Damaged Beyond Repair (Student/ Teacher) ✔️

Chapter 4

I offered mono syllabi answers to Chez as he rattled on the entire way back to the dorm about being careful of the supposedly evil eye of the professor and blah blah yada yada. I told him off by telling him how much he'd humiliated me in front of the entire present study body. I even suggested Chez to apologize, but he had a full- blown up ego in his pants (some male pride), he snapped back at me, saying he hadn't done anything wrong.

Definitely not how I pictured the end of my day.

It left me with no other choice than ringing Mr. Hot-shot-demon professor with a good heart. After endless hours of homework, I settled on my comfy bed with the phone cradled in my hands. I wasn't sure I could pull it off without getting yelled at or being hung up on. Numerous scenarios played as I contemplated my decision. What if he marked me a failing grade? 

I was fine with those options except the latter one. I took a deep breath, bucked up some courage and dialed his number, the one which he'd been kind and generous enough to write on the back of my study material copy in beautiful cursive handwriting. The time read 10:00 pm. I wondered if it was even alright for me to call my teacher at such an unusual time. Either way, I had no patience until the next day. I hit the call before I could chicken out.

It rang once and then twice.

Thrice. My heart beat took pace with every ring.

He answered the phone on the fourth ring, "Hello?"

I could have a heart attack. "Yes?"

"Sir, it's me Alana." I found my voice a second later.

"Alana, hey." He didn't sound mad which was my cue to sigh in relief.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you at this hour."

"No, don't worry about it. Tell me, is..." okay so he sounded worried, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes sir, It's just that.." I sighed, "I'm really, really sorry about earlier. I mean, I wanted to sit until the end of the class, but..I apologize on behalf of Chez too. He doesn't understand things that he says sometimes. I assure you we won't be repeating it again."

I thought he had hung up since all I could hear were crickets outside my window. Then I heard a long intake of breath, "Its fine, Alana, really. I don't keep grudges over my students outside of class. So..we're cool."

"Either way I wanted to apologize, I thought it would be late until tomorrow and that's the reason I called." Great. Now I was blabbering. I added, "Hope I'm not causing any disturbance."

I heard a soft chuckle, "No you're not, and apology accepted."

That was a relief, "I will make sure Chez apologizes first thing in the morning."

"I don't think that's a good idea Alana," I just loved how he would pronounce my name giving each word its own place. "Apologies are supposed to be genuine. If Chez understands his mistake, he will apologize, if not then..well, I don't force or intimidate my students. I never beg for apologies. Do you agree, Alana?"

"Yes sir. I do. Of course."

"That's good."

There was a muffled disturbance in the background followed by a child's loud, helpless wail.

My breath hitched in my throat.

He whispered in the background which I couldn't make out, then he spoke to me, "Alana, I'll speak with you tomorrow, okay?" the child's pitch increased, "I'll be checking your homework, fail, and I will double it."

He hung up, leaving me to think about what I had just heard.

I kept changing sides throughout the night, unable to get an eye shut even for a second. Damn. I shouldn't have called on his cell phone in the first place. Who was that kid? Does that mean Mr. Masters the hot-shot was married? And what about the wailing child in the background? It could be his kid. What was the other explanation I could use to soothe my burning soul?