I had failed all quarter to go to a torts class in which I was enrolled at Baylor Law School and which was being taught by former president Jimmy Carter and my law professor Morrison. Two days before finals I took my books home and began studying in hopes I would be able to cram enough to at least make a D and not have to take the class over again. The material was so voluminous, however, I obviously had only a slim chance of making a D.

I looked in my torts book, found a chapter on maxims and read some. I skipped through the book and came across words like "intention" and "negligence" which I barely understood.

The day of the finals arrived and I went to class. I saw Tom Campbell (a law student) in the hall and told him I hadn't been to a single class or read a single case all quarter.

Everyone walked into the classroom and the exams were passed out. Jimmy Carter began giving some instructions. The exam was to last an hour and a half and we could take the exam in another room if we wanted. After the instructions had been given, I picked up my papers and headed for the other room.

Outside in the hall I met a girl I had known in Chillicothe, Ohio who had worked in the manager's office of the Census Bureau when I had worked there in 1980. She showed me a list of names on the wall. At first, I thought it was a list of names of people who hadn't been to class and who therefore weren't to be given credit for the classes they had missed, but then I saw it was a list of names of people transferring to other colleges. She showed me my name wasn't on the list even though I was planning to transfer. I told her it didn't matter.

I walked into the lounge and sat down in front of the television. A boxing match was beginning between Sugar Ray Leonard and another black man much bigger than Leonard. Although one of the men was obviously Sugar Ray Leonard, I thought his name was Leonard Spinks.

The fight began; the large black boxer hit Leonard hard. Leonard toppled to the ground, but he managed to rise again and the fight continued. The big black fellow then kicked Leonard and then began kicking the referee. The referee managed to throw the boxer out of the ring and declared Leonard the winner. I looked at Leonard; I couldn't help admiring his courage in contending against someone so much larger than himself.

I looked at the clock; 20 minutes of my hour and a half had already elapsed. I felt like forgetting about the test; but I would hate to have to take that course over again. I walked back to the test room. I had my books with me; I was uncertain whether I could use them during the exam. As I read the exam, I realized how futile it was going to be; I felt like walking out and forgetting the whole thing.

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