Disclaimer: The main characters don't belong to me, but the rest does.
Dear Diary,
Today, towards the end of my lesson, Mr. Destler asked me:
"Ms. Daaé, have you ever been to the opera?"
"Yes, but I was four at the time, so I'm afraid I wasn't able to enjoy it properly. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I seem to have accidently bought an extra ticket for an upcoming production, and it's non-refundable, so... I was wondering if you'd like to come?"
I was a bit taken aback, but Mr. Destler was looking at me quite earnestly.
"It's very nice of you to ask, but I couldn't possibly! Are you sure you can't resell the ticket?"
"Quite sure. Also, I thought it would be a good experience for you."
"Oh, dear. What opera is it ?"
"'The Tales of Hoffmann'."
That happens to be my favorite opera. I really wanted to go, but I felt uneasy about the whole idea of going to the opera with Mr. Destler and about having to lie to my dad about whom I was going with. (He would most certainly not let me go if I told him I was going alone with one of my male teachers.)
"I... don't know. What day would it be?"
"Friday next week, at six. You would go home to change directly after school, and I would pick you up at five."
His stare was starting to make me fidgety.
"I... Alright. Thank you."
I froze. I couldn't believe I'd agreed so readily, but I couldn't take my words back. I couldn't think of an excuse. My uneasiness began to grow, but then I thought: "I'm not doing anything wrong. I am not going to feel guilty about going to the opera with a perfectly nice and well-intentioned teacher when some people in my class brag about skipping class to do drugs. Lying to my dad is a necessary evil, and he really doesn't care about what I do anyway. Also, I'll probably enjoy myself very much, and I can't possibly think of becoming an opera singer without having ever seen an opera."
On my way home, I thought of what I would tell my dad.
He was sitting in his armchair, reading a newspaper, when I decided it was the perfect moment to talk to him.
"Oh, Papa?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I'm going to the opera Friday, next week."
"Really? Whom are you going with?"
"My music theory class - it's a field trip."
"Oh. How much do I have to pay?"
"Don't worry about that - the Lyric Opera sent our school free tickets."
"That's nice. Friday, next week, you said?"
"Yes."
"Well, have a good time. You've always liked opera, haven't you?"
"Yes."
He went back to reading is newspaper. I felt a little sick because of my lie, but quickly got over the feeling by eating chocolate - Professor Lupin was right.