"I scored high in English classes, thank you. My teachers loved me."
"Yeah, but that was way back in the early 1900's. Times have changed, my friend." I can't help but tease him. The jokes come naturally when it comes to the age difference between us. It's not drastic, but he made the dig about me with the infomercials, we're even now.
"You wound me," Nelson says with a flat tone. I feel a bubble of laughter rising up my throat but clear it before any noise can escape and grab the attention of the rest of the class.
I watch him for a second longer as he starts to pull out his notebook and textbook. The other students have their laptops up and are talking amongst themselves. I make sure the slideshow for today is ready. We're already halfway through the first unit. By the time class is starting, all the students have shown up. I see William sneaking glances to the other students and avoiding my eyes for the majority of the class. I try to keep them all engaged, asking questions to hypothetical situations so hopefully it'll help the information stick easier.
I take the last fifteen minutes to pass out the quizzes and we go over any questions regarding wrong answers or marks I made. Igive them the choice of coming up to the desk one at a time or go ahead and leave and see me during office hours. William is the first out of the classroom and I can't say I'm sad to see him go.
As usual, the rest of the students are gone except Nelson. I get the feeling that he much prefers the one-on-one discussion. Standing in front of the class, I can see the eyes glancing over at him or the way that the seat beside him remains empty when most everyone else pairs up. He answers the questions when I ask him, raises his hand to asks questions himself when I ask if anyone needs clarification. He's a good student, but I remember grading his quiz… It wasn't the worst, but his explanations weren't exactly what I was looking for.
"Did you have any questions?" I ask him, walking over to stand in front of his desk. All of his things are already put away, except for the quiz. It was only six questions. I marked two of them wrong and one with just a simple note.
His eyes meet mine and I can tell he's embarrassed. He glances around and sighs. No one else is here but us. I walk around the desk and sit in the chair beside him. I turn his paper around and read over his answers again. "This first one, you were on the right path. The explanation, though, was a bit off. I wasn't entirely sure what you were saying with this line here."
"I was trying to explain how the business motto in the question would benefit coming from the core values of the company that were listed."
"Okay, I understood that part, but what are the other components when considering a motto?" I look from the paper to him. I see his hand reach for his bag with the notebook. I cover his hand with mine, stopping him. He looks right at me. "From memory, if you can."
"Oh, uh, core values, keep it short, evoke emotion, and…" His brows furrow, creating a dip between his eyes. I give him a few more seconds before finishing the list.
"What makes your company stand out." I realize that I'm still covering his hand and I pull mine back to point to the answer he wrote. "Right here, is where you kind of veer off. The question is asking how you would decide the motto you picked, though, not how you would come up with it. Do you see the difference?"
"Not really?" His voice is almost meek and I have this sudden urge to pull him in for a comforting hug. I don't, but I think about it.
"For this question, the motto was already made. We weren't focusing on creating it, but rather testing to see if the public and employees liked it."
There is silence for a long moment before he sighs and places his forehead in his palm. He's not smacking himself, but I can tell it's finally clicked and he's embarrassed. "So my answer shouldn't have been focused on those four things, but rather on the distribution side: polls, emails, that sort of thing?"
"Exactly." I tap my finger on the paper and smile. "You weren't the only one that got tripped up on that question, which is why I gave partial credit for the answer. You displayed that you understood that part of the lesson well."
We move on to the next question and go over the information. I give him hints, but ultimately let him get to the correct point. I get the sense that, on top of preferring the one-on-one discussions, he does better with speaking his words than writing them. I'll have to see how his next quiz goes before suggesting an alternative that would help. I made the note for another student as well, but that student also doesn't participate in class nor did they stay after to ask questions. I can only help if they show initiative.
It's thirty minutes after class when we finish talking. My stomach grumbles as soon as I stand up. I had my regular protein smoothie this morning, but nothing else. I reach into thesecond drawer on the left side of my desk and pull out one of the two snack bars I keep in there.
"I didn't mean to keep you so long," Nelson says as I take the first bite. I look over at him with the bar still to my lips and shake my head. I bite off the piece and wave him off.
"It's fine," I say after swallowing. "It was on me for not having a proper breakfast this morning. I'll probably order something and pick it up on my way home."
Nelson's phone starts buzzing in his hand and he looks down at it, then back up to me. "Sorry, it's my brother. I have to take this."
"No worries. I'll see you on Thursday."
"Hey, Charlie, what's up?" I don't hear anything more as he walks out of the classroom without a look back.
I take my time packing up my things. I don't really have an office outside of this classroom for the summer. My actual office is across the campus, where the night classes are typically held. I'm in negotiations for day classes next year, but the college is undergoing some changes and we won't know where we'll be until a couple weeks before Fall semester starts. No one else stops by during the office hours so I grab my bag and head out. I pull my phone out to order some Chinese at the place that's on the way to my apartment.
The parking lot is almost deserted when I walk out. I can count the number of cars on both hands. Mine is parked in the faculty space closest to the building. Movement catches my eye and I see none other than Nelson still standing beside his truck. I figured he would be gone by now. The truck is a nice one, something from the last couple years at least, but I can see where he's used the wipers to clear the dust and dirt off his windshield. Downfall of living on a farm, I assume. He's too far for me to make out what's being said on the phone he's still holding, but when he spins around and catches me looking at him, he pauses andthen says something before hanging up and starting my way. His truck is only in the next row, so it isn't but a few strides for him. He seems… Pissed, but in that calm way that makes it even scarier.
"Everything okay?" I ask. I unlock my own car and set my bag in the backseat.
"Can I ask you a business question? Like real life?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"If someone signs a contract to sell land, is there anything to… Void that contract or something?" I tilt my head slightly, not prepared for a question like that.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. It would depend what the laws are in the state as well as some other factors. That would be more of a lawyer question, too."
