An Awkward Encounter
Prose
“Oh, it’s you,” Carla said, sinking down into her chair a little.
“Ahhh, of course,” Greg sighed. “I thought the odds of this were slim, so…obviously I was wrong.”
“Right. Well, have a seat and let’s just start. Don’t need to make it any more awkward than it already is,” she said, gesturing to the chair across from her on the other side of the table. “What brings you here to see me?”
“Uhhhh, well, like I said, I didn’t even know it would be you,” Greg’s voice trailed off.
“No like, what are you here for?”
“A test. Oh, geometry. I’ll show you where I’m at in the book.”
“Don’t need it. You have Professor Mattis, right?” asked Carla.
“Yeah, do you have him, too?” Greg asked.
“No. I’m a campus tutor…I have access to each professor’s notes and syllabus and stuff.” Carla didn’t even look away from her computer screen while she clicked away.
“Oh, of course,” Greg said.
“Okay so I have his notes and practice test right here. Which problems did you get wrong on it?”
“On what?”
“The practice test,” replied Carla.
“Oh…I didn’t do the practice test yet. I didn’t know I was supposed to.”
“You didn’t even take the practice test? I mean…okay, never mind. Then how did you study? How do you know you needed help?” Carla shifted in her chair, her cheeks warming to a light shade of red.
“Oh, I just didn’t do well on the last test, and want to make sure I don’t fail this class. I don’t like math, I’m not good at it,” Greg explained.
“Well, this isn’t a cumulative exam. You understand that right?” Greg stared at her blankly. “Whatever you failed on with the last test isn’t even on this exam. This is totally different, unrelated. Not in the same family, if you will,” she paused, holding eye contact with him fiercely. “You can have failed the last one, and succeed with this one.”
Greg nodded.
“…without my help.”
“Oh, right. Okay, I guess that makes sense. I’ll just probably head out then, maybe do that practice test and see how that goes.”
“Good idea. Don’t forget your notebook. And I just need you to sign this log, saying that you came in for a few.”
“Got it, thanks.”
“Do you know how to request a new tutor next time, after you maybe do the practice test?”
“Already on it,” Greg said, not looking up from his phone. “I am sorry, ya know.”
“Yup.”
Lori-Beth Noel
