Unrequited Love

8

"Good morning class." Genaëlle said in french locking eyes with each of the twenty students in her class.

"I want to welcome the new students who just transferred into my class, I advise you catch up with the help of your class mates as I do not appreciate being pulled back. Toutes questions peuvent être posées après mon cours. Any question can be asked after my class" After setting up her laptop, Genaëlle cross checked her notes. 

"This is the first day of a new semester, I'll advice you not to get carried away with the university rush, fraternities and sororities. I have three hours and I want us to spend them getting to know each other and joke around because this is going to be the last time smiles or jokes are exchanged." The looks her students exchanged were full of bewilderment and disbelief, she never got tired of her students thinking it was a joke except it wasn't.

"I'll go first. My name is Genaëlle Marie De la Fontane, I will be teaching you French till you either drop out of my class or graduate." Gena tapped on the table in front of her for a few beats then continued. "I am very sure you're thinking I am one of those professors who make their students lives a living hell, s'il vous plaît un think it. French is a language I value a lot seeing as I am of French descent, I expect total dedication from those seeking to learn it. Not all of you might be able to make it through till the end so put in your all or keep up sleepless nights trying"

She let her students process her words while she packed her laptop back into the bag, her first day of lectures was what she termed 'Day of grace' in which anything goes; she was going to spend the next thirty minutes of her time left getting to know them and laugh like they were buddies but the next time they met in a lecturer-student manner, there would be no smiles on display. "Commençons"

•

"Mon dieu! Ça ne s'améliore pas" Gena kicked off her heels immediately she walked into her office, always hating how conscious she had to be when she wore them and smiling through the pain they dished out after one hour. 

"New students?" Her assistant Dana asked with a soft smile.

"Oui" Gena nodded. "I have twenty students this semester, I am afraid they will eh- dwindle to a singular number before the year runs out."

"That is because your teaching methods are very strict and not everybody can keep up with the intensity day in and out." Dana placed a mug of hot chocolate on Gena's table though she was still stretching out her legs.

"Merci" Balancing on her toes, Gena tried to maintain the position and almost fell over. "Damn it!"

"I always tell you that you're not a ballerina and the spa wasn't built for eye candy." Dana shook her head, "I just hope one of these days you don't fall and break your neck with those clumsy legs of yours."

"There is nothing clumsy about my legs, they are just too long." Gena took a sip of the hot chocolate and hummed. "Très délicieux, merci. And what was that about my teaching techniques? I have taught and made prodigies, if anyone has a problem with my methods then they shouldn't be in my class."

"I wouldn't be surprised if all of them leave."

"Less work for me."

"You will be queried by the board. Remember what happened last time?"

Last time as Dana put it Genaelle had been summoned by the board two years ago when thirty people transferred out of her class leaving sixteen to move on and graduate making her department the first to produce such a tiny unit since the university's existence, the meeting had been full of back and forth which went on for hours and ended with a warning, her teaching methods had to change.