“I’m not worried about getting laid. That’s a lie,” he quickly interjected. “But some things are more important than getting laid. When you were in school, did anyone ever mention testing you for a learning disorder?”
After several long moments passed, she finally shook her head. “No.”
He studied her for some time, debating whether or not to press the issue. She was right, this wasn’t the best time or place for this discussion, but if he had to wait until Taylor was ready to talk about this, he would be waiting forever.
“I told you about Silas’s struggles before his diagnosis,” Jamar started. “But I didn’t mention how much it changed his life after his condition was identified. It made all the difference for him.” He rested his hand on her forearm. “There’s nothing wrong with having a learning disorder; it’s just a different way of processing material.”
“I know there’s nothing wrong with it,” Taylor said. She took a breath. “I’ve wondered about it,” she finally said, her voice subdued. “I’ve read up on a few, and . . . look, I know that having a learning disorder is nothing to be ashamed of. But you don’t understand the kind of family I come from. They’re the most ridiculous overachievers you’ll ever meet.” She looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to.”
“Hey, don’t lump me in with your family!”
“Excuse me? What are you trying to say about my family?”
Jamar put his hands up. “You just called them ridiculous overachievers!”
She pointed a finger at her chest. “Ican talk about them because they’remyfamily.Youcan’t. Make sense?”
It didn’t, but continuing down this rabbit hole wouldn’t get to the heart of what he was most concerned about.
“You said that you’ve wondered about it. Are you saying you’ve wondered about whether or not you have a learning disorder?”
She nodded. “A few years ago, I ran across this made-for-TV movie. It was a family drama about divorce or something, but one of the kids had a learning disorder. I recognized myself in some of the things he did, and I thought about how different school may have been for me if I’d had some indication that this was my issue.”
“All I can go on is what I witnessed with Silas,” Jamar said. “It made all the difference.”
“I get that,” she said. “Take science, for example. I love science. Like,reallylove it—especially biology. Learning about how all the parts of the body worked together? It’s amazing when you think about it.” She shrugged. “I just wonder how much more I would have enjoyed my science classes if I didn’t have to spend so much time rereading the same passages over and over again.”
“Silas would complain about having to do that,” Jamar said.
A sad smile drew across her lips. “I just thought I didn’t like school,” she said. She sucked in a deep breath, then released it. “I guess I’m ready to accept that I have more in common with that little boy in the movie than I was willing to admit. If I can get a formal diagnosis, I think it will help with my decision to enroll in college.”
Jamar’s head jerked back. “College?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I want to go back to school and earn my degree. Wait, no. I don’twantto go back—Ineedto go back.” She sighed. “Okay, Iwantto. Did they still have PE when you were in school?”
She gave him whiplash with the way she jumped from one subject to another.
“What does that have to do with you possibly having a learning disorder or wanting to go to college?”
“Because it’s one of the reasons I want to go back,” she said. “Not too long ago, I almost had a job teaching physical education to kids in this homeschool consortium in Bee Cave. Now that I think about it, it was a blessing in disguise that I didn’t get that job, because if I had, we never would have met, but I still kinda wanted the job.”
“It fell through?”
“Yeah. Because I don’t have a degree.” She laughed. “I was sooo pissed at the parents who run the consortium, but they have every right to want someone who is certified to teach their kids.
“The thing is, after I started researching homeschooling and, well, just schools in general, I discovered that many school systems throughout the country have done away with their full-time PE programs because of budget cuts. Then I asked myself, what if Taylor’d Conditioning could fill that gap?”
Jamar frowned. “I’m not following. Would you go around to different school districts teaching phys ed?”
“Not by myself. There would be freelance fitness instructors working under the Taylor’d Conditioning umbrella.” She turned to him, her eyes bright with excitement. “I have this five-year plan, which is huge for me because I tend to plan things out maybe a week in advance. I guess it’s my friend Samiah’s way of rubbing off on me. But, anyway, in this plan, I go back to school and I start building my empire. I want to create a business model that allows schools to hire instructors part-time, the same way the homeschool consortium wanted to hire me. It would provide schools the opportunity to bring physical education back into the curriculum without having to hire full-time staff.”
Jamar was at a loss for words. She’d just laid out one of the most ingenious entrepreneurial ideas he’d ever heard.
“That’s . . . brilliant,” he finally said.
“Iknow,” she said. “As much as I hate the thought of sitting in some lecture hall, I have to get my degree in order to make this happen.”
“I have no doubt that you can make this a reality, Taylor. Once Silas began using the tools they taught him, he became as unstoppable in the classroom as he was on the football field.” He took her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. “I have a feeling it would be the same for you.”
