“Thank you, Mrs. Greer,” Christy said after the headmistress had given her speech. “Now I’d like to introduce the woman you’ve all been waiting to hear from. I could spend an hour regaling you with the many awards and accolades this amazing woman has earned, from Olympic gold medals, to number-one rankings on the WTA Tour to championships at Wimbledon, Australia, France, and the U.S. Open. But let’s not get bogged down in the details. Everyone knows her as one of the most accomplished tennis players in the world. Here today, speaking in honor of the fifth-grade Colby graduates, I present to you…LaShaun Mason.
The girls applauded enthusiastically and then gave LaShaun a spontaneous standing ovation.
When the girls sat back down, LaShaun spoke. “Thank you, fifth-grade Colby graduates, Christy Hayes, and Brownie Rich for having me here today. As I look at all of you sitting in this beautiful room, in your lovely dresses, having been given every advantage life has to offer, I envy you. But I also worry for your futures. Why, you ask? Why worry about what will become of young women who come from the best families, who live in the most magnificent homes, who study at the top private school in Manhattan? I worry for you because, perhaps, you have been given too much too soon.
“When I was your age, my family was living in a drug-and gang-infested section of Detroit. I practiced my tennis on public courts in a neighborhood where drive-by shootings were common. I was striving for something better. By the time I was eleven years old, as many of you are today, I’d been playing tennis for six years. And I believed with all my heart that the game was my family’s ticket to a better life. I was hungry, and that hunger fueled my drive to become the winning player that I eventually became.
“For years and years, my father pushed me. He insisted that I become the best that I could possibly be. I was the great hope for my family. It was an awesome responsibility to have. Can you imagine what it would be like, at your age, to know that your success was your family’s only chance for a better life? I took my obligation to heart. I knew there was no one to rescue us if I failed. It was win and live the good life, or lose and stay in one of the most dangerous communities in America. If it hadn’t felt like life or death, I don’t know if I would have been driven to succeed the way I was.
“As you sit here today, about to move on to the next level of your education, I want you to consider what you are doing today toward creating a winning future for yourself and your family. It is not too early for you to begin to think about where your talents and passions lie. It is not too early for you to begin training to become the best you can be, whatever your dream. I urge you not to be complacent just because there’s no one depending on you and your success. You, the privileged daughters of Colby, must create for yourselves that hunger that was so real for me. And when you do, there is nothing you cannot accomplish. Thank you.”
The girls applauded. Soon the whole room was giving LaShaun another standing ovation. What a relief! Christy thought. She was a success. “Thank you, LaShaun, for that very inspirational commencement address. And now, ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to take a five-minute stretch break. When we come back, we’ll hear from our PTA president, Mrs. Brownie Rich, and then our lower-school head, Miss Trudy Becker, will present the diplomas.”
Everyone stood up and stretched. Brownie and her minions left to go to the bathroom. Michael started to approach Christy, who was chugging down a bottle of Evian. Before he reached her, she mouthed “bathroom” and pointed to the ladies’ room. The break was short. They could visit after.
Christy made it to the restroom just as Brownie’s two minions were leaving. Brownie was stepping out of the stall.
“Oh, Brownie, I’m glad I caught you,” she started. “What did you think about…”
“YOU!”
“Me?”
“YOU! You ruined our fifth-grade graduation. RUINED it!”
“I did? Gee, I thought it was going well,” Christy said.
“Are you crazy? How could you bring that…that ghetto girl here? How dare she criticize our little girls because their parents can afford to give them everything they want? Who does she think she is?”
“Well, to begin with, she’s one of the most accomplished athletes on earth. Everything she got, she earned herself. I thought her message was perfect. Anyway, you knew I was bringing her in to speak. You approved it.”
“Yes, but I never approved that speech. How could you not get me the text ahead of time? What were you thinking? That girl is…is…common. She talked about drugs! and…and gangs, and drive-by shootings! Our daughters are too young and innocent to have their minds polluted by such trash. No amount of therapy will ever heal this trauma.”
“Trauma? What are you talking about? Our girls need to learn about the real world. That was her point. LaShaun Mason succeeded in spite of and because of her circumstances. She was warning our daughters not to let their privileges lull them into complacency.”
“There are hundreds of athletes you could have brought in to speak. But nooooo, you had to bring us a lowlife from some slum!”
“But she has so much to teach our daughters…”
“You are naïve, aren’t you? This isn’t about our daughters. It’s about our donors. And I guarantee that you offended every one of them. You made me look bad to the donors, Christy. That’s unforgivable. It’s clear to me that you aren’t cut from Colby cloth. You’ll never go anywhere with the PTA. Your career with us is over!”
Christy started giggling. She couldn’t help it.
“Don’t you laugh at me, Christy
