The Tutor

Chapter 10

Nora's patience had never been so tested as it had that morning. It took a lot of self-control and effort not to scold, not to patronise, and definitely not hit him on the head with a book hoping some of that information would bury itself in his brain via osmosis.

"You should work as a tutor all the time. You're good," he said. Nora accepted the compliment with a nod of her head.

She took out a banana and another one for Rafe. Surprise registered on his face but he took the fruit, grateful. She could hear his stomach growl.

"For our next lessons, bring healthy snacks like fruits and nuts," she said. "No junk food."

"Can't we order something here?"

"They only have cakes and hot beverages. And most likely going forward, our tutorials will be done in the library."

"Fine. Can we talk about something else now that we're on a break? Or are you going to tell me to shut up again?"

"You have ten minutes. Talk to your heart's content."

"Are you from Japan?"

"I'm half Japanese."

"From your...mother's side?"

"Good guess."

Rafe told her about the time he went to Japan with his family, had lots of sushi, bathed in hot springs and that they were waited on by two geishas and a maiko.

"That's an expensive privilege."

"It was awesome. Do you go back there often?" he asked.

"I spend one month of summer there, yes, with my mom's side of the family."

Rafe struggled to keep the conversation going because Nora was not indulging him much in the art of conversation. "So...What's your favourite subject?"

"English Literature. Break time is over," she commanded and, with that, shut down any of his attempts to get to know her better.

* * *

Their lesson ended up stretching to almost five hours. Nora was exhausted. He was easily distracted, easily agitated and quick to anger, but he had potential. He wasn't as dim as she had initially thought. He caught on to the subjects fast and raised challenging points and she deduced the best way for him to memorise things was to write them out, like she did.

He had a knack for languages and numbers. If the subject had bored him or confused him, his eyes dimmed, and she could tell his mind was somewhere else. He also needed to be a little neater and respect the rules and guidelines of the exams.

It annoyed her that he got such high scores last year because he purchased all of his coursework, whereas she, along with everybody else, put in the hard work.

Was it true? Could money buy everything after all? Even good grades?

It didn't really matter. She'd never be so rich, so she'd never know the answer to that question. The crisp fifty quid notes rustled in her pocket, the easiest money she'd ever made.

Well, perhaps not the easiest, but the fastest. Her savings for London would really get a bump up.

The following day she reflected on her lesson. She browsed online for tutoring tips and tricks. Different methods of teaching styles and worksheets. She read forums and feedback from different people who were teaching. Nora was on the right track.

Joyce noticed her prep work and grinned. "Well, look at you. It looks like you enjoy teaching, eh?"

"I'm nothing if not a perfectionist," Nora said nonchalantly, pushing her glasses up. Teaching, to her surprise, came naturally to her. However, she had been harsh and strict with Rafe. At the end of the lesson, she had all but roasted him. She believed in tough love. She needed to be a motivating force for him, and really enjoyed giving just the force. But as a tutor, she should be encouraging too. It might not be such a bad idea to be a little nicer to him.

Taking out her phone, she found his number and texted him. Credits to him, he took her lashings like a champ and managed to find humour in some moments. His positivity was charming.

Nora: Nice job yesterday! We'll get there, eventually. Just wanted to reiterate - look over the footnotes for poems. They help. See you Wednesday at the school library after lunch. ^-^

Rafe: Thnx. tf is that?

Nora: Reiterate means to repeat.

Rafe: Cazzo! I meant those weird symbols.

Nora: Ohh ^o^" you mean these? They are smiles. See? ^-^ small smile. ^_^ large smile.

Rafe: *facepalm smiley*

Nora: -_-

Rafe: lol. That's what your face looked like when I stepped on your foot.

Nora: Don't even remind me.

Rafe: What other superstitions do you have, btw? I'm curious.

Nora: Why would you think I have more?

Rafe: Because you're just too weird.

Nora: Pass my first quiz on Wednesday, and I shall tell you.

Rafe: Okay. I hope it doesn't involve trampling any other body parts.

Nora: We'll see.

* * *

Rafe chuckled to himself as he re-read her texts. What a funny girl. She hadn't cracked a single smile for him during their lesson and yet was handing out bizarre anime-looking smileys left and right on the phone.

"What are you grinning at? You look like a pervert who found some nude photos on his phone," Luke commented, trying to glimpse at the screen.

Rafe shoved him away with a couple of Italian swear words. He didn't want to indulge anyone in his conversation with Nora. He wanted to keep that connection and conversation to himself as long as possible. He found her more approachable and less guarded when it was just him and her.

"It's Nora. She's just reminding me we have a lesson on Wednesday," he said.

"How did your first lesson go by the way? Was it okay?" Luke asked, curiosity on his features.

"Better than okay," Rafe said, remembering how annoyed she would get at him if he didn't understand something, but she tried her hardest to be patient. It had been a horrible day. His head was hurting; the coffee had given him jitters for the rest of that day and night and she had been demanding and methodical.

Oddly, he found himself looking forward to the next lesson because, for the first time, he was beginning to hope...

LBS didn't seem so impossible now.