Nathan looked up and spotted Andie peeping into his class. He smiled, and she waved and smiled back. He thought she looked so cute. She had worn her long, wavy hair out, and, maybe he was mistaken, but she looked like she was wearing makeup.

  Nathan looked at his wristwatch. It was five minutes after twelve, and Dr Miller, it seemed, had no intention of wrapping up any time soon. He wanted her to stop, so he could find out from Andie how the tutorial went. More than that, he wanted to spend some time with her. After all, he needed to step things up if he hoped to win the bet. But after spending the last few days with Andie, Nathan realised that he was really beginning to like her. Notwithstanding the serious inferiority complex she had, Andie was smart and spunky and funny. She thought she was not as smart or as pretty as Samantha, and that her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings. He wanted to tell her how smart and beautiful she was, and if she could only believe that, she would be unstoppable.

  Andie’s head appeared at the window again. “How much longer?” She mouthed.

  Nathan made big eyes at her, expressing to her that Dr Miller was going on and on and on. She held up her wrist, motioning to the time on her watch. Nathan shrugged.

  “What’s so interesting outside, Mr Hansen?” Dr Miller screeched. Before Andie could duck, Dr Miller looked over and spotted her.

  “C
rap!” Andie muttered, trying to shuffle away from the door. She was not quick enough. Dr Miller pulled the door open and accosted her.

  “Young Miss Persaud!” She smirked. “You want to join us inside?”

  “No -- no!” Andie stuttered, backing away from the door.

  “You want somebody inside?”

  “I-I-I….”

  “I see that Mr Hansen is the object of your interest, Miss Persaud, and you’re obviously the object of his!”

  The other students began to laugh. Andie turned red, and Nathan noticed.

  “It’s almost ten after twelve, Dr Miller,” he pointed out. “Can we be dismissed now?”

  “Yeah, yeah, get outta here! Remember, your papers are due tomorrow by the latest noon!”

  The class packed up, and Andie walked away from the door, trying to will the embarrassment out of her face. Nathan caught up with her.

  “Hey!” He said, taking her hand. “You okay?”

  “I can’t stand that woman!” Andie seethed.

  “Neither can your father, your mother or anyone in your entire family, rumour has it!” Nathan pointed out. “You do have something in common with them after all!”

  Andie smiled.

  “You look nice today,” Nathan commented, as they walked from SR8 in no particular direction. “Not that you don’t look nice every day, but today you look extra great. I think it’s that grin you’re wearing that’s making the difference. I guess you killed your presentation.”

  “I certainly did!” Andie confirmed, beaming happily. “Uncle Marcus said the paper was well researched and had scope and touched all the salient points!” He wants the written piece by four tomorrow afternoon. She stopped to take a breath. “And listen to this, he said, and I quote: ‘I can see an A on the horizon.’ I mean, can you believe it?”

  “Well amen to that!” Nathan exclaimed. “Congratulations, Miss Persaud. An A for your course work in Intro to Political Institutions. You’re halfway home!”