“I wasn’t in a position to have friends,” she admitted. “I was too young for the other students to relate to and the adults saw me as someone to learn from, not an equal. Some of them were afraid of my intelligence. I became an emancipated minor when I was fourteen. I published papers and wrote a few books to pay the bills. When I was sixteen, I decided I wanted something else.” “I knew you’d gone to college when you were young, but I didn’t know...” He trailed off with a sympathetic look on his face. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me,” she told him. “I was happy. Yes, I lived a more solitary existence than most, but I’m not sure I would have done any better with a normal upbringing. I’ve had the most extraordinary education.” “There’s more to life than what you learn in school.” “I agree. Some of the students made an effort. One of them had been a soldier. He was wounded, lost his legs. Getting around was difficult for him, but he never complained.
