#217: Birds

They’ve known each other since the first day of school. And he knows not to write about it all. It would be unkind.

There is one thing he can write, that is one-hundred percent true, and that Joshua won’t like.

In Grade 4, they had a test on memorising local birds. They’d been given weeks to learn about each of the birds. And the test was to be done in front of the class. So, on a Friday afternoon, the teacher, Mrs G, started the test. By the time the bell went, only four students had been tested.

On Monday morning, Mrs G hadn’t written who had done the test. So she asked for the four students to put up their hand. Five hands went up. He wanted to call out and say emphatically that Joshua hadn’t done the test. But others called him out.

Everyone knew only four kids had done the test. And yet Mrs G declared Joshua wouldn’t lie, so she marked him off.

That was the making of Joshua. Understanding people could be fooled was the beginning of his art career.