Helena opened her school bag and took out her notebook and her pencil, putting them on the table. It was Monday and she had her tutorial with Barbara at her apartment. Barbara had a transparent box with candies on the table. She opened it and took one. Chocolate and mint, it tasted good. The redhead appeared with her eyeglasses and with a big book in her hand. She put the book on the table and sat down.
Helena looked at her. "Barbara, the teacher asked us to bring a person to school that can talk to us about something interesting."
"Yes, I heard you." Barbara said, opening another book.
"Could you go?"
"Me?" She was surprised and flattered by the invitation.
"You are the head of the city library and besides..." the little brunette explained.
"Besides?"
"I don't know anyone else."
Barbara raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, Hel. That's comforting."
"Could you go?"
"Let me understand," Barbara put the book down and took off her glasses "You want me to go because you need to take a person to talk about a topic and you don't know anyone else besides me?"
"Yes." Helena smiled.
Barbara sighed, that was the problem with kids sometimes. They spoke the truth.
"Please?"
"All right, all right."
"We are kids," Helena pointed out.
"I know you are kids, why?" Barbara raised her brow.
"You need a topic about your work, but..." She took another chocolate mint from the box and put it in her mouth, "I don't know what would be interesting in a library to a kid."
"Helena Kyle, maybe you don't know it but a book is the best friend of a man and a kid."
"Are you joking?" the child didn't believe a word of that.
"I surprised you once, I can surprise you twice." Barbara crossed her arms on her chest. "Tell your professor, I accept. Just tell me the day and time. Now, rules."
"Rules?" the kid asked, surprised.
"No questions about other topics while we are in class."
"Who asks questions?" The kid frowned.
"You ask questions. Many off topic questions, and that doesn't help us."
"I ask?"
"You ask. So now you must listen and learn, right?" Barbara said.
"I don't ask." Helena shook her head.
"You ask."
"No, I don't."
"You do."
"No."
"Well, the rules are simple, I'm the teacher, I speak, you are the student, you keep quiet. Got it?"
"Got it." Helena didn't understand what was all that was about.
Barbara looked at her book "According to your guide, the next topic is oxymorons."
"What is that?"
"See? You are asking."
"But I dunno what that is!"
"If you don't stop talking, I can't explain it to you. Before we even start an explanation, you open your little mouth. You need to give me the opportunity to explain before asking." Barbara pointed at her with her pen. "Now can we start?"
"Okay."
"Well, an oxymoron is a rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence or a mournful optimist."
"Uh?" Helena opened her eyes wide. That had been really confusing.
"Focus." Barbara said to her, pointing at her again with her pen.
Focus, focus Helena began to say that to herself in her mind.
"The word comes from greek oxumoron, pointedly foolish: oxus, sharp."
The kid looked at her with a stunned face still saying focus, focus to herself.
Barbara tried to do not laugh seing her expression. "A figure in which an epithet of a contrary signification is added to a word. Understand?"
Helena blinked; she had been saying "focus" to herself so much that she hadn't heard a word that Barbara had said.
"Helena?" the red head asked "Do you understand?"
"Well... oh..." the little brunette mumbled. "Can we start again?"
"What happened?"
"I'm trying to focus, but I can't say to myself 'focus' and listen to you at the same time." Helena explained, worried.
Barbara couldn't avoid a smile. "You don't need to say "focus" to yourself to pay attention,just listen to all my words without think of other things. Let's try again, okay?."
"Okay."
"An oxymoron is a rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist; in other words, oxymorons conjoin contradictory terms: home office, plastic glasses, little giants, Silent Scream, Living Dead..."
"That was a good movie." Helena remembered taking another chocolate mint from the box next to her.
"I'm not talking about movies."
"But it was."
"See? You are moving off topic again." Barbara glared at her. "Don't ask."
"That wasn't a question, I'm just telling you."
Barbara ignored her comment and wrote in Helena's notebook: 'Same Difference' 'Taped Live' "These are examples. Give me some more examples."
Helena read the words and raised her head looking at her "This oxy whatever you call it is perfectly ridiculous."
"Well, take this class as a "totalitarian democracy"." Barbara grinned. "Ok, so back to the oxymorons, please? Can you think of any?"
"I'm drawing a blank." The kid shook her head.
"That one was good."
"What did I say?"
"A good one."
"Well, this is not an easy task."
"That one was good too." Barbara took notes on blank paper.
"Uh?" Helena still didn't understand what was happening.
"Give me another one."
"Once again please, I don't understand well."
"You got it, bravo" Barbara smiled.
"Home work is nasty." Helena grumbled, about what was she talking?.
"That's enough."
"Fine mess..."
"I said that's enough, Hel. You get it."
Helena shook her head. "No. I'm almost totally lost."
"Helena Kyle, are you mocking me?" Barbara narrowed her eyes.
"This is pretty ugly." The kid scratched her head.
"Helena, stop that!" Barbara sighed.
Helena looked at her surprised. "Stop what??"
"Doing that!" The red head pointed at her with her pen.
"I'm doing nothing!"
"You did it again! Stop pretending that you don't know about what I'm talking and then spouting oxymorons at me."
"Why we don't change the topic and then problem solved?"
"God!" Barbara brushed her hair.
"What? I didn't do anything!" She still tried to understand what was bothering the redhead.
"Okay, okay..." Barbara waved her hands "Let's start again. You are intelligent, smart; but your problem is that you don't focus."
"I'm trying," the kid said.
"Pretty ugly is an oxymoron, as is problem solved, fine mess, once again... see? They are opposites."
"Oh... I get it... half full, going nowhere."
"Yes, right. Finally, you get it!" Barbara smiled and rubbed her head.
Helena kept silent a few moments while Barbara looked in the guide for the next topic.
"You always rub my head," the child said, half closing her eyes suspiciously.
"It's an affectionate gesture," Barbara answered distractedly."
"She does that too," Helena cocked her head.
"Who does what?"
"My angel rubs my head."
Barbara froze and only her eyes moved to look at the girl. She cleared her throat. "Angel?"
"My guardian angel always rubs my head like you."
"Many people "rub" heads, Helena." Barbara feigned reading the book. She never had thought she would pay so much attention to small details.
"I know but... just my mom and my angel and you rub my head," the child said.
"If you don't like me to rub your head, I will not do that again."
"It's not that, it's just that she does that too."
"Just tell me you don't want me to rub your head." Barbara tried to change the subject.
"I didn't say that," Helena protested.
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't, I said my angel does that too."
"Angels don't rub heads. Many people rub heads. You rub Jaçques' head," Barbara said.
"Well, he likes it," Helena said.
"I thought you liked it, but if you don't, I won't rub your head again."
"I like it."
"Don't worry, I understand, I will never rub your head again." Barbara moved her head and waved her hands.
"Are you annoyed?"
"I'm not annoyed. I understand that you don't like the 'rub' thing."
"I like it!" Helena said, worried, she didn't want her to feel bad, and she did like it.
"Helena, it's okay. It doesn't offend me that you don't like it, really."
"I like it, Barbara!"
"Don't lie to me." The red head knew she had her.
"I'm not lying to you." Helena was confused.
"It's okay... I understand."
"Why I should lie to you?"
"Kids sometimes lie."
"I don't lie."
"Oh come on." Barbara smirked. "I lied when I was a child, I'm sure you lie too."
"Well... just a little" Helena showed Barbara her index and her thumb close together.
"I knew it..." Barbara crossed her arms over the table. "What's your favorite lie?"
"Huh?" Helena looked at her surprised, she couldn't tell her that... or yes?
"Let me tell you mine... it was..." Barbara half-closed her eyes. "I don't have homework... yes, that was it."
The child giggled.
"Now tell me yours."
"Wasn't me..." she said.
"What?"
"'Wasn't me.' When I do stuff I shouldn't, sometimes I say "It wasn't me"."
"Good one." Inside, the red head sighed with relief, she had distracted her enough to forget about the topic of rubbing her head. She needed to be more careful next time or she would be in trouble.
"Barbara, I know you are busy, but could we have an extra class tomorrow? I have exam on Friday. And we still have a topic left."
"Yes, it would be a pleasure."
Helena took another chocolate mint. "And can I sleep over?"
"Excuse me?" Barbara was surprised by the question.
"Mom has an appointment tomorrow night," the child put another chocolate mint in her mouth, "and when she has an appointment she hires a nanny and she is grumpy with me. She sends me to sleep early and only watches boring dramas on television. She can pick me up early and take me to school."
"But do you think...?"
"I'm sure she will say yes if you ask her. If I ask, she is not going to take me seriously. She says she doesn't like to bother you."
The red head didn't know what to say.
"Please?" Helena looked her with imploring eyes.
She had work to do as Batgirl.
"I promise I'll be good. I can wash the dishes," Helena pleaded.
Well, sometimes heroes needed a free night. She smiled at the girl. "All right. I'll tell her."