thrillingly, and in an upset of sorts, the class reacted well to my screenplay this time. the 60 year old woman who’s also writing teenagers and initially objected to mine this time handed it back to me, saying, “it’s good.” i all but danced home. the only strange moment came when evil sci fi woman approached me during break. “did you read about israel?” she asked. i nodded, thinking she meant the escalating, intractable violence. she promptly launched into a tirade against the “breeding program” going on there. they’re using old men, she said, only now they’re discovering that the kids are schizophrenic!
breeding program?, i asked. oh yes, she said. on kibbutzes, to create a new army. i’ve lived on a kibbutz, i said. i didn’t see any evidence of a breeding program.
she just blinked at that. well, anyway, she continued, it’s not working cuz the men are too old. i read it! where, i asked. they tucked it away, she said. in parade.