Linda was exhausted after a long day at work. It was always on Friday when she had the most amount of lessons. It was a blessing and a curse because it allowed her to get all the administrative work done early in the week, but at the cost of being absolutely drained with back to back lessons on Friday. One thing was for sure she never had any issues falling to sleep on Fridays.
And now she was at the supermarket. She was too exhausted to cook so she'd buy some quick meal there and eat it at home with a glass of wine. 'A glass of wine' she thought to herself. 45 years old and I'm drinking wine all by myself.
"Miss Correll?"
Linda turned around and saw a face she hadn't seen in a long time. It was Michael, a student she'd had six years ago as a senior. He'd been a scrawny kid then, running in the track team, although he wasn't so skinny now. Instead of hitting the field it looked more like he was hitting the gym. He was also quite cute.
"God what am I thinking?" Linda pondered to herself. "This is my old student!"
Linda smiled at Michael.
"Hi Michael! It's been years! You haven't changed a bit."
Well that was a lie. He'd changed completely and for the better.
"You too Miss Linda. I was here visiting my parents for a bit before heading back to the city. I'm leaving tomorrow morning actually."
"Very nice. So were you happy to be staying in your old room?"
"Actually I'm staying in a hotel nearby. I love my parents, but never again."
Michael chuckled as he said this. He'd always been one of those kids who had a head on his shoulders so Linda wasn't surprised he'd want to be off on his own.
Michael walked up and took a look at the wine selection.
"Red wine Miss Linda? What's your favorite?" he asked as he picked up a random bottle.
"Oh I'm not picky. I'm open to anything really."
Am I really talking about alcohol with a former student was all Linda could think about then. Well it has been six years...
"Are you picking some up for you and your husband to enjoy this weekend?"
Oof! The burning bullet. Linda had been divorced for five years now. Typical story of women. Her husband had grown tired of her and had found himself a much younger woman. At 45 her options were very limited. Most men at this age either were looking for a side piece or were total creeps. She'd had one date three years ago which was a total disaster and hadn't had any luck since.
"Yeah that. He's been out of the picture for a while now."
Michael frowned.
"I'm sorry to hear that. One day he's gonna realize he made a mistake leaving you."
"Thanks."
His words were meant as encouragement, but they just felt like they were digging the knife in deeper.
"I've got an idea," said Michael. "How about I buy us a bottle, and we'll reminisce about all the good times back when you were my teacher?"
"I don't know..."
"Don't worry about it Linda. This'll be our little secret. I won't tell a soul." Michael took his fingers and zipped up his lips. Linda couldn't help, but laugh.
"That's Ms. Correll to you."
Linda said it sternly, but he'd won her over. He'd graduated years ago, and besides who would know? Michael had been an honest student she'd remembered so she could trust him.
She nodded her head and beckoned for him to go pay for the wine bottle.
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The hotel ended up being very close so Michael had walked over to the supermarket. Linda took him in her cat and they were there after only ten minutes. It was actually one of the nicer hotels in town. Not at all cheap. As they made their way there the two of them had some small talk.
"Where do you work these days Michael?"
"I'm an air traffic controller at the city airport."
Linda could imagine it now. Michael at the control tower giving out orders to the airplanes. It was a high stress job, and because of it, it paid handsomely.
The two of them left the car and headed into the hotel's reception area. She hadn't remembered the last time she'd seen such a beautiful hotel. All the workers there wore pristine business attire, and ivory furniture lay scattered around. Even just staying in the reception area alone would've been a luxury.
The receptionist greeted Michael and gave a nod towards Linda. She asked him if everything was fine and if he needed anything for the evening. He shook his head, thanked her for asking, and then began walking towards the elevator. Linda trailed behind, feeling like a daughter following her father around in a new place.
They entered the elevator and Michael clicked one of the highest floors in the hotel.
"From my room you can actually see the city. It looks so relaxing at night."
"I'd imagine."
The elevator rang and opened up to the floor. The hallway was deserted, but even here the carpet looked expensive. This carpet alone probably cost more than anything Linda owned in her apartment.
Michael led her down before stopping at the second to last floor at the end of the hall, took out his key card, and invited her in.
Linda's thoughts had been dead on. The room was huge with a king sized bed right in the middle. The two bedroom lights fully lit up the room with a calming light that was just right. It even had a full sized refrigerated and some stools with a high table like you'd see at some of the fancier bars in the city.
Michael looked at Linda's face and saw her reaction.
"Nice place isn't it?" he stated more than asked as he put his hand on her shoulder in a friendly manner.