Chapter 67: GED
"In the end, Kevin got unusually excited about fostering Ethel. We were only supposed to take the money and pay that damn parking ticket," Veronica grumbled in the kitchen while cooking with Fiona.
"This might actually be a good thing. It's rare to see Kevin this happy," Fiona replied.
"He's feeling the joys of fatherhood, that's why. Of course he's happy. But we're not cut out to be parents. We just got married not long ago—and even that was fake."
"We spend half our time at home walking around naked, drinking tequila for breakfast, cursing like sailors. I can't even imagine what kind of example we'd set for a kid." Veronica shook her head.
"It's just one week," Fiona said. "Just bear with it—think of it as helping Kevin live out his dream of being a dad."
Meanwhile, Frank looked over at the chaotic home where children were running wild. Ethel stood quietly in a corner, timid and motionless.
"You poor thing. Come here, come sit with me," Frank called gently.
Kevin had told him about Ethel's background, and Frank couldn't help but feel a deep pity for the girl.
Ethel had grown up in an isolated, cult-like environment, indoctrinated from an early age. It was obvious just by looking at her clothes: an old-fashioned, plain, floor-length dress with no patterns—like something an English lady might wear in the 18th century. Her behavior matched the look: instead of shaking hands, she'd grasp both sides of her skirt and curtsy—a proper, old-world greeting.
She was a naive, sheltered girl who had never truly seen the outside world.
In this unfamiliar environment, Ethel was extremely cautious. But sitting beside Frank, she gradually relaxed.
Kevin and Frank spent the whole dinner talking about children—so much so that even after the meal, they still hadn't finished their conversation. Veronica had to drag Kevin back home.
"Frank, come to the bar tomorrow! We'll keep chatting!" Kevin shouted as he left.
"Thank you for the delicious dinner," Ethel said as she curtsied and followed him out.
But Frank wouldn't be able to make that appointment. The next day, he and Fiona were heading to the school—Fiona wanted to find out if she could still get her high school diploma.
"Miss Gallagher, you dropped out in your senior year," the counselor said while typing on her computer.
"I only made it halfway through. I can explain why I dropped out," Fiona glanced at Frank and began to speak.
"I'm not interested in dropout stories. I've heard more than enough," the counselor interrupted.
She had heard every sob story imaginable from dropouts. At first, those stories used to tug at her heartstrings—but after a while, they all started to sound the same.
Living in the South Side, a neighborhood riddled with poverty and hardship, nothing was more common than broken dreams.
As the saying goes: Human sorrow is not shared. I only find their noise irritating.
"You still need 38 more credits to graduate. Your selected subjects are English, Trigonometry, World History, and Earth Science. If you want to make up for those, it'll be extremely demanding," the counselor said, eyes on her screen.
"Yeah... maybe I should just forget it," Fiona said, already discouraged. She barely recognized the names of those subjects, let alone knew how to pass them.
"How can you give up so easily? Are there any night classes she can attend?" Frank asked the counselor.
"Judging by her file, she's been out of school for years. Going back to finish high school would be incredibly difficult. I suggest you look into the GED instead," the counselor replied.
"GED?" Frank looked confused.
"The General Educational Development certificate. It's like a high school diploma, but specifically designed for people who dropped out," the counselor explained, grabbing a brochure from her desk.
She knew better than anyone how hard it was for long-term dropouts to return to high school and complete their credits. It was like asking a full-time worker to retake their college entrance exams years later. Even if the required scores were low—just passing—it would still be a tall order.
Forget working adults—just ask a college sophomore or junior to retake their high school entrance exam, and most of them would fail miserably.
"Is the GED as good as a high school diploma?" Fiona asked curiously.
"Of course not. While it's technically considered equivalent, it doesn't carry the same weight. But it's much easier to pass than the standard high school curriculum—perfect for someone who's been out of school this long."
"You're working, right? Don't have much time to study? Here, take this sample test," the counselor handed Fiona a packet. "The GED is easy. If you can pass this mock exam, you won't even need to take a prep course."
"Thank you," Fiona said, lighting up as she took the materials.
Frank glanced at the sample test and finally understood what the GED was.
It was basically the American equivalent of China's adult self-study exams—distance education, essentially.
The difference between a GED and a regular diploma is the same as the difference between distance learning and full-time education. Naturally, full-time degrees hold more weight; distance education doesn't compare.
Most working adults already know this. Many companies only recognize your first, full-time degree. They don't care about your part-time or distance education credentials.
A full-time degree means you physically attended school, studied in classrooms, and passed official exams.
On the other hand, adult education is much looser. In some cases, especially with certain for-profit institutions, students barely need to attend classes. Before the exam, a tutor might just hand out a list of likely test questions and answers. As long as you read them, there's almost no way to fail. They call it "accurate prediction," but everyone knows what's really going on.
Many people think adult self-study exams are hard—but they're actually ridiculously easy.
These exams are designed with working adults in mind—people who've long forgotten their school lessons.
The tests don't even include short answers, reading comprehension, essays, or complex problem-solving. None of that.
There's only one type of question on the whole GED test: multiple choice. Not even fill-in-the-blanks. So if you're clueless, just guess. Everyone remembers the old trick: When in doubt, pick the longest option.
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