At first it was funny

I took Evan down to meet with the admissions counselor for the technical program.

His ACT scores in math and writing were not high enough, so he had to take the placement test. We got some lunch on the campus and he kept asking me if I thought he would do better. When he took the ACT he was using. Did I think that maybe the codeine affected his performance?

I laughed. I told him that that was like asking if eating less could be the reason that someone lost weight. I told him it was absolutely the case that his mind was sharper when he was clean.

But he kept asking. Was I sure? Was I sure that it was better? Because it does not FEEL that way. The codeine slows things down. He feels like he is more relaxed and he thinks more clearly.

I laughed and told him that I was really, really sure. Codeine only slowed him down. It may feel like he was doing better, but he was not.

Then he went to take the test. I hung with a friend and told her. She thought it was funny too. Does codeine make you smarter ... hmm ... let's think ...

Then it hit me. Why did he keep asking? Was he carrying? Was he trying to decide whether to use before taking the test?

It wasn't funny anymore.