Khadim stands up to leave.

KHADIM: Okay. I understand. I will do detention. When do I do it?

DANIELSON: Well, how about right now? Detention is usually ninety minutes, but being that it’s spring break, what about you hang here for an hour and you and I can get to know each other?

KHADIM: Um . . . okay.

DANIELSON: Terrific.

Khadim awkwardly takes off his backpack and sits down.

KHADIM: Do you want to stay here an hour after school?

DANIELSON: Of course I don’t want to, but I do my job. I do what’s asked of me. It’s pride of work. Pride of work is pride of self. That’s what I always say.

Awkward beat. Danielson looks at some papers on his desk. Khadim looks around the room.

KHADIM: Can I ask you something, Dr. Danielson?

DANIELSON: Of course.

KHADIM: Are you a real doctor?

DANIELSON: I’m a Ph.D.

KHADIM: What’s that?

DANIELSON: It means I’m a Doctor of Philosophy.

KHADIM: So, you’re like a philosopher?

DANIELSON: Well, in a way, I suppose you could say that. Yes, I’m sort of like a philosopher.

KHADIM: That’s cool.

How much do you make?

DANIELSON: What?

KHADIM: How much money do you make?

DANIELSON: Well, Khadim . . . in this country, it’s actually not polite to ask people how much they earn.

KHADIM: Oh. Sorry.

DANIELSON: But I make around seventy thousand dollars a year.

KHADIM: That’s really good.

DANIELSON: But it’s pride of work that brings pride of self. Not some price tag. Okay? Always remember that.

KHADIM: I will, Dr. Danielson.

DANIELSON: So tell me, what do you think of life at Sheffield outside of classes?

KHADIM: Outside of classes?

DANIELSON: I don’t know. Socially. Or in student activities.

Are you involved in any extra-curricular activities?

KHADIM: Not really.

DANIELSON: What about student government? We just had an election. Did you vote?

KHADIM: Did I vote?

DANIELSON: In the student election?

KHADIM: Yeah. I did.

DANIELSON: That’s good.

KHADIM: Yeah.

DANIELSON: 2,103.

KHADIM: What?

DANIELSON: 2,103 students here in this school didn’t vote in the school elections. Out of 3,478 students.

KHADIM: Wow. You really know your numbers, Dr. Danielson.

DANIELSON: What do you think about that?

KHADIM: About what?

DANIELSON: About the fact that nearly two-thirds of the student body doesn’t care about school elections?

KHADIM: I don’t know. That seems fairly natural, I suppose.

DANIELSON: Natural?

KHADIM: I mean, the student government doesn’t really do anything, right? The decisions they make don’t really affect our lives at all.

DANIELSON: Student Government is in charge of prom. If you want a good prom, you better know who your president is. Or maybe that’s not important to you. Maybe you don’t care about your prom.

KHADIM: My prom?

DANIELSON: Some classes have their proms downtown in the city center. Some classes have their proms in the gym. The choice is with each class.

KHADIM: What is prom?

DANIELSON: What is prom?

KHADIM: Yes.

DANIELSON: Are you asking me what prom is?