My Luckiest Day

That night, I found myself unable to sleep. My mind was consumed by thoughts of him – his eyes, his scent, his figure. He mentioned he was headed to the Literature Department; did that mean he was a student there? I had courses in the Literature Department too; could we possibly cross paths? But what if we didn’t? How else could we ever meet again? I felt foolish. Why didn't I ask for his contact information this afternoon? If I had, perhaps I wouldn't be lying awake and pondering over these trivial matters.

It truly was an entire night, a whole night without sleep. From the moment I woke up, the expression on my face spoke volumes, signaling to my family members in the house that it was best not to bother me; at school, suitors approached cautiously, noticing my displeased countenance, opting to keep their distance; in the classroom, my classmates, sensing my evident frustration, tactfully chose to occupy seats as far away from me as possible, not wanting to incur my wrath.

"Hello everyone, I'm Neil Wesley, the new professor in the Literature Department. I'll be teaching your language and literature history courses, so please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. I look forward to getting to know each of you and working together to explore the fascinating world of language and literature."

Once again, it was that polite and subdued voice, albeit this time, the self-introduction carried with it a certain reverence for the domains of knowledge one ought to possess. Even though it might not have convinced or persuaded every one of his expertise, it certainly managed to command the attention of the entire room, especially me, who had cranky disposition since the early morning.

So, it turned out he wasn't merely a student; he held the esteemed title of professor. But how could someone so young attain such a prestigious position? I meaned, judging by appearances, he seemed to be roughly the same age as me, right? At most, he might be just a year or two older. Could it be possible that he's some sort of prodigious talent? As I observed the figure standing at the lectern, my mind couldn't help but wander to other thoughts—predominantly about him, unrelated to matters of language or literary history. Throughout the entirety of the ninety-minute lecture, my gaze remained fixed upon him without a single moment of distraction. Surprisingly, my previously cranky disposition had dissolved into thin air the very moment he entered the lecture hall, dissipating like bubbles in the air. I found myself enjoying his class, in a certain sense.

"Hello." After the class, I caught up with him.

"Hey, Ryan." He chuckled, whether because he spotted me or because he was pleased with his first class, I couldn't tell.

"So, you're a professor. I thought you were a student."

"Yeah, I've been out of the student game for a while."

"How long's a while?"

"I turned 30 this year."

"Come one, you must be kidding."

"Nope, I can show you my ID if you want."

"I want to see."

"Here you go." He actually took out his ID, quite naive, really.

"You still look so young, and, your ID photo is really good-looking."

"I... I should head back to my office." He seemed bashful.

"Need help carrying books?"

"No, I've got it. Thanks though."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow. I'll be on time and focused for class."

"Sounds good."

"As a reward, how about we grab dinner tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

"No need to hesitate, it's decided then. Bye."

"Um, okay, bye." He returned to that adorable yet shy demeanor.

Leaving the building, I found myself gazing at the sky with a silly grin plastered on my face. I never imagined I would encounter him again so soon, not to mention about discovering he was a professor and to think he's already 30 years old came as a surprise. The fact that he offered to show me his ID was unexpected too, but what truly astounded me was securing the opportunity to have a meal with him. Today turned out to be the luckiest day I've ever experienced, well, excluding the insomnia that plagued me from midnight till this morning, of course.