Teacher John

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Now that you realize that you signed up for four hours of awkwardness a week, you’re starting to get some cold feet. Maybe you should just cancel? What if you’re not a good teacher? What if Vivian ends up completely hating you and as a result, so does Ms. Norah? What if she ends up kicking you out of the apartment for it!?

You start to feel a little faint and you stomach starts to ache, but you try your best to push through it, convincing yourself you’re just overreacting (hopefully). After all, you told yourself that college was a way to begin again, try things you never did back in high school, and say yes to opportunities you would’ve rejected before. Well, it’s time to actually start doing just that.

When you go to the Gray residence at 15:30, as agreed, Ms. Norah greets you politely.

“Thank you very much for coming, John.” She says. She has her purse in hand and looks as if she’s in a hurry. “I’m sorry I have to leave now. A coworker at the restaurant called in sick and they want me to cover for her.”

Uh-oh… The pain in you stomach is starting to get worse. “I-I see…”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She begins, smiling kindly at you. It seems she picked up on your unease. Her smile, however, then turns into a strained and wry smile. “Vivian might seem hard to approach, but she’s really just shy. She has a hard time making friends, so I’m worried about her. Please try to get along with her. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

Oh. Is this what this is about?

You realize that Ms. Norah had a second intention when she offered you this tutoring job. Maybe this means Vivian and you have more in common than you thought?

Ms. Norah leaves, and it’s soon after that Vivian comes down from the second floor with a laptop and books in hand.

She’s not in sweats today. She’s wearing a white, lose sweater and blue jeans. Her red hair is in a braid that hangs over her shoulder.

“H-Hello.” She greets you in a harsh tone. You would’ve confused it with **** politeness if Ms. Norah hadn’t told you she was just shy. She has troubles meeting your gaze and is fidgeting slightly.

“H-Hello.” Sadly, you’re about as shy as she is, and you have just as much trouble looking at her. Still, you’re the older one. You have to pull yourself together! “So!” You begin, clapping your hands. “We’ll be having two-hour sessions on Sundays and Wednesday from now on, right?” You say, mostly trying to break the ice.

Vivian nods.

“You mostly need help with math, biology and Spanish, correct?” You ask to confirm.

Vivian nods again, then hesitantly adds “A-A bit of English, too.” However, it comes out a little forceful.

“Sure, no problem.” You say, coughing to clear your throat. You try to not to let her tone get to you. “We won’t be able to cover all of it now, so is there anything you want to start with?”

Vivian shakes her head, so you decide to start with math. You settle yourselves on the dining room table and get to work.