CHAPTER 11: 11. The Email on Monday
By Monday morning, the competition was old news to most of the state. In our house, the medals hung from two hooks beside the kitchen calendar. Then an email arrived from a foundation administrator asking to speak with me about the support letter. The twins had not posted the confrontation online. Someone at the event had nevertheless told the organization that Grant’s public biography might conflict with documents in its files. I called an attorney recommended by Tessa, a careful woman named Priya Sethi. Priya explained that a nonprofit’s reporting obligations and my family’s personal history were separate matters. We should preserve the relevant records, avoid public accusations we could not substantiate, and let the organization review its own documentation. I liked her immediately. She did not promise dramatic justice. She promised to ask precise questions. We gathered the original letter, the scholarship correspondence, and old court records concerning support. The twins helped label folders, but I told them they were not responsible for carrying the case. “You have school tomorrow,” I reminded them. “And lives that belong to you.” Jonah grinned. “Unfortunately, calculus still exists.”
