The Jury is Out
Pictures on the walls are bright and cheery, belying the reason we're here. He sits on the table, paper crinkling with each movement. Legs swing, long and brown, bruises and scrapes a clear indication of his lifestyle. His hand is ace-wrapped and he places it gingerly in his lap. Normally bright eyes are red-rimmed and worried. Broken or not. The verdict will determine his near future, the only one he cares about. The thumb is an interesting member. Small, bent at a strange angle, the ugly step-sister to the other fingers. Yet, so important, vital, to the everyday. If you need to hold, grab, or pinch something, or someone, the thumb is there. It's needed for teeth brushing, coin tossing, buttoning, and giving the ever-popular thumbs up. Overlooked and taken for granted, we don't notice its significance until we lose it. Without this digit, life is a challenge. Simple tasks become complex. For a 3rd grader at the end of the year, it's a mixed ble...