For both Liza and Annie, the week that led up to their vacation
seemed endless. Liza proctored her finals on Tuesday, counting her
blessings that the administration had scheduled both her classes' exams for
the same day. She spent most of Wednesday at MIT, grading her finals and
holding a few individual meetings with students. By the end of the day,
she still had half of her Basics exams to grade, so she resigned herself to
going in again on Thursday and finishing the task.
"Want me to go with you?" Annie offered after Liza had spent most of dinner venting about having to go back and finish the next day. "I don't have any students on Thursday."
"What for?" Liza asked absently, and Annie stifled a laugh. Liza was obviously committed to being miserable for the evening, but Annie wouldn't have it. Not when they were just days away from vacation!
"To help you with getting your grades in," Annie said. "I mean, I know I can't grade the exams.unless you want me to use the stair method."
"The stair method?" Liza asked confusedly, finally looking up from her chicken stir fry.
Annie laughed. "You know, toss the exams down the stairs and give the best grades to the students whose papers fall the farthest."
In spite of herself, Liza burst out laughing. "Never thought of that method," she said. "But I don't think the department chair would approve. Nice thought, though."
Annie shrugged, pretending to be disappointed. "Well, then I can at least help you enter the grades into the system. It would save you a few minutes at least. And it would provide you with some scintillating company."
"Okay," Liza said. She tried her best to look indifferent, but she was happy to have Annie along.
So the next morning Annie and Liza boarded the 69 bus, having decided to save the gas and mileage in the car for the trip. They spent the entire morning in Liza's office at MIT. Annie made herself useful entering grades into the MIT computer system and corrected true-false questions, as Liza read essays and laughed at Annie's reactions to the work her students were doing.
"Uh-oh, this student got a question wrong in illuminance AND thermal. something. That's got to be bad news."
"Annie, Annie, Annie," Liza laughed, patting her partner's head like she was a puppy. "Stick to opera, okay?"
"If you'd prefer, I can leave and you can spend all day doing this instead of just half the day," Annie suggested. She stood up indignantly and picked up her purse, pretending that she was going to leave.
"Okay, okay!" Liza cried, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down. "I promise, I won't make fun of you any more!"
"Help!" Annie cried, in her best soprano-in-distress voice. "I'm being held against my will!"
A knock on the door stopped them both cold, as a meek-looking freshman in a low ponytail and tortoiseshell glasses entered the room. "Is this a bad time?" the girl asked.
"Not at all," Liza answered professionally, in an attempt to recover her dignity. She let go of Annie's arm and picked up a pencil, as though trying to convince the girl that she had been correcting all along. Annie turned away and returned to her correcting, trying not to laugh out loud.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, dear," Liza said. An audible giggle came from Annie's direction, and Liza abandoned all attempts at professionalism as she reached over and swatted her partner.
"Did you see that?!?" Annie shrieked at the girl, laughing.
Liza rolled her eyes, but beneath her blush was an amused grin. Why should I try to pretend that only the kids are allowed to have fun? "Annie, this is Tabitha Richards. Tabbi, this is Annie Kenyon."
"Pleased to meet you," Annie said, shaking Tabbi's hand.
"Now," Liza said, pulling out a chair for Tabbi, "what can I do for you today? Apart from setting a terrible example, that is."
"I just wanted to know if I passed," Tabbi smiled.
"Um." Liza flipped through corrected papers and pulled one out. She handed it to Tabbi with a grin. "With flying colors, m'dear."
Tabbi looked at the paper and squealed. "A 91! I got a 91! Oh my God, I studied so hard for this, my mom is going to be so happy!" She leapt up and threw her arms around her teacher, who returned the gesture with a proud smile. Tabbi straightened and shook Annie's hand before practically skipping out.
"She was really worried about this test," Liza said proudly after she left.
"Well, at least now she'll have other news for her friends than what a kid her teacher is," Annie said.
"Oh God." Liza blushed. Annie burst out laughing.
"It's your fault!" she cried. "You're the one that grabbed me!"
"Well you tried to abandon me!"
"Okay," Annie said through tears of laughter, "Who's the bigger kid, you or me?"
"I think it's a tie," Liza sighed with a smile. "Just finish the questions, will ya? Before someone else comes in and sees us laughing like hyenas?"
In spite of occasional bursts of laughter from one which started the other going again, Liza and Annie finished by noon. They walked to Kendall Square and had lunch, and it was such a nice day that they walked the rest of the way home, up the narrow cross-street that came out by the chicken store. Every few blocks Annie would giggle and poke Liza in the side, or Liza would pull Annie's hair, and both grown women would burst into giggles again.
They spent the afternoon pulling out everything they'd need for their trip. It was Liza's idea - she wanted to know what they needed to buy before she tried to pack and realized that they didn't have something. They ended up with a relatively short shopping list -groceries, sunscreen, bug spray, one extra sheet set - and Liza ended up with a small bruise that was her reward for throwing a beach blanket over Annie's head.
"At least it wasn't you," she said, rubbing her arm. "If I injured you they might have to cancel the show, and then where would we be?"
"Want me to go with you?" Annie offered after Liza had spent most of dinner venting about having to go back and finish the next day. "I don't have any students on Thursday."
"What for?" Liza asked absently, and Annie stifled a laugh. Liza was obviously committed to being miserable for the evening, but Annie wouldn't have it. Not when they were just days away from vacation!
"To help you with getting your grades in," Annie said. "I mean, I know I can't grade the exams.unless you want me to use the stair method."
"The stair method?" Liza asked confusedly, finally looking up from her chicken stir fry.
Annie laughed. "You know, toss the exams down the stairs and give the best grades to the students whose papers fall the farthest."
In spite of herself, Liza burst out laughing. "Never thought of that method," she said. "But I don't think the department chair would approve. Nice thought, though."
Annie shrugged, pretending to be disappointed. "Well, then I can at least help you enter the grades into the system. It would save you a few minutes at least. And it would provide you with some scintillating company."
"Okay," Liza said. She tried her best to look indifferent, but she was happy to have Annie along.
So the next morning Annie and Liza boarded the 69 bus, having decided to save the gas and mileage in the car for the trip. They spent the entire morning in Liza's office at MIT. Annie made herself useful entering grades into the MIT computer system and corrected true-false questions, as Liza read essays and laughed at Annie's reactions to the work her students were doing.
"Uh-oh, this student got a question wrong in illuminance AND thermal. something. That's got to be bad news."
"Annie, Annie, Annie," Liza laughed, patting her partner's head like she was a puppy. "Stick to opera, okay?"
"If you'd prefer, I can leave and you can spend all day doing this instead of just half the day," Annie suggested. She stood up indignantly and picked up her purse, pretending that she was going to leave.
"Okay, okay!" Liza cried, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down. "I promise, I won't make fun of you any more!"
"Help!" Annie cried, in her best soprano-in-distress voice. "I'm being held against my will!"
A knock on the door stopped them both cold, as a meek-looking freshman in a low ponytail and tortoiseshell glasses entered the room. "Is this a bad time?" the girl asked.
"Not at all," Liza answered professionally, in an attempt to recover her dignity. She let go of Annie's arm and picked up a pencil, as though trying to convince the girl that she had been correcting all along. Annie turned away and returned to her correcting, trying not to laugh out loud.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, dear," Liza said. An audible giggle came from Annie's direction, and Liza abandoned all attempts at professionalism as she reached over and swatted her partner.
"Did you see that?!?" Annie shrieked at the girl, laughing.
Liza rolled her eyes, but beneath her blush was an amused grin. Why should I try to pretend that only the kids are allowed to have fun? "Annie, this is Tabitha Richards. Tabbi, this is Annie Kenyon."
"Pleased to meet you," Annie said, shaking Tabbi's hand.
"Now," Liza said, pulling out a chair for Tabbi, "what can I do for you today? Apart from setting a terrible example, that is."
"I just wanted to know if I passed," Tabbi smiled.
"Um." Liza flipped through corrected papers and pulled one out. She handed it to Tabbi with a grin. "With flying colors, m'dear."
Tabbi looked at the paper and squealed. "A 91! I got a 91! Oh my God, I studied so hard for this, my mom is going to be so happy!" She leapt up and threw her arms around her teacher, who returned the gesture with a proud smile. Tabbi straightened and shook Annie's hand before practically skipping out.
"She was really worried about this test," Liza said proudly after she left.
"Well, at least now she'll have other news for her friends than what a kid her teacher is," Annie said.
"Oh God." Liza blushed. Annie burst out laughing.
"It's your fault!" she cried. "You're the one that grabbed me!"
"Well you tried to abandon me!"
"Okay," Annie said through tears of laughter, "Who's the bigger kid, you or me?"
"I think it's a tie," Liza sighed with a smile. "Just finish the questions, will ya? Before someone else comes in and sees us laughing like hyenas?"
In spite of occasional bursts of laughter from one which started the other going again, Liza and Annie finished by noon. They walked to Kendall Square and had lunch, and it was such a nice day that they walked the rest of the way home, up the narrow cross-street that came out by the chicken store. Every few blocks Annie would giggle and poke Liza in the side, or Liza would pull Annie's hair, and both grown women would burst into giggles again.
They spent the afternoon pulling out everything they'd need for their trip. It was Liza's idea - she wanted to know what they needed to buy before she tried to pack and realized that they didn't have something. They ended up with a relatively short shopping list -groceries, sunscreen, bug spray, one extra sheet set - and Liza ended up with a small bruise that was her reward for throwing a beach blanket over Annie's head.
"At least it wasn't you," she said, rubbing her arm. "If I injured you they might have to cancel the show, and then where would we be?"