PRESENT
The secondwe step back into the dining room, the noise dies down. Expressions are smothered with guilt over what I’m sure was a steady stream of gossip. I feel no remorse because this isn’t how I wanted Rhoswen to adjust to them.
But it stops now.
“Dinner first,” I announce. “My past can be dissected after.”
Holding the chair for Rhoswen, the rest of the meal goes as expected with curious, but respectful, getting to know you questions both for and from my woman. I’m not surprised when she forms a quick rapport with Emily’s husband, Jake, and Finn, as they are both educators.
During dessert, Rhoswen is passionately pointing out the ways artificial intelligence has made teaching infinitely more intriguing and yet ridiculously more challenging in the last five years. “I have to use the very software I despise.”
Curious, it’s Colby who asks, “Why is that?”
She props her elbows on the table, warming to her subject. “We ask students to submit electronically so we can run their submissions through confidential AI detection software.”
“Is that an automatic failure?” He’s curious.
“It depends on if it’s a first offense. If it is, we talk with the student, offer coaching. Maybe they had a major life event occur and panicked. If it’s a repeated pattern, then yes. It can lead to dismissal. The student will fail the class and be asked to repeat it. If it’s egregious, it can lead to expulsion, ”
Ali’s remark is thoughtful. “So, there is some type of review.”
Rhoswen nods. “Also, the students may havedonethe work but the site they’re citing may have been AI generated. Do we punish them for doing the right thing on the wrong site or send back the work for revision?” She looks around the table and asks, “Aren’t we all works in progress?”
Corinna drawls, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but we all know Phil is.”
Raucous laughter floods the room. Even I’m chortling at Corinna’s dig. Then I realize Rhoswen doesn’t laugh. Instead, she studies Phil before pushing back from the table and making her way over to him.
Squatting down, she speaks in tones so low only he and Jason can hear, she asks him a series of questions. At first, he’s resistant but Jason’s lips move.
Giving affirmative answers.
But Rhoswen? I can’t tell what she’s thinking.
She asks Jason a question, which causes him to tilt his head in consideration. Phil’s eyes widen a fraction. She turns to him again and this time her voice reaches me. “We’ll talk more about it later, if you’re interested.”
As she gets to her feet and makes her way around the table, Jason studies Rhoswen. Once she’s settled back into her seat, he nods his approval at me.
I lean over and press a kiss to her temple, before murmuring low enough to be undetected by the family. “What was that about?”
Her voice is modulated to barely a whisper. “Have you never noticed Phil’s vision issue?”
I frown. “What vision issue?”
“His pupils snap to one side when he’s focusing. It’s a tracking issue and it may be why he has problems with complex directions.”
My jaw falls open. “Seriously?”
“I have students with the same problem. I can’t be sure, but I suggested he be tested.”
“Well, you just won them over.”
Her eyes flit up to mine. “It’s just something I noticed.”
“Whatever it was, it made an impression.”
She smiles before resting her head beneath my chin. “That’s a later issue. Right now, how are you?”
I tense up before sighing into her hair. “I think I’m ready.”
