DAY 2
The morning sun had just risen. The alarm was ringing in the room, Julia groggily whispered.
"Hey Siri, shut down the alarm." The sound of the alarm went out. She turned around to check the time and fount out that it was 6:30 a.m. She sat up straight, yawned like a lioness and thought about her sleepless night. She had been unable to think of a suitable dream for her. She couldn't nail down her interest. She didn't find money or fame attractive. She was smart so she was confident that she could excel in whatever she wanted.
She got up and started getting ready for school. It was going to be holiday in a couple of days. Her room was tidy. She got dressed and went down to have some breakfast.
"Good morning, mum," she said to her mother who was making breakfast.
"Good morning to you as well. Anything other than the toast dear. "Her mother asked her the regular question. She denied as per routine with a small smile. Her father entered the kitchen, dressed in his grey suit. He went up to her mother, to help her set the table.
"Good morning, dad." He returned the greeting. Soon all three of them were sitting in and having breakfast.
"Honey, I want you to invite Mr. Grey for dinner this weekend. And make sure that he arrives this time unlike his usual refusals." Her mother said from her chair.
"Hmm. I will invite him and urge him to come but you know him dear, he is a slippery one." Her father had a small smile on his face while describing her new homeroom teacher.
"That may have been the course before, but you forget you are his boss now." Her voice contained a glint of mischief.
"Oh, I hadn't thought of it like that. I will have him with us for dinner this weekend." Her father's eyes carried some unusual glee in them.
Soon they got into the car and were on the way to school.
She entered the class room and went to her usual seat. Agnes was sitting there talking or gossiping with some other girls. She went up to them and put down her bag and started mingling with them.
"Hey Agnes, have you thought anything up for your introduction." She asked unable to hide her curiosity and probably her insecurities.
"Nah, I will just wing it out. Get the whole class to laugh around or something." She replied in her voice not hiding her confident. Soon they were joined by Shina, her eyes were puffy and she seemed a bit upset. But it had been like that for some time now. Shina had become somewhat of a loner in the past 2 years. Nobody knew what was wrong with her but she seemed distracted most of the days.
TUNG TUNG TUNG
The bell rung and the class settled down. The door opened and in entered Mr. Grey, his usual gold rimmed glasses and sleek black hair. He was dressed just like his first day, in darker blues and blacks. "
"Oh, I did not think I was scary enough to make you all this quiet. Heh are you all thinking of me to be like some of that evil Doc from the TV." He tried to ease the whole class. Everyone had a small laugh and could understand why he was doing this. He wanted them to be confident and have no hesitancy in approaching him.
"Today it is going to be the introduction day. So, we are going to be quick and efficient. It's all about you today. So, we will start alphabetically.
"Abigail Smith," he called out the first name.
A girl stood up and started her introducing herself. According to her she was interested in fame and wanted to be a model. He actually told her about a few tips and encouraged her to use and understand social media. A teacher recommending Facebook, there was a first time for everything.
It was her turn next,
"My name is Julia Goldstein and I don't know what I want from my future." She spoke with confidence.
"Oh, I was beginning to think this whole class had already set on their path. Well, for people like you I have two pieces of advice. One, either find someone you want to follow, someone like a role model. Or find someone else's dream to follow, to dedicate your life in fulfilling their wish. They could be family, parents or even your first love, though be a bit mindful of the last one, its just your hormones at this age." The whole class laughed at his antics and they moved onto the next.
They soon reached Shina and she again looked very upset," Shina and I don't have the luxury of having dreams." She said in hushed tone and sat down.
Mr. Grey stopped for a second before continuing to the next student. He had not pushed her to talk about her reasons, probably sensing her mood from her face.
Soon it was all over and all and all it had been fun. The highlight had been when a girl had replied with,
"I want to marry a rich hunk. You available Doc" the whole class had burst into laughter. He had obviously declined her yet offered to give her the contacts of some of her colleagues. This had been fun. The whole class had gotten to know each other a bit better and well they had made some fun out of the exercise.
Afterwards the regular class began and BOOM, the day was over. A kid entered the room, saying that The Principal was calling Mr. Grey and then she remembered the conversation from the morning. Perhaps, he would be joining them for dinner this weekend.
The bell rang and Shina was the first to leave the class. She had been in a foul mood the whole day, but we knew that she would not share it with them a, she had not done so in years so they had giver her the needed space, hopefully her mood would be better tomorrow.