igzAminESan dE

bF Ghenri GslIzD

H GJPdanz nevD spOk v H igzAm, not until HX sun, Gdiki, woz twelv jCz Old. it woz on hiz bxTdE HAt misiz GJPdan fxst menSand H subJekt in hiz prezans, n H ANkSas mAnD v hx spIc kYzd hx huzband t ynsD SRpli.

"fDget abQt it," hI sed, "hI'l dM Yl rFt."

HE wx At H brekfast tEbal, n H bq lUkt up from hiz plEt kjUDiasli. hI woz an alxt-Fd juNstD, wiH flAt blond hX n a kwik nxvas mAnD. hI didnt undDstAnd wot H sudan tenSan woz abQt, but hI did nO HAt tadE woz hiz bxTdE, n hI wontid hRmani abuv Yl. sumwX in H lital apRtmant HX wx rApt, biriband pAkaJiz wEtiN t bI Opand, n in H tFni wYl-kicin, sumTiN wPm n swIt woz bIiN pripXd in H YtamAtik stOv. hI wontid H dE t bI hApi, n H mqstnas v hiz muHD'z Fz, H skQl on hiz fyTD'z fEs, spqld H mMd v H flutDiN ekspektESan wiH wic hI hAd grItid H mPniN.

"wot igzAm?" hI yskt.

hiz muHD lUkt At H tEbalkloT. "it's Just a sPt v GguvDmant inteliJans test HE giv cildran At H EJ v twelv. V'l bI getiN it nekst wIk. it's nuTiN t wuri avQt."

"V mIn a test lFk in skMl?"

"sumTiN lFk HAt," hiz fyHD sed, getiN up from H tEbal.

"gO n rId jP komik bUks, Gdiki."

H bq rOz n wondDd tawPdz HAt pRt v H liviN rMm wic hAd bIn "hiz" from infansi. hI fiNgDd H topmOst komik v H stAk, but sImd unintDestid in H kulDfUl skwXz v fyst-pEst AkSan. hI wondDd tawPdz H windO n pCd glMmili At H vEl v mist HAt SrQdid H glys.

"wF did it hAv t rEn tadE?" hI sed. "wF kUdant it rEn tamorO?"

hiz fyHD, nQ slumpt intM an RmcX wiH H GguvDmant nVzpEpD, rAtald H SIts in veksESan. "bikoz it Just did, HAt's Yl. rEn mEks H grys grO."

"wF, GdAd?"

"bikoz it duz, HAt's Yl."

Gdiki pukDd hiz brO. "wot mEks it grIn, HO? H grys?"

"nObodi nOz," hiz fyHD snApt, Hen imIdiatli rigretid hiz abruptnas.

lEtD in H dE, it woz bxTdE tFm agen. hiz muHD bImd Az SI hAndid OvD H gEli-kulDd pAkaJiz, n Ivan hiz fyHD mAniJd a grin n a rumpal-v-H-hX. hI kist hiz muHD n SUk hAndz grEvli wiH hiz fyHD. Hen H bxTdE kEk woz brYt fPT, n H seramaniz kanklMdid.

an QD lEtD, sItid bF H windO, hI woct H sun fPs its wE bitwIn H klQdz.

"GdAd," hI sed, "hQ fR awE iz H sun?"

"fFv TQzand mFlz," hiz fYHD sed.

Gdik sAt At H brekfast tEbal n agen sY mqscD in hiz muHD'z Fz. hI didnt kanekt hx tCz wiH H igzAm until hiz fyHD sudanli brYt H subJekt t lFt agen.

"wel, Gdiki," hI sed, wiH a mAnli frQn, "V'v got an apqntmant tadE."

"F nO, GdAd. F hOp..."

"nQ, it's nuTiN t wuri abQt. TQzandz v cildran tEk His test evri dE. H guvDmant wonts t nO hQ smRt V R, Gdiki. HAt's Yl HX iz t it."

"F get gUd mRks in skMl," hI sed hezitantli.

"His iz difDant. His iz a - speSal kFnd v test. HE giv V His stuf t driNk, V sI, n Hen V gO intM a rMm wX HX'z a sPt v maSIn -"

"wot stuf t driNk?" Gdiki sed.

"it's nuTiN. it tEsts lFk pepDmint. it's Just t mEk SUD V ynsD H kwescanz trMTfUli. not HAt H GguvDmant TiNks V wOnt tel H trMT, but His stuf mEks SUD."

Gdiki'z fEs SOd puzalmant, n a tuc v frFt. hI lUkt At hiz muHD, n SI kampOzd hx fEs intM a misti smFl.

"evriTiN wil bI Yl rFt," SI sed.

"v kPs it wil," hiz fyHD agrId. "V'D a gUd bq, Gdiki, V'l mEk Qt fFn. Hen wI'l kum hOm n selabrEt. Yl rFt?"

"jes, sx," Gdiki sed.

HE entDd H GguvDmant GedjUkESanal GbildiN fiftIn minits bifP H apqntid QD. HE krost H mRbal flP v H grEt pilDd lobi, pyst binIT an RcwE n entDd an YtamAtik elavEtD HAt brYt Hem t H fPT flP.

HX woz a juN mAn wXiN an insignia-las tVnik, sItid At a poliSt desk in frunt v rMm 404. hI held a klipbPd in hiz hAnd, n hI cekt H list dQn t H J'z n pDmitid H GJPdanz t entD.

H rMm woz Az kOld n afiSal Az a kPtrMm, wiH loN benciz flANkiN metal-tEbalz. HX wx sevDal fyHDz n sunz Ylredi HX, n a Tin-lipt wUman wiH kropt blAk hX woz pysiN Qt SIts v pEpD.

mistD GJPdan fild Qt H fPm, n ritxnd it t H klRk, Hen hI tOld Gdiki: "it wOnt bI loN nQ. wen HE kYl jP nEm, V Just gO TrM H dPwE At HAt end v H rMm." hI indikEtid H pPtal wiH hiz fiNgD.

a kansIld lQdspIkD krAkald n kYld of H fxst nEm.

Gdiki sY a bq lIv hiz fyHD'z sFd riluktantli n wYk slOli tawPdz H dP.

At fFv minits v ilevan, HE kYld H nEm v GJPdan.

"gUd luk, sun," hiz fyHD sed, wiHQt lUkiN At him. "F'l kYl fP V wen H test iz OvD."

Gdiki wYkt t H dP n txnd H nob. H rMm insFd woz dim, n hI kUd bXli mEk Qt H fIcDz v H grE-tVnikt atendant hM grItid him.

"sit dQn," H mAn sed softli. hI indikEtid a hF stMl bisFd hiz desk. "jP nEm'z GricDd GJPdan?"

"jes, sx."

"jP klAsifikESan numbD iz 600-115. driNk His, GricDd."

hI liftid a plAstik kup fron H desk n hAndid it t H bq. H likwid insFd hAd H kansistansi v butDmilk, tEstid Onli vEgli v H promist pepDmint. Gdiki dQnd it, n hAndid H mAn H empti kup.

hI sAt in sFlans, fIliN drQzi, wFl H mAn rOt bizili on a SIt v pEpD. Hen H atemdant lUkt At hiz woc, n rOz t stAnd Onli inciz fron Gdiki'z fEs. hI unklipt a pen-lFk obJekt fron H pokit v hiz tVnik, n flASt a tFni lFt intM H bq'z Fz.

"Yl rFt," hI sed. "kum wiH mI, GricDd."

hI led Gdiki t H end v H rMm, wX a siNgal wUdan RmcX fEst a multi-dFald kampVtiN maSIn. HX woz a mFkrafOn on H left v H cX, n wen H bq sAt dQn, hI fQnd its pinpqnt hed kanvIniantli At hiz mQT.

"nQ Just rilAks, GricDd. V'l bI yskt sum kwescanz, n V TiNk Hem OvD kXfUli, Hen gid jP ynsDz intM H mFkrafOn. H maSIn wil tEk kX v H rest."

"jes, sx."

"F'l lIv V alOn nQ. wenevD V wont t stRt, Just sE `redi' intM H mFkrafOn."

"jes, sx."

H mAn skwIzd hiz SOldD, n left.

Gdiki sed, "redi."

lFts apCd on H maSIn, n a mekanizam wxd. a vqs sed:

"kamplIt His sIkwans. wun, fP, sevan, ten..."

mistD n misiz GJPdan wx in H liviN rMm, not spIkiN, not Ivan spekjUlEtiN.

it woz YlmOst fP a'klok wen H telafOn rAN. H wUman trFd t rIc it fxst, but hx huzband woz kwikD.

"mistD GJPdan?"

H vqd woz klipt; a brisk, afiSal vqs.

"jes, spIkiN."

"His iz H GguvDmant GedjUkESanal Gsxvis. jP sun GricDd Gm GJPdan, klAsifikESan 600-115, hAz kamplItid H GguvDmant igzAminESan. wI rigret t infPm V HAt hiz inteliJans kwOSant hAz iksIdid H GguvDmant regjUlESan, akPdiN t rMl 84, sekSan 5, v H nV kOd."

akros H rMm, H wUman krFd Qt, nOiN nuTiN iksept H imOSan SI red on hx huzband'z fEs.

"V mE spesifF bF telafOn," H vqs drOnd on, "weHD V wiS hiz bodi intxd bF H GguvDmant P wUd V prifx a prFvat berial plEs? H fI fP guvDmant berial iz ten dolDz."