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“Oh, classic,” she said. “I like it.”
“And of course Albert Camus.” He grinned.
“I knew you were a philosopher.”
“Well, I like to think of myself as a businessman, but if I wasn’t in finance, then maybe I would’ve been a philosophy professor at some Ivy League.”
“Oh, of course it would have to be an Ivy League.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“What? You have a problem with the Ivy Leagues?”
“A little bit,” I said. “I feel like they are very stuffy and full of elitists.” Poppy gave me a look, and I pressed my lips together. “Okay. I’m not going to go on my diatribe about Ivy League universities, but I just don’t think that…” Poppy glared at me. “Fine.”
Travis started laughing then. “You’re not hurting my feelings. You can continue.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “This is actually a discussion Poppy and I have had several times and argued over.”
Poppy nodded. “I think people forget why Ivy Leagues are Ivy Leagues, and it’s not just because they admit the best and brightest.”
“Or the richest,” I interrupted, and she shook her head.
“Sure. Some people get in as legacies or because their great-grandfather donated ten billion dollars and the English building is named after them. But most people get in because of their intellect and because they want to change the world in whatever subject they’re studying. Ivy League universities have the best and brightest minds, and they encourage debates and questioning. A lot of state schools just go by the book and…” She paused. “Well, that’s not exactly true. I don’t have any problem with state schools. I went to Berkeley, after all, and I had some amazing professors. And I’m not saying that an Ivy Leagueschool is better than a state school because that’s not always the case. But…”
“I think you’re going around in circles, Poppy,” I said with a small smile.
“Maybe.” She laughed. “Maybe it’s ’cause I’m drunk and cannot think properly.”
“So what do you think about community colleges?” Travis said.
“Actually that’s something Poppy and I agree on,” I said, staring at him.
“Oh, and that’s a yay or a nay?”
“I think community colleges are absolutely brilliant. They are cheaper than regular universities, and I don’t think the education stuff is at all. Plus, a lot of times, the classes are more flexible. The professors are still as brilliant as the professors at larger universities. Oftentimes, you can transfer into a university depending on the state that you’re in after your first two years, and you get an associate degree after two years,” Poppy said, nodding. “Which is cool. When you’re at another university, you don’t get anything after two years. You just get told you need to make sure you declare your major.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Fair point.”
“Why? What do you think about community college, mister?”
“I studied at Oxford for a year.” I stared at him, and his lips twitched. “I think they’re great,” he said. “I think they’re accessible to almost everyone in the country, and that’s what’s important. Education should be accessible to everyone.”
I stared at him in surprise. “I’m surprised.”
“Why?”
“I would’ve thought you were a proponent of private universities and for-profit schools.”
“Because I’m in finance?”
“Yeah. I mean, isn’t it about your bottom line and making as much money as you can?”
“No,” he said. “I mean, obviously I’m in the business to make money and I’m in the business to make a lot of money for my clients because that’s why they hire me. They give me a lump sum and they want to see a great return on it. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about real issues. That doesn’t mean that I think profits come before people.”
“Do you invest in companies that might not treat their workers well?” Poppy said, and I beamed at her. That was something I had just been about to say.
He paused and nodded. “I have to say that I do have investments in companies that have not fared well recently in international press for working conditions.”
“So then why haven’t you sold those stocks?” Poppy asked. “Is it because they make you a lot of money?” He stared at her for a few seconds and nodded slightly. “So then you are more about profits than people.”
