Sunrise at Sunset Read Online Free Page B
Author: Jaz Primo
about the fifth time as he sat in his closet-sized office that was barely wider than the doorway that led into it. His desk faced a wall-sized window, which at least gave him a view of the campus grounds, though he hated having his back turned to the door. There was barely room for a bookshelf on the right and a narrow computer hutch on the left next to his guest chair. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the opportunity to teach full-time, being twenty-six and fresh out of graduate school. The marketplace had been competitive due to the state’s recent poor economic conditions. It was a small community college, serving only about four thousand students each spring and fall semester. But Caleb loved academia, unlike many of his friends who had primarily valued the socialization of their collegiate experiences. Knowledge was a passion, and now a labor of love for him.
He glanced at his watch, realizing his evening class was about to start at eight-thirty: the last section of the day, as luck would have it. He picked up his notes and textbook and made his way upstairs down the simple-tiled hallway lined with classrooms. His was Room 203 on the left about midway down the hall.
When he walked into the classroom on that first evening, he glanced around at the faces before him. There were four rows of tables and chairs split on two sides by an aisle up the middle, to accommodate up to thirty-two students. Only twenty-one were enrolled, and he had been warned by the associate dean to expect two or three students to drop.
There were a variety of stories represented in the faces he saw. Some were younger high school graduates trying to start their college career with poor ACT/SAT scores who couldn’t yet qualify for university admission. Others were working adults striving to get an educational edge or promotion in their careers. A few others were interested in avoiding the large general education class sizes of Georgia State for a more intimate setting. There appeared to be a half-male, half-female distribution, and he noted that it was his first class that semester that didn’t have anybody sitting in the back row.
After welcoming everyone to his Early American History class, he began calling roll, glancing up at each face in turn to try and associate names with faces: Bibbons, Cosby, Darby, Franks…
----
Katrina was running late. She had nearly forgotten to get a textbook and was making her way from the college bookstore with her notepad and text in hand. She wasn’t sure whether she would actually attend the entire course, her main interest being the opportunity to see Caleb after so many years and listen to him lecture. Her curiosity intensified as she mulled her prolonged absence in his life.
Absence , Katrina chastised herself. As if I’ve had any real part in his growth or development . Any tie that she felt to him was solely based upon the memory of his youthful aid on that fateful summer day. Aside from killing his abusive father, she had merely played the role of an anonymous financial benefactor for him and his mother. After that, she’d restricted herself to only watch from a distance. Nothing more. But then, wasn’t that the plan, to stay out of his life and allow him the opportunity to grow up in a “normal world?” Her previous attempts to develop close relationships with humans always ended badly and, more often than not, fatally for the humans in question.
Katrina broke from her reverie, darted into the classroom as roll was being called, and slipped into a chair at the back of the room. Then her green eyes darted towards the front, following the sound of what had to be Caleb’s very mature-sounding voice.
When her eyes settled on the fit young man standing at the podium, she arched one eyebrow in surprise. The Website photo didn’t do him justice. His features were accented by a masculine, yet gentle face framed by neatly-maintained sandy brown hair. She was happy to see that his eyes were still
He glanced at his watch, realizing his evening class was about to start at eight-thirty: the last section of the day, as luck would have it. He picked up his notes and textbook and made his way upstairs down the simple-tiled hallway lined with classrooms. His was Room 203 on the left about midway down the hall.
When he walked into the classroom on that first evening, he glanced around at the faces before him. There were four rows of tables and chairs split on two sides by an aisle up the middle, to accommodate up to thirty-two students. Only twenty-one were enrolled, and he had been warned by the associate dean to expect two or three students to drop.
There were a variety of stories represented in the faces he saw. Some were younger high school graduates trying to start their college career with poor ACT/SAT scores who couldn’t yet qualify for university admission. Others were working adults striving to get an educational edge or promotion in their careers. A few others were interested in avoiding the large general education class sizes of Georgia State for a more intimate setting. There appeared to be a half-male, half-female distribution, and he noted that it was his first class that semester that didn’t have anybody sitting in the back row.
After welcoming everyone to his Early American History class, he began calling roll, glancing up at each face in turn to try and associate names with faces: Bibbons, Cosby, Darby, Franks…
----
Katrina was running late. She had nearly forgotten to get a textbook and was making her way from the college bookstore with her notepad and text in hand. She wasn’t sure whether she would actually attend the entire course, her main interest being the opportunity to see Caleb after so many years and listen to him lecture. Her curiosity intensified as she mulled her prolonged absence in his life.
Absence , Katrina chastised herself. As if I’ve had any real part in his growth or development . Any tie that she felt to him was solely based upon the memory of his youthful aid on that fateful summer day. Aside from killing his abusive father, she had merely played the role of an anonymous financial benefactor for him and his mother. After that, she’d restricted herself to only watch from a distance. Nothing more. But then, wasn’t that the plan, to stay out of his life and allow him the opportunity to grow up in a “normal world?” Her previous attempts to develop close relationships with humans always ended badly and, more often than not, fatally for the humans in question.
Katrina broke from her reverie, darted into the classroom as roll was being called, and slipped into a chair at the back of the room. Then her green eyes darted towards the front, following the sound of what had to be Caleb’s very mature-sounding voice.
When her eyes settled on the fit young man standing at the podium, she arched one eyebrow in surprise. The Website photo didn’t do him justice. His features were accented by a masculine, yet gentle face framed by neatly-maintained sandy brown hair. She was happy to see that his eyes were still
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