The students in Professor David Scott's Calculus class were struggling. It was a Wednesday Afternoon, and unusually warm for the fall. The warm weather didn't make it any easier to teach or learn calculus.
David was a Math professor at a prestigious university in upstate Pennsylvania. On this fall afternoon, he was getting as frustrated as the students. None of the students in this calculus class was a math major, they were just taking the class to fill a requirement. But they should have been learning it faster than they were. It was three and a half weeks into the semester, and this was shit they should have remembered from high school. Now he remembered why he preferred morning classes. Students were more alert in the morning. The effects of late night partying didn't usually catch up to them until later in the day.
When the class finally ended, David gave the students their assignment, and encouraged them to review the sample problems in the textbook. Then he retreated to his office.
David kept regular office hours so that he could be available for any student who needed help. He did not expect anyone to come in today. Most students came in right before an exam for last-minute help, or right after an exam, to bitch about their grade. He used the time to go through his emails, and think about what he could do this weekend.
Thinking about the weekend made him a little depressed. Although he was thirty-five years old, he had no significant other at this time. He recently got a divorce, after he learned his wife was having an affair with a corporate executive at the company where she worked. He continued going through his email, and answering requests from university administration.
David's office hours were until four PM. At about fifteen minutes before four, he was finished with his email, so he just decided to surf the internet to pass the time until he closed his office. He was staring at his homepage, when he sensed that he was not alone. As he turned sideways, he saw that someone was standing in his doorway.
"Sorry to interrupt." It was a young female student. David recognized her as a student from one of his morning classes, but he did not remember her name. "Not at all," he responded. "Can I help you?"
"Um, I wanted to ask if you could give me a little help with equations. I'm sorry I didn't come in earlier, but I was in the library, working on a term paper, and I just lost track of time." David told her to come in and sit down at the chair beside his desk. She was wearing flip flops, tight, low-rise jeans and an oversized, bright red sweatshirt. She was carrying a backpack and a small purse. She sat down, putting her backpack and purse on the floor. As she bent over to take her textbook out of her backpack, her jeans exposed the crack in her butt. David also noticed that she had a small tattoo on her lower back.
David thought she was kind of cute. He could see that she had a pretty face, even though it was covered up by a big pair of glasses. She was not petite, but not overweight, either. She had dark brown hair that flowed freely down to her shoulders. "And your name is?" asked David. "Elizabeth. Elizabeth Hart. Everybody calls me Beth" she answered.
"OK Beth. What are you having trouble with?" Beth was almost apologetic and said she was never really a good math student. She told him she was having trouble starting or setting up the equation. "For example, how would I approach this one" she asked, pointing to one of the problems from the assignment he gave last week.
David flipped open a notebook, and turned to a clean page. He started to write down the problem, explaining what each variable was for, and how to work through to the answer. The he told her to do the next one, to see how she approached it. Beth began working on it, but stalled after a minute. He explained to her what to do next. She stalled again, and he gave her the hint for how to complete the problem.
"OK, you try the next one" said David. This time, she did the problem from start to finish, and got the right answer. "I think I'm getting it now. Let me do another one." Beth then did several more, and it was becoming easier with each one. David gave her encouragement, but allowed her to work it through on her own. After the last one, she smiled with satisfaction.
They were both surprised to see that it was almost 6:00 PM. They had been working on the calculus problems for almost two hours! "Oh, I'm sorry I kept you here so long." David didn't really mind. "That's Ok, I'm just glad I was able to help you."
Beth was grateful. "Thanks. I really think I get it now. Since you spent so much time, let me buy you dinner." David had not expected to hear that. "Oh, you don't have to do that." But Beth insisted. "No really, I really appreciate you staying so late. Besides, you would be doing me a favor because I eat almost every meal in the dining hall."
David was reluctant to accept a student buying him dinner. He also knew it was risky to be seen in public with a female student. The university warned the faculty about conduct and appearances, and putting themselves in situations that could be misinterpreted. Still, he had no plans that evening, and did not mind having the company of a young female. He suggested that they go to a pizza restaurant a few miles from campus. "Sounds great" said Beth, and they went outside to the parking lot. David could not help but notice how the late afternoon sun glistened on her dark hair.
When they entered the restaurant, David was relieved to see that no one there recognized him or Beth. They sat down at a table in a dark corner of the room. When seated at the table Beth took off her glasses, exposing her big, dark eyes. The waitress quickly came over, greeted them, and asked if they wanted anything to drink. "Do you want a beer?" asked David. Beth rolled her eyes and said, "I'd like one, but I'm only nineteen and they won't serve me here." Even the waitress laughed at that. "Sorry" said David, a little embarrassed. They both ordered iced tea.
"Remember, it's my treat" said Beth. David replied, "If it costs you too much, I would be glad to pay." Beth would not hear of it. "My dad sends me money all the time. More than I need."
They both ordered small Caesar salads, and a medium peperoni pizza. Beth seemed very friendly and chatty, and comfortable talking to David as if he were another student, and not a professor. She talked about her hometown, her family, her friends and her roommate. Beth said that her roommate was always getting dressed and undressed in front of her, as if she was flirting with Beth. She mentioned that she played soccer and field hockey in high school, and missed the physical activity. She thought she gained some weight after she stopped playing. She told him that her father owned a construction business, and that her parents were divorced.
David mentioned that he was divorced, but did not want to get into any of the sordid details. He also told her some gossip about faculty members, and some stories about them that made her laugh.
The waitress left the check and Beth picked it up, as promised. "Thanks for the pizza, Beth." My pleasure, she replied. As they got back into David's car, he asked which dormitory building to take her. "I am in Walnut Hill, but would you mind if I could just stay at your place for a while. My roommate's boyfriend is coming over tonight, and they like their privacy."
This made David a little nervous. Having a student alone in your apartment clearly was against university guidelines. "Well I don't know, my place is a mess and we are not supposed to-"
"Oh please. The truth is I don't really get along with her boyfriend, and I want to vomit when I see them with their hands all over each other. If I come over, I won't bother you, I'll stay out of your way." David didn't fight too hard. "Ok, just for a while."