Being Late

I don't think I'll ever forget the time I questioned authority.

I was in middle school, being punished. Saturday school. The rules were as follows: we arrived at a certain time in the morning, we could not bring food or drinks, we were not fed, and we stayed for several hours while being watched by our teachers. We were instructed to clean the school and we were not allowed to stop. We were not allowed breaks. 

I was in trouble because of how often I was late to school.

I had several Saturday School sessions.

I remember specifically that this was in sixth grade. I was 11 years old, on my knees, scrubbing the stairwell, and I asked the teacher who was watching us, "How come elementary school students don't get Saturday School when they're late?"

"Because they're kids."

"What do you mean?"

"Elementary school students don't drive - their parents do. They can't control when they get to school in the morning."

When someone says something extraordinarily stupid to me, I'm often stunned into silence and unable to come up with a response. This was one of those times. 

I was 11 years old.