open .dot. spotify .dot playlist/5XSaqecoW5ztpGvUUhbRsa?si=wca3OSXKTNKOClRleDFQ2w&dl_branch=1

October, all in all, seemed to be the perfect month. The first few days after their engagement didn't brought anything different: the only thing they had clear was that they didn't know exactly what they wanted, so they brainstormed while cuddling in the lazy afternoons, one day leaning towards a fall wedding the following year and the next one towards eloping two weeks from then.

Anne had a dull pang of worry at the silence from the editorials in regards to her and Kak'wet's book, but that only gave her more impulse to focus in what she could control at the moment: continuing her project and sketching the series of fairy tales she had wanted to write for so long. Patel, who she was still seeing virtually once a week, agreed to this approach and reminded her of all the options she had, regardless of the outcome the editorials gave them.

She continued chatting with Ella a couple of times through the week, slowly becoming closer with her, and discovering bits and pieces of Gilbert's life before she had reentered it. It wasn't that Ella and her had a conversation focusing on that, but it just appeared like small comments, here and there.

How he had painted the Wright's house with her over a weekend Fred was knee-deep on his residency, because he really didn't want to go back to the small apartment he had insisted he needed and wanted. How he had continued the charade of the long-distance marriage for years, because he truly didn't want to date (or even consider dating) anyone at all. How, when they had adopted Bear, he had bonded instantly with the dog, as if each understood that the other had a hard past. And how he had started transforming when she had arrived at the apartment. It wasn't that he never had fun before, or that he never laughed, it was more that there always was a weight on his shoulders, a sadness in his eyes that seemed to be moving now.

He had never been carefree, Gilbert Blythe. At least not until 2020 and the pandemic hit. Then… He wasn't carefree, but somehow, Ella told Anne, there was something in his voice that was gradually different. She noticed when they talked over the phone every other day. Struggling at first to identify exactly what it was, she discussed it with Fred, and he helped her pinpoint the overall positive sentiment she had sensed: at a time the world seemed to be going down into chaos, apparently, Gilbert was hopeful. Optimistic. Not carefree, but not looking at everything in his personal life with so much doom as he was before. Below the stress of the current situation, and the emotional and mental load he had at work at the beginning of the pandemic, there was hope.

Anne listened and commented as well on the change she had seen, from those early weeks when she had avoided him so much, until now. She couldn't picture how bad Gilbert had been, but she was determined he wouldn't go back to that state. Same as she was determined to not spiral back down her own anxiety. She knew she had changed as well, but, other than Cole and Roy's words of encouragement, she couldn't say how much was noticeable on the outside.

Usually, they spoke in the afternoons, when Ella could disentangle herself from work and Anne felt she had done enough for the day to feel good and accomplished with the advances of her project. More often than not, Fred and Gilbert arrived mid-conversation and slowly it seemed to become a habit to cook dinner over the video call as they all chatted Fred and Anne chatted and tried to think of new recipes to try (and maybe teach Gilbert and Ella), like a roasted pumpkin soup they tried a Thursday night. Amid the cooking, the guys told them small anecdotes from the hospital or really, anything from outside.

Other than going for long walks in their neighborhoods, Anne and Ella hadn't done much outside their respective homes. But, as that was the one source of live, outside entertainment, both women took to sending the other pictures of carved pumpkins, trees with the most colorful leaves and various Halloween decorations that started to pop up here and there in the days leading to the holiday.

"Come on, Gil!" Anne insisted on one of the days leading up to the holiday. He continued to look at her, a skeptical brow up.

"Anne… I haven't dressed up in about ten, eleven years. I don't even know," he said. "I'm not about to start again."

"Why not? It'll be fun! And what, don't you think you're going to dress up next year for tiny Blythe's first Halloween?" she said, smiling triumphantly at her idea. He sighed.

"You're pushing it, Carrots. That's… Blackmail or something," he said. "And we're not even going out. No kid is going to trick or treat in this building, what's the point?"

"For us to have fun, of course! Look, we can dress up and watch a movie… Eat tons of candy like we used to, I was planning on doing crafts for the website… So you could join, I just have to take pictures as I go along," she proposed.

"I'm not making any craft," he declared. He shook his head, sighing deeply as he added "Ok, you win... we can dress up. What are we watching?"

"Well, are you even asking? Hocus Pocus, of course, the classic for Halloween night!" Anne said. Gilbert frowned and motioned to reply, but apparently thought better of it and just made a gesture. "Gilbert!"

"We'll watch Hocus Pocus," he agreed. He thought for a moment. "Are we dressing up… like each our own thing?"

"No, because I know you will dress as a doctor and where's the fun in that? I'll organize it. We still have a couple of days, so I can order some stuff. You're in charge of the sweets and all the treats you can find."

And organize it she did. The next day, Thursday, she had agreed to have… pumpkin carving night with Ella and Cole. They had invited their couples, but Roy had said he would better cook something with the pumpkin than gut it, Gilbert had refused outright and Fred had laughed and said he had no skills for it, but would make soup. Ella was as taken with Cole and Roy as Fred seemed to be, and they all chatted animatedly in the late afternoon, Roy appearing once in a while to comment on the progress, chat for a bit or bring something to drink, Fred and Gilbert still at the hospital.

"Anne, you really should document what to do with all the scraps," Roy said at one time. They were almost done, each with a bowl of leftover pumpkin and more or less whimsical, artistic or traditional creations in front of them. "Don't get me wrong, I love the look of the three finished products, I just think it's a shame the amount of pumpkin that's thrown away this time of year."

"Makes sense," Anne commented, thinking. She had the outline of the how-to in her mind, but it only made sense what to do with the rest of the stuff. Considering there were families where each kid had a pumpkin and the waste just became too much, too quickly.

"Maybe roast the seeds? Fred always does that. I tried once and it was a disaster, all burnt and salty, but I'm sure yours will be perfect," Ella proposed. "And he did mention soup…"

"Soup is perfect for all this, it's not like you can present it in any nice way," Cole conceded, not lifting his eyes from where he was trying to cut out a small bit.

"Well that's a good point. Just puree the whole thing. It could also be for some muffins, you know? Or a pie?" Anne countered. "Not all pumpkins must end in soup."

"Well your pies are amazing, I'll give you that."

"And you could share the dough recipe! Fred was so amazed about how flaky it was…" Ella said. "Well, I think I'm done," she added, turning the pumpkin to see it from different angles. "Not as creative as yours, but I think a fine example of a traditional one?"

"So pretty! It's like from a story book, Ella, so perfect!" Cole admired it.

"My kids would be fans of yours," Roy said. "They were asking today why we weren't doing this. I told them there was no way I would put their parents through this ordeal while we're doing distance school and their parents are working at home and trying to keep an eye on them, but I'll give them your link, Anne, so they can choose whether they want or not over the weekend," he said, making the others laugh. "I did promise them spooky stories tomorrow and other Halloween stuff, so it's not like I'm a total killjoy."

"I think all the parents are thanking you for this," Anne mumbled. "I can imagine Diana and Jerry trying to control Marie with a sharp thing carving a pumpkin while they're on a conference call," she said. Cole laughed at the mental image.

"Well they are older than Marie," Roy said. "Ten and eleven. So probably slightly less dangerous. Still, not doing it."

"Remember their ages when you decide what to read to them," Anne said. "I don't think they're up for Lovecraft just yet, much as you enjoy that."

"Don't tell me you're reading that to kids that young?" Ella asked. Roy laughed.

"Of course not. I used to read it when I taught older kids. Nah, I'll go with light classics. They always want to know about Dracula or something and it's light enough, we're not reading the whole book just yet. In a couple of years, maybe. And Anne, one thing is that I enjoy the stuff, another thing is that I want to traumatize the kids."

"Well, better to confirm," she laughed. "I still don't understand how you're teaching primary school kids. I know you're the kindest, but it still baffles me. So out of character for you."

"I wanted a change. And they're super insightful, I love kids this age," Roy explained. "So, have you decided on the costumes?"

"Please tell us you're going with the ones from your story!" Ella said. Cole and Roy frowned.

"I am!" Anne said, smiling brightly. "Oh, I haven't told you guys, but I was thinking about dressing up as fairy Anne… with her friend Pilbert."

"Who is Pilbert?" Cole asked, trying not to laugh. "I don't remember fairy Anne having a friend named Pilbert. Just the fox"

"Oh, just wait till you hear this," Anne said, already laughing. "So, remember we went to Montreal…" she started, and told them about how Delly had told her everything about the adventures of fairy Anne and her foxy friend Pilbert, who uncle Gilby always told her about.

"You have to be kidding me!" Cole said in between laughs. Roy and Ella weren't much better. "Gilbert made up Pilbert and thought no one would notice?"

"Apparently? I still believe it had to be a running joke between Bash and Mary," Anne explained. "But anyway, so our costumes are fairy Anne, and the foxy friend Pilbert."

"And Pilbert is allowing you to dress him up as a fox?" Ella asked, still containing her laughs. "Oh, this will have to be recorded for history. I've never seen Gilbert dressed up as something more imaginative than… doctor or mad scientist, which is ridiculous. Wait until Fred hears about this."

"Well, he did agree… He's in charge of the sweets, so he better deliver," Anne snickered. "We're watching Hocus Pocus later on Halloween, and he also agreed to that."

Two days later, Gilbert sat patiently in the stool of the island Anne had directed him to. He still wasn't sure what she had in mind, but she had said nothing. He only saw the face paint she had brought, and for all he wanted, he couldn't think about anything Halloween related to orange other than a pumpkin, and he really hoped that wasn't what she had in mind. She had made him dress with just his regular clothes, only directing him to a white shirt and some terracotta pants he seldom used, and had explained she would add the details once she was done with his make up. She hadn't dressed or done anything on herself just yet: apparently it would be a surprise.

He looked at the time on the stove. After telling them about the Hocus Pocus thing, the others on the call had insisted they had to be there, apparently. He was thinking the real motive was for them to see him dressed as a pumpkin, and he wasn't looking forward to that. Anyway, they still had about two hours before the time of the agreed watch party. He wondered absentmindedly if they would also be dressed up as Anne continued smudging paint and stuff on his freshly shaven face.

"So?" he asked once she retreated a bit to look at him critically.

"Well, first step done, now let me snap a photo," she said. He had reluctantly agreed to the step-by-step thing. The website was picking up, and if this helped Anne reach her goal, so be it. She took a photo of him.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" he asked afterwards. "I'm not a pumpkin, am I?" he asked. She laughed, as if the idea was ridiculous.

"You're not a pumpkin, Gil. It's more fun than that, and you already look cute," she added. "Now, I was thinking… you know, about the wedding?"

"Yes?" he asked, interested. They hadn't spoken about the subject the past couple of days, too undecided to make any real progress.

"Well, it's just… You know how much I want to celebrate with our friends," she started, grabbing an eyeliner and directing him. "Look up, don't blink."

"Wha…." he started to ask. "You're seriously…"

"I am," she replied, smiling. "It's not much, but goes with the whole thing. It's a costume, Gil."

"Whatever you need… So, you were saying you want to celebrate with the gang and everyone?"

"Well, yes. But I get that we've been waiting for more than six months for PEI to open up, and they've just become increasingly isolated. So it's not likely they'll change anything any time soon, especially if it gets as bad as you and Fred insist."

"Well… We did start October with an average of 500 cases, take or give, which was about the peak of the first wave… And today there were more than a thousand, Anne. And that's just Ontario," he said.

"I know… Which is why I don't even see Ella, remember? I barely go outside for walks or when I can't find something online. Anyway, the chances of PEI opening any time soon are nil, which was my point."

"You're probably right about that. Even if they opened, I doubt they would agree to gatherings of the size you have in mind," Gilbert said. "We might not be the most popular people, but we do have a decent group of friends that would struggle to fit within the limits of anything that could be objectively called small," he added. Anne chuckled. "So… what were your thoughts about this? Postponing it to next year like we thought at first?"

"Well, yes and no," she said. He frowned, looking at her as she seemed to think what to do next. She looked at him again. "It's just… As much as I want to celebrate with them, what I really want is to be married to you, Gil."

"Me too, Anne-girl," he extended a hand and squeezed hers gently. "Which is why I proposed just going for it."

"Well… What I was thinking is not exactly that, but something along those lines," she explained. He frowned, looking at her curiously. "Well… I was thinking we keep the celebration and the party for next year, at some point during the fall. But we get married this year, in November or something. What really bugged me was not having Jerry with me… I mean, Cole is here, and Roy, and Fred and Ella… But Jerry is my brother and I just can't…" she tried to explain, feeling a knot form in her throat. "Damn hormones."

"I understand you want Jerry with you that day," he said gently, caressing her cheek gently. "But I'm not following, how can you have him if we marry in November?"

"Well that's what just occurred to me the other day. What if we do a small thing, just the Wrights, Roy and Cole… That's still allowed, right? Small gathering for weddings?"

"For the ceremony, at least," Gilbert confirmed. "Ten people, last I checked. Maybe we could stretch that and have a walk outside or something just afterwards."

"So we do that… And the walk…. But during the ceremony, couldn't we just… Have the gang and our other friends there? I mean virtually, but I'm sure Roy or Cole would hold the phone, and I know it's not ideal or anything, but… Apparently it's a way people have figured out to make things work the past few months? And then we celebrate once this whole thing looks better, hopefully by fall next year."

"That… could actually make sense."

"I know we're all tired of the video calls, but… It might just be the best we can get if we want to get married in the near future," Anne said as she continued doing something with a white pencil.

"And then we get to plan the party we want for whenever we want, not pressure," Gilbert agreed when she retreated.

"Yes."

"So… Do you want to set a date?" he asked tentatively. It was the closest they've been over the past week to even think about a date.

"Well... What about in a month? There's no need to rush it either, and Cole will have my head if I give him a week to plan an outfit. Even if it's just a small thing… I did promise him that, and it is our wedding," she stated. She was back to the black eyeliner, but she was doing something on his nose.

"It is. Making it small doesn't make it any less important. It's for us, in the end," Gilbert agreed. "And I have to accept I can't wait to see what he plans for you."

"Me too," she agreed smiling. "Ok, I'm done with your makeup. Now, you can't cheat. No peeking. I'm going to the bathroom and then I'll be back and finish you. You can… read or something. Give me your phone, I won't have you taking a selfie."

"Is that really necessary?" he asked. "I just wanted to check the calendar."

"I was thinking about November 20th. It's a Friday, but I know civil ceremonies are usually Monday to Friday. Roy finishes early with the kids, so they could come right after. And it has a nice ring to it. November 20th, 2020," she said.

"You're right. Ok, I'll wait here," he said, grabbing his book from the side table and resisting the urge to see if he could get any idea from the reflection of the window.

Anne went to the room and changed into the flowy green dress she had used back in the summer when she first met the Wrights and went to the bathroom to do her makeup. She added leaves and patterns framing her face, as well as some along her arms, before starting to do her hair. She had thought about different interlacing braids and went for it, adding little leaves she had gathered on the nearby trail and dried in between the pages of a book. Going back to the bedroom, she looked for the wings she had made. She would take them off once they snuggled for the movie, but she wanted at least one picture with them.

Finally, she carefully took the dried leaves crown she had made all through the afternoon the previous day and put it on carefully in front of the mirror, carefully securing it with pins. The varying shades of red, yellow and orange made her hair look even more orange than usual, but she had come to terms with it years ago and could appreciate the result.

She nodded, happy with the whole attire and went back to the bedroom to take the rest of Gilbert's costume from the same drawer: a tail, structured with an inner wire that she would attach to the back of his pants, a headband that had his new, pointy, orange and cream ears, and a spare takeaway spoon she had found on the back of a drawer, which she had painted in black and had attached the whiskers to.

"Gil?" she said. "Ok, stand up and close your eyes," she instructed before going into the living room. "Ready?"

"Yes. Is all this mystery really necessary?"

"Well, yes! For the surprise!" she replied, chuckling. What would he say once he realized she had dressed him up as Pilbert? How was it possible that he hadn't guessed yet? She went to where he was standing and carefully put on the headband. "Is that too tight? I tried to make it bigger…"

"It's fine. Is that all?" he asked.

"Not yet. Turn?" she asked. He did so, dutifully, and she attached the tail, that curled nicely around him, puffy and orange with the cream tip. "Ok, so now you can turn… Here, this is for you. And you can open your eyes now."

"Whiskers? Anne, what on earth did you dress me up as?" he asked, looking confused at what he had on his hand. Then he looked at her, blinking.

"Well, Pilbert the fox, of course!" she winked. He was still staring at her, apparently not having heard her. "Gil?"

"You look amazing, Anne. Like… truly magical," he said, still looking at all the details in her consume. "Can I kiss you, or will I mess this whole thing?"

"You can, silly," she replied, smiling. She winked at him. "I tried to make kiss-proof makeup as much as I could," she added, making him laugh. He held her softly and kissed her lightly.

"My fairy Anne," he whispered with tenderness, and then something clicked in his mind. "Wait. You said Pilbert? You dressed me as a fox?"

"As a very friendly fox, who is fairy Anne's friend," she replied, smiling. He laughed again, shaking his head, not quite believing he was dressed up as a forest animal. "Come, I want you to see it. The whole thing is pretty amazing," she said, taking his hand and leading him to the full length mirror of the bedroom.

The watch party, messy as it was at first because they had never done it before, managed to take their minds from the high number of cases (above a thousand, as Gilbert had mentioned earlier) and they all had the best fun. Fred had given Gilbert a look before dissolving in a fit of laughter that he had struggled to contain all through the movie, suddenly erupting in giggles and taking Cole, who had had the same reaction, with him. Roy would shake his head, chuckling, and Ella would comment something about Anne being her hero- she had never imagined Gilbert actually dressing up as something.

They were all in more or less elaborate costumes. Roy had decided to be a vampire while Cole had impersonated Van Gogh, going as far as attaching some bandage over his ear. Ella had decided to go for a classic, a witch she had personified with the same care she put into everything. Fred had appeared as a detective, a Sherlock Holmes of sorts, something that had lasted approximately thirty seconds, until he had left the notebook and magnifying glass on the table, the hat on top of that and took off the trenchcoat. Gilbert, still in full fox attire, had sent him murderous looks out of the treason of getting out so easily.

As Hocus Pocus was something akin to a comfort movie for most of them (and known by the others), they didn't watch it with the care they would have if it was new, but instead commented on it and anticipated their favorite parts, discussing the characters and, all in all, enjoying the evening. At some point, Ella had got up to tend to the door, as a few kids were trick or treating, and came back, removing her mask as she came into view, leaving the bowl of candy intended for the kids in a side table with the thongs she was using to put them in the bags.

Even if they weren't quite in the same space, the night felt cozy and convivial, and left all of them in good spirits, especially once Anne and Gilbert shared the rough plans for the wedding. They explained they weren't completely sure on the date, but that they did intend to marry in November. Cole was excited about finally being able to start with the dress. They asked not to share it yet with the rest of the gang, at least until they had more information about the date and the regulations, but that didn't dampen the mood at all.

The shift to November was silent and seamless. Many trees were still sporting the colorful leaves of the fall, the weather was still cold but not freezing and it seemed the snow still had a few weeks before coming. Gilbert had started wearing a thicker woollen coat over his regular outfit before going out in any case, giving Anne a kiss before leaving for the hospital.

The classes he had been giving since the start of the school semester had picked up and he had finally found a good rhythm, his students participative and eager, and somehow managing to teach him something every day. He had always known he wanted to be a teacher, but the first couple of weeks he had given any lectures had made him doubt himself: it was way harder than he could have anticipated. Fred had taken to sneaking quietly to the end row from time to time, and it had been him who had taken him aside, around the time the whole business with Winifred happened, and had assured him he had it in him to teach if he only believed in himself.

Now, he could see it too, and he was glad of it. Sharing what he knew, researching for each lecture, he felt he was learning more than ever. He was looking forward to continuing this, and maybe even taking in more classes if it came to that. For all he loved practicing medicine, teaching and research went hand in hand and he could see himself going down that path as well. For now, though, he concentrated on the lecture he was giving about the lab they were going to do the following lesson. He was wrapping up and, as usual at the end of the class, he asked whether there were any questions.

"Well, there's one, dr. Blythe", Fred's voice came from the back. When he had entered and taken a seat, Gilbert had actually no idea, but he didn't recall him being sitting there last he had seen that corner. It had been weeks since the last time he had been there. All the students, recognizing the voice as from someone who clearly wasn't from the group, turned to look at him. The teasing on his voice was unmistakable and Gilbert only could wonder what was going on inside his mind.

"Yes, dr. Wright?" he asked, his voice resigned to the fact that Fred clearly had something under his sleeve and he would have to go with it, hoping for the best.

"Have you told your students about your first day in an anatomy lab?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. All the students' eyes shoot from Fred to Gilbert, who was shooting him a nasty look and hastily changed to one of indifference as the students turned back to him.

"I have not," he replied calmly, "as it has no impact on their learning experience."

"Oh, but that's where we differ, dr. Blythe," Fred said, smiling broadly. "I think it would show your students just how much…" he seemed to think for a moment, the students' eyes back on him, "like them, you are. Don't you think so?" The question was broad, directed to the group, and not really to Gilbert. They nodded, turning their heads back to their professor. "See?" Gilbert sighed, not quite wanting to relive the experience with them. He leaned back against the desk, crossing his arms as he thought, feeling the eyes on him.

"Ok. So… It simply didn't go like I was expecting, and then I had to deal with dr. Wright being as nosy as you see he can be," he explained, not wanting to go into details.

"Blythe, really? That's all you're going to say?" Fred asked.

"Maybe you want to come here and tell the story," Gilbert replied to him. He had no interest about telling it himself, that much he had clear.

"You know if I do, it won't be on your terms," Fred teased. Gilbert shrugged, making a gesture. Fred laughed, walking over there. "Well, you have dignified dr. Blythe here, but in appearance some ten years younger. Or well, maybe less. After all, he has rejuvenated this past year," Fred explained, making Gilbert roll his eyes. "We happened to be roommates then. By chance, since we hadn't met before starting the classes, but roommates all the same. The whole morning, before going to the lab, he had been muttering something under his breath… He's as nerdy as you can imagine, and maybe even a bit more, and I was convinced he was just drilling himself with the step-by-step of the lab we were going to do and everything our professor had told us. Probably along the same lines of what I imagine dr. Blythe told you before you all went down the first time?"

Some students shrugged.

"You can't possibly tell me you forgot your first day already?" Gilbert asked, frowning. He knew that, for most doctors (or doctors to-be), the first day in front of a donated dead body to dissect and learn was something unforgettable that marked them for years to come. There was a general rustling and shaking of heads and he nodded. "Ok. You were starting to worry me."

"Anyway, I thought Blythe here was reciting everything to himself. I knew by then he had already learnt the thing by heart, because that's what he did instead of sleeping, and so I was surprised when we got to the lab, paired up with another couple of unsuspecting students… and he was suddenly pale as a ghost."

"You, dr. Blythe?" some student asked, confused.

"Yes," Gilbert acquiesced. Fred rolled his eyes.

"See? This is why I think you should tell them this stuff. They see you all grand and poised and serious like you know all about life," Fred said, making Gilbert scoff, because he knew as well as his friend he was lost most days, and the one thing he knew with any certainty was Anne, "and they have no idea you were more terrified than they were on the first day of lab."

"Why were you scared, professor?" some other student asked.

"I had a hard time seeing dead people," Gilbert explained.

"And he didn't think of telling anyone about that. Not the professor, not the roommate, not the best friend, not the person he studied with… wait, those three were me," Fred said, the students' laughter erupting in the room as Gilbert shot him another nasty look. "So yes, he didn't tell anyone. And there he was, all pale, about to throw up his breakfast, ignoring the rest of the group when we asked if he was alright… and the professor finally notices him and comes to where we are, not having even started with the lab."

"The thing you have to understand is that, as I told you back in September, it is normal to have all sorts of reactions when meeting a dead body," Gilbert explained in a friendly tone, trying somehow to put some distance with the whole story and back to the students' experience. "It doesn't matter that the person donated it for science, that you don't even know their name, that it's as abstract as it can be. It was a person, and it is a shock to see them in any circumstance. We're all only humans, after all, and while we study with these bodies, they are still one of us, they're still people and it can, and should, be upsetting up to some point. When we dissect them, we're cutting a fellow human. It's not supposed to be easy, but I hadn't thought up to that point it would be so hard either."

"So there we were, all solemn and respectful and queasy new anatomy students, none willing to be the first to attempt any sort of incision out of fear of doing it wrongly, and the professor comes to see what's our problem… All the other teams were on it by then, you see, but while three of us were trying to understand what we were supposed to do, dr. Blythe here was still mumbling to himself while he ignored us. So dr… was that dr. Harrison, Blythe?"

"Dr. Danaher," Gilbert corrected.

"Dr. Danaher. So, it was this imposing man. Early sixties, or so it seemed to us, bushy beard and as stern as you can imagine… We would learn later he was more or less kind hearted, but he was a ruthless teacher and barely went into details. So dr. Danaher goes and asks Blythe to repeat whatever he's saying," Fred said. "Dr. Blythe here looks at him, clearly not wanting to, and dr. Danaher insists, and Blythe makes up something about the lab we were doing in theory… And Danaher corrects him, and tells him to repeat what he had been mumbling before," he continued. "Blythe here finally says it, everyone's eyes on him by then. What was it that you were reciting? Emerson?"

"Thoreau," Gilbert corrected, rubbing his eyes as his brow furrowed, trying not to look at the students.

"Well, dr. Blyther here was trying to keep his wits by reciting Thoreau. He was reciting poetry , and here we were thinking he was going over and over the lab prep. So he repeats whatever it was to dr. Danaher, and the doctor actually corrects him in a word and then tells him, now he has the correct verse, he can go and do what he came to do, and learn a little bit more about the body and less about the arts," Fred finished, not able to contain his smile and the twinkle in his eyes as Gilbert's hand shot to his nape. "There's a place and a time for everything, he said, and that day the topic was the sternon, not… Walden or whatever it was."

The students looked at Gilbert, who had strived to be an approachable teacher since the beginning of the term, like they couldn't believe that. Some were trying to control laughs, some others were looking at Gilbert with shocked faces. He was always so collected, so calm and to the point, no nonsense about him and certainly nothing that seemed to point at an interest in literature, of all things. By then he was sitting on the table, Fred next to him, and he sighed.

"It wasn't poetry. It was prose. Just to clarify. What dr. Wright here is trying to say, I believe, is that even if you now see me kind of calm and collected it wasn't always this way. I was just as nervous as you were the first day, I screwed up as much as you all have done so far, and even more since I have more years of study under my belt than you have, two months into your studies. But the important thing is to keep going, to keep trying, and to learn about yourselves."

"Also, to not forget about yourselves," Fred added.

"That as well. You have plenty of hard years ahead with poor sleep and long nights, and experiences so hard you can't picture them now. You have no idea of what you're getting yourselves into. I know none of us did, back in first year," Gilbert said. "But we had clear goals and we managed to stick to them. And we didn't forget about what made us feel alive and actually enjoy life."

"Which for Blythe, as you can see, was old literature. But you don't have to be like him. You can just keep doing whatever fills you and helps you make sense of things and enjoy life, and that will be good enough so long as you don't forget it," Fred added, at least not saying anything else about how he had been working on autopilot those first few years while he managed to regain some footing. He looked at his watch. "Lunch? I actually came to fetch you," he said to Gilbert. He nodded.

"I'll see you next week. If you have questions, you know where to find me," Gilbert told the class, dismissing the students and jumping off the desk. "Anne actually sent you banana bread, and some more for you to bring to Ella."