Look for the French twist

Our speaker, Julie Boyle, sent me this Wednesday, asking that it be posted on the class blog. Here it is.

I wanted your class to know how terrified I was to speak to them. I'd never tried to tell our story in public to anyone before. And I really appreciate that they didn't hurt me or anything when I was there that night. They were all surprisingly kind and articulate and wise. And good looking, too. Not one of the young men in your class had hair as long as my teenage sons and I came home and told them both that. And they, of course, didn't care in the least.

So Tommy, my 17-year-old, is in French class today, and a girl is thumbing through D Magazine. And Tommy's best friend Kris is in his class. Your student with ties to Midlothian (sorry, I'm kind of ADD, I can't remember her name), might know one of Kris' siblings -- he has a zillion of them -- Maryanne, Amber and B.J. are three of them.

Anyway, Kris speaks up and says, "HEY! You must be reading about Tommy's parents in that magazine!" And the girl says, "Tommy? I'm not reading about Tommy. My cousin is on the cover of this magazine."

She hadn't seen the story! And Tommy's trying to tell Kris to please be quiet about the blasted story, but Kris is the middle of eight kids and he doesn't know how to be quiet. And this girl and the other kids in class think Kris is kidding. So they all turn to page 76 -- and there's the story. And there's Tommy -- long hair and all -- on the next page. [Editor's note: To see Tommy, go here, and scroll down to the second photo.] And the kids in class were so impressed -- not by the story, it had nothing to do with the story -- they didn't read the story and didn't care about the story. It was just that Tommy -- long hair and all -- was in a magazine. And one guy in class says, "That is so cool! I wish I was in a magazine." Still no interest in reading the story. None.

And then Kris says: "And look at his parents! They look totally evil!" And even Tommy agrees that we, his parents -- parents who have raised him and love him and gave him life, not to mention an IPOD for Christmas -- look "freaky."

My point is -- I don't think they're doing a whole lot in French class, do you?

Julie Boyle