Chapter 3 (Unexpected)

Chapter 3

Scheid's POV

"Is it really okay with you, sir, to add another student to your class? I heard that your five calculus classes are full because of the number of students transferring to your class. Well, it seems like I haven't heard any complaints from you..." said Mr. Grospe, the sixty-two-year-old head of Mathematics department. A tall and chubby professor who you might mistake for Santa Claus because of his thick and white beard.

My first response was a soft laugh. In the three years I have been teaching here at Polaris University, that is nothing new for me. I haven't had a class that wasn't filled with students, always at the limit, and sometimes even beyond it. Even though Calculus is a difficult subject, it's surprising that there are still many students who are motivated to attend.

"It seems like Mr. Solven is going to resign because no students want to attend his class anymore. You both teach the same thing..." He laughed and shook his head.

He was referring to another Calculus professor here at the University who is almost the same age as him. They are close friends and are often seen together in various parts of the University.

"It's different when the professor is still young... We're no longer surprised at the admiration you receive from the students and other staff here at the University. Do you know why?"

One corner of my lips lifted. With the playful look in his eyes, I could already smell the upcoming flattery.

Even though he is old, he still likes to tell stories about his youth. I also learned from him that he and Professor Solven were in the same class when they were in college. They graduated together and had only a three-year gap in their teaching careers here.

What I find most amusing about them is that they often say they see themselves in me when they were young. I don't want to let it get to my head, but I also believe that I am Adonis's child. Yeah, my face and physical appearance are a big factor in being treated as a goddess of teaching here at Polaris. And that's also the reason why so many students transfer to my class.

"Don't grin at me like that, Mr. Fawzi. If you could see the photos of me in my youth, you'd know I'm not just flattering you. Even when I got married, I was still mistaken for being single!" he proudly said, looking at me from head to toe even though I wasn't fully revealed here.

I am sitting here in my own mini-office. There are twenty Calculus professors under him. We are divided into groups, with four of us sharing an office. Besides this, we each have our own private office. Mine is located in the Primo Building near gate four, the farthest part from the main gate of the University. Because I'm too lazy to walk there, I often work in this Colasia Building office instead. I only go there when I want to be alone, sleep, or leave some belongings.

"Yeah... I get it, sir, Professor..." I just laughed in agreement. "I can see the evidence even if you don't show me any pictures..."

He does look the part, even though he's a bit wrinkled now. He has a sharp nose and deep-set eyes. I also remember my dad in her. I shook my head to ignore my memory of him. Even now, he still can't accept my decision to come back to the Philippines to pursue my dream of teaching.

As the eldest child, he wants me to take over his company when he retires. He's been preparing me for it for a long time, but I was smart in my last few years in Turkey. I flew to the Philippines without saying goodbye and did what I wanted.

I chose Polaris University because, aside from being close to my Filipina mother's childhood home, it is also a famous, prestigious, and beautiful school in the whole country. It just happened that they were hiring a calculus teacher at the time, so I had no reason to look for another job. I am a civil engineer and a physicist. I love numbers, problems, and everything else about Mathematics.

On my mother's side, almost all of them are teachers, so maybe that's why I was also influenced. I like the feeling of teaching what I know. I think the force is coming from my passion rather than the subject itself.

"But it's still different if you really see us in the picture, son. You'll believe us again."

I scratched my left ear without removing the smile from my lips.

"Well, I'll bring it soon!"

It's a good thing that we're the only ones here in the office. Our female co-teachers often add to this, though. I don't know if they're just friendly or if they just want to boost their name with sir since he's our head.

"Alright, sir. Just bring it... No problem..."

"I was about to get angry with you, Mr. Fawzi, because of the overflowing attention you're getting from the people here... But our University President, Mr. Ong, seems too happy with you... He seems to think that it's because of you that the enrollees have increased again this school year..."

I don't know, but it seems like an exaggeration even if it's because of me.

"Oh..." I murmured in my thoughts.

How can I deny it when I know that I haven't even reached my class yet, and there are already so many students waiting near my designated room? And not all of them are my students. Some just passed by and hung out just to see me. I just shake my head every time I think about how almost all of them are students.

"I'm sorry, Professor Scheids," said the old man. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just that I admire you so much. You're a great teacher, and you have a lot of good-looking students, too. I'm sure they all love you."

I'm not an actor or a famous person who receives such admiration and attention. I'm just a professor with an artistic face and body. That's how I see myself, and I don't hold on to any of the admiration given to me. I maintain my professional figure in everything. And I hope that's what they think of me being formal in class and sometimes outside of class.

"Polaris University is just really beautiful and famous all over the country, sir. It's probably not because of me..."

"Hmmm... Will Mr. President make a mistake? There is an evaluation for the students and they are also asked why they chose to study here at Polaris University... And someone actually reported to him that someone answered, "Because of Professor Scheids Noah Fawzi!"

He burst into laughter. I've heard that before, but I didn't realize it was true.

I felt like I was being cooked alone by this old man. It's not amusing, especially since I'm not interested in students. I have many beautiful students, but I don't have a type among them. For me, they're just my students, a responsibility to teach.

"It's just a matter of pride because you're under my department... We get special treatment in our department because of you..."

I enjoyed his trip until he wanted to. My two classes this morning were over; the remaining three were in the afternoon and evening.

"Anyway, I'll set aside my amusement with you... So, is it okay for you to accept one more student? Mr. Solven has already dropped one of his classes because there were only twenty students there. He just gathered them in his four other classes. Now, it's a perfect forty. I already asked him, and he answered. He doesn't want to accept additional students because he already passed the final number of his students..."

"No problem, sir. Just add it to my last class, the evening class, if it doesn't conflict with the student's schedule... To balance the number of students in each class."

"Oh, sure. I already knew you wouldn't refuse. Everyone else declined, so I should have approached you first... Poor kid, she wouldn't be able to get the Calculus subject if she didn't get in your class... She used to be homeschooled and is now being converted to normal schooling..."

"Oh, I see..."

I remember a student whom I gave a separate exam for some of my math subjects because he was homeschooled. I was the one who made the exam, and the adviser would give it to him. The adviser would also check his answers, so I never met that student.

He smiled. "Well, his aunt is close to me, so here I am talking to you about it..."

I'm used to teaching fifty students per class, so what's one more, right? I just hope she's nice and quiet since she's from homeschooling.

"Okay. Just add her, please..."

The first term is about to end, but she's just starting now. Well, I hope she can catch up with the lessons. Home-schooling is different from studying inside the school.

"Yes... Okay. I'll give you her name tomorrow. She might start next week or the week after that."

"Okay, Sir... Hmm... It's still a long time."

"Yeah... There's a reason, but it's very confidential... Her aunt already explained it to me."

"Ah... Okay, sir."

I left the office just as my first class for the afternoon was starting.

It was already 10 pm when I arrived back at my condo, which was just walking distance from Polaris University. I got delayed because my co-teacher, Tara, invited me to dinner. We had been dating for two weeks, but we hadn't talked much lately because she was from a different department in the university, the health sciences department. She was a nurse and a clinical instructor for third-year nursing students.

When it comes to women, I'm just into casual dating and partying. I always make it clear from the start.

Entering into a commitment is not my priority right now. I'm not at that point in my life yet. I haven't fully recovered from the death of my girlfriend five years ago. It's hard to start over with a new person and relationship because of what happened to us. Maybe because I never asked her when she was still alive if it was okay with her that someday I might fall in love with someone else. Even though the tragedy happened a long time ago, for me, it feels like it was just yesterday. I still think about how she would feel. She was jealous, you know!

I smiled sadly at the old thought.

Many women have come into my life after she left me, but I can't remember anyone who has captured my heart. I searched for care, warmth, and love from others, but I couldn't find someone like her. Maybe I have already accepted the fact that she's gone, but my heart still belongs to her.

I have finished mourning for her. What I am doing right now is finding my real purpose in life. I'm just going with the flow and seeing where destiny takes me. I have gone through a lot in life, so if God gives me the chance to love again, I swear that I'll grab it. But for now, I haven't seen that in anyone yet.

After I texted Tara that I had arrived at my condo, I took a shower and went to bed.

My routine and everything around me remain the same every day. I never run out of students who try to get my attention, whether inside or outside the classroom.

I suddenly realized that I was counting my students every time I asked them to do an activity. I wondered why the number of students hasn't changed yet, even though I've been doing this for weeks.

"And besides... I'll know if there's a new face in my class, so what's the point of counting?" I shook my head, feeling weird.

Two weeks have passed, and that student still hasn't shown up. Maybe she preferred to continue with homeschooling, which was better than adjusting to the new normal.

One day, I came in late for class because I was busy making out with Tara. Luckily, it was already evening, and it was my last class for the day. I was about to apologize for being late when I noticed that the seat at the back of the classroom, which I always reserved for myself, was already occupied. There was a woman sitting there quietly, as if she was about to stand up because of the others who were standing and greeting me.

I was about to ignore her, but she had such a strong presence that I couldn't help but notice her. Her lively eyes were directly focused on mine. The heart-shaped structure of her face complemented her long hair, which was styled in a wolf cut and had a wavy texture at the ends. As luck would have it, the wind blew and swept a few strands of her hair, especially her bangs.

Even though it was somewhat dark in her seat, I could still see every detail of her face. Her skin had a dewy radiance that shone even in the darkness. Her nose was even more perfectly shaped than mine. And her lips were thin and thick, yet heavenly without any artificial colors.

And me...when was the last time I defined a woman so actively other than my deceased girlfriend?! This is the first one!

Now who is this intriguing girl at the back?!

End of Scheids' POV