I've been working for the Engineering department of my university for some time as a teaching assistant, and since I've kept high grades as a graduate student and have a very good grasp of English pronunciation, the department has allowed me to be the instructor for some of the courses they offer. This past semester, I've been assigned to handle a required course for an undergraduate degree, but which isn't a pre-requisite for any other courses. Considering its difficulty, many students tend to delay taking it until their last semester, even though it is junior-level. So at the beginning of the semester, I found myself managing a class of 30 students, and of those, 10 are seniors planning on graduating at the end of the course. Note the word "planning"; some of these will attempt to cruise through the course, only to crash and burn at the end.
Now, this is for those who don't know about the outlook of college life, both in general and in Engineering. There are three adjectives that are used to describe the women that I see and meet in the college context: smart, sexy and single. During my time in college, I had yet to meet one that embodies all three of these qualities; you can probably find someone that has any two of them without too much trouble. However, in Engineering, a very male-dominant field, the chances of getting even two of those qualities are slim. Most of the time, all you see in a woman in the Engineering department have one of these qualities, and the ones missing the smarts don't tend to last long in the department. Most of the smart ones aren't much to look at, either.
This isn't meant to be sexist; I imagine that women go through the same trials themselves, looking for a man who has the right set of qualities that entice them and keep them curious for more. Call it my straight-laced Engineering mindset, trying to minimize complexity to the smallest set of descriptors. I had gotten down to these three, and I've been pretty resigned to having to choose between smarts and looks; as much as I like a beautiful woman, I also need intellectual stimulation from the same to feel attachment. And I've also resigned myself to the knowledge that I don't have the basic set of qualities women look for in a man. I'm not unattractive, but I hardly get a second glance from anyone, and though I'm not obese, I'm somewhat out of shape due to long hours working on my dissertation and coursework.
Well, let's return to my first entrance to the classroom. I scanned the faces of the students; some of them I knew from previous courses as a lab teaching assistant. After handing out the syllabi for the course, I waited for everyone to get their copy when at the entrance, a vision from heaven knocked on the open door. It seemed as if she was asking permission to enter the classroom since she was late, and to deny this creature anything would be tantamount to offending the gods. A beautiful body, well sized breasts hidden by a white blouse with a faintly detectable lacy bra, shapely legs covered by a skirt that was modest yet revealing. Light brown hair, and a face that Helen of Troy would be envious of. I have no idea where I lost my voice at that moment, but I quickly recovered by motioning her into the classroom with a sweeping arm and handed her a copy of the syllabus. By the time everyone had a copy, I had regained my voice, and I switched into instructor mode.
How I kept my composure, I don't know. I guess having the syllabus to read from was a fortunate coincidence, since that was what I focused on for that first day of class, but the vision of her kept creeping into my mind all throughout that class, as much as I tried to avoid looking her way.
Finally, class was up, and I readied myself to return to my office. And then, the olfactory assault. If the vision of her entering the classroom was glorious, the smell of her perfume as she approached my desk was inebriating. To call her an angel was mistaken, because she was beyond tempting.
"Professor Lara, could I ask you for a favor?" she said.
"Let's see, what is it?" Me being the hard-ass at this moment was pure show; I was melting inside, which was probably plainly visible in my eyes, so I averted my gaze as much as I could while erasing the blackboard.
"Well, I'm working at the moment, and though my boss is aware that I'm taking this course to complete my degree, it's sometimes hard to leave the office and make it to class on time. Are you very strict on tardiness?"
"Not at all. I don't plan to take roll during class; if you can't be bothered to come to my class but still manage to get a good grade, I won't begrudge your lack of attendance. And I have a good memory for faces, so I'll know if you're doing badly in class and not attending. However, I don't like interruptions in class outside of questions, so if you are running late, just walk in and take a seat. Don't wait for my permission to enter class, Ms. uh-"
"Casey, Casey Smits, and thank you, Professor."
I watched her walk out, and tried not to be overtly inappropriate by watching her attractive attributes as she left. Ah, these are the moments in which life is good. And though I knew I had less of a chance with her than a cockroach in a henhouse, I enjoyed it for what it was, an attractive woman who wanted to succeed in this course.
- - - -
Throughout the first few weeks of the semester, I noticed her work was impeccable. Very good grades on her homework and midterms, and the exams and assignments that had to be written were done very legibly, a rarity in this field. Sexy, smart, but what about single? Even as I was asking myself this question, I was trying to get rid of the thought. When I first got the position of teaching assistant, we were told that relationships between student and instructor were prohibited, and the danger of expulsion was looming over anyone risking it. Not that there was much risk; she would never pay attention to a guy like me.
Halfway through the semester, Casey approached me after class once again.
"Professor Lara, I know you don't take attendance, but I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be missing the next class. I'm leaving for spring break somewhat earlier."
"Really? What are your plans for spring break?"
"I'm going to the Bahamas with my fiancé, Jeff. I'll be back before spring break though, though. Work is getting hectic, and they can't give me the whole break for the vacation." There goes the availability. Two out of three, high score for the department.
"That's too bad. I'll be here, working on my dissertation, and probably wishing I was somewhere else like the Bahamas."
"Well, I really needed to ask about the exam after spring break. Will this next class be included in the material for the exam?"
"Definitely so. Afraid of missing out on anything?"
"To tell the truth, yes. I enjoy your course, but it isn't easy."
"With your grades, you could've fooled me. You're one of my top 5 students here, and considering you're the only one of them that's also keeping a full-time job, I'm more than impressed."
"Thank you, sir. Still, I'd be much more comfortable if I could get you to go over the class material I'll be missing."
"Tell you what. Send me some e-mail when you get back, and we'll coordinate an appointment for sometime after your work schedule."
"That's very kind of you, but I don't want to impose -"
"You just send me some e-mail, and we'll work from there, OK?" I said with a smile.
"Yes, sir, and thank you again." she said as she left.
Considering what my workload for the break was, I was going to enjoy the distraction. After all, how many more times in my lifetime can I expect to teach a student as beautiful as Casey?
True to her word, she e-mailed me, and we coordinated for Friday at 7pm in my office. They apparently did Casual Fridays at her workplace, because she was wearing less formal clothes than she tends to do for my classes. I say less formal, but no less appealing; form-fitting jeans and a beige knit-top with sensible boots. I offered Casey some coffee from my machine, and we went right to work, going over what I had covered for that class.
I don't know if it was the informal environment, the coffee, or it just being Friday, but we interrupted the teaching and went into normal conversation more than once. Once it was about the coffee; Casey wanted to know what kind it was, because she really liked it a lot. I told her it was a special blend from my parents, who send me a couple of canisters every six months or so from outside the country. I asked her about her vacation, and complimented her having gotten a tan; she mentioned that it was one of the few things that was free in the Bahamas, so she decided to get as much of one as she could. She asked about a picture on my desk, and I mentioned it was my first and only nephew, who I try to spoil every time I can. To tell the truth, I can't say how we were able to fill three hours with conversation, but by the time she got a call on her cell phone, we realized how late it had gotten. I caught a bit of the one-sided conversation.
"Hi, honey. Yes, I'm finishing up now with recovering from my class absence. Yes, I got here a bit later than I had planned, because we had to close out the week at work, and that dragged on longer than I wanted it to. Sure, meet you there in 15 minutes. Bye-bye. *smooch*"
She hung up and said "That was close. My fiancé is a bit over-jealous, and he'd probably go ballistic if he knew I had spent all this time here."
"Heck, I'm just an instructor. Not much to be afraid of in my case."
"Don't sell yourself short, Professor. There's probably someone out there tonight waiting for you to sweep them off their feet."
"Well, they'll just have to keep waiting, because I've got some more typing up to do before I'm done for tonight."
