Chapter 2 – In A Class By Himself

I was standing in front of the parochial school of Meppel. Its tall tower, striking wheel windows, and smooth beige walls were a sight for sore eyes, and stood out from the brick buildings that comprised most of Meppel. Time had been very kind to the school's wonderful architecture: it looked just as pure and polished as it did a dozen years.

I could see the school principal standing in front of the door. The tall, gray-haired man was looking at me, with his arms crossed, and tapping his feet. He knew that I was late, and he definitely was not happy about it.

I had no wishes to keep him waiting any longer, so I approached him, and before I could even utter a word, the principal quickly pointed out my failure to arrive on time.

"Jacob Alexander Watfen, your pupils and I were expecting you a while ago," said the principal. "Do you mind explaining your lack of punctuality on this particular day?"

The principal was clearly frowning: his face and demeanor exuded authority, and he was the kind of person that expected excellence from the school faculty. I highly respected the man, so I was just as disappointed as he was. Without hesitation, I quickly responded to him.

"Sir, please accept my humble apologies. I crossed paths with a young girl who offered me a gift of gratitude that truly touched me," I said as I showed to the principal the doll that the girl on the street gave to me earlier.

The principal looked in awe at the doll. He clearly understood the reason for my delay.

"My, I hardly knew that our future generation had such a knack for crafting such wonderful objects," said the principal. "Tell me, was it a Darcsen that offered you this doll?"

"Yes," I replied.

"I am not surprised: you have done an awful lot for the people of Meppel, including those who face undeserved persecution on a daily basis. I am just glad we have people like you in our great community," said the principal.

"Sir, may I ask you why you said 'on this particular day' when I approached you?" I said.

The principal was still looking at the doll. I had to remind him of my presence.

"Sir?" I said.

"Hmm? Oh right!" said the principal. "Well, we just received an important guest who came all the way from Randgriz yesterday night. We had to make some special preparations here and there to ensure that our guest feels at home."

I was surprised by what he just said. Why would someone from our great capital take interest in our humble abode? And what was so important about that guest? I had to see this for myself.

"I do not wish to keep my pupils waiting," I told the principal. "I shall head to class right away."

The principal nodded. "You may do that," he said. "But I would like you to meet our guest after you are done with your class. She seems rather friendly, so I thought the faculty and I would like to organize a reception for her tonight. You should consider joining in."

"Yes, sir," I replied.

So I rushed to class, hoping that my pupils did not grow bored of having to wait for me. They were fine children who were eager to learn about the Valkyrur, and I was more than happy to sate their mental appetite.

Before stepping into class, I adjusted my collar and put the doll in my pocket so that my pupils will not be distracted by the object. Being a rather shy person, I took a deep breath before grabbing the doorknob and opening the door. I stepped into class and was greeted by my pupils who cheered my arrival.

"Father Watfen, we were getting worried!" said one pupil.

"We thought you would not make it to class," said another pupil.

I put my belongings on my wooden desk before addressing the class.

"Calm down, children, calm down," I said to the class while displaying a smile. "I just suffered a minor delay. There is no need for you to worry."

Suddenly, someone caught my attention: a woman was sitting in the front row of the classroom. I never saw an adult attend one of my classes. I could not help but ask her who she was and what she was doing in my class.

"I apologize, but who are you?" I asked the woman.

The young and formally dressed woman closed her eyes and cleared her throat before opening her eyes again, revealing her striking blue irises that looked like they were visibly refracting light. It was as if I was looking at a pair of sapphires.

The woman was about to talk, so I shifted my attention to what she was going to say.

"No, I should apologize," said the woman in her mellow voice. "I should have introduced myself earlier when you entered the classroom. My name is Charlotte, Charlotte Dujour. I arrived in Meppel yesterday night."

Yesterday night? So she was the important guest the principal was talking about earlier! She clearly looked important, with her finely combed brown hair and shiny jewelry giving her the appearance of an aristocrat.

Knowing that I had to make her feel at home, I responded to her in a courteous manner.

"Please, make yourself comfortable, Ms. Dujour. We are about to start class and I would hate to keep you and my pupils waiting," I said to her.

"Oh please, do not mind me!" she said as she lightly chuckled.

The woman clearly looked a bit embarrassed. I was just being polite, though I sounded chivalrous to her. If my goal was to make her feel at home, then I definitely overdid it a little bit.

In any case, I had to start class with one of the school's most sacred traditions: the class prayer. So I kindly asked everyone in the classroom, including Ms. Dujour, to put their hands together and bow their heads in preparation for the Valkyrur's Prayer:

Dear Divine Valkyrias,

Thank you for today.

Thank you for ways in which you provide for us all. For Your protection and love we thank you.

Help us to focus our hearts and minds now on what we are about to learn.

Inspire us by Your Holy Spirits as we listen and write.

Guide us by your eternal light as we discover more about the world around us.

We ask all this in the name of the Valkyrur.

Amen.

As I ended the prayer, the class looked at me in awe. To my pupils I seemed like a loving father figure who would not hesitate to come to their aid. Those poor souls who lost their parents during the two previous wars that ravaged our great nation needed some kind of moral guidance, which was why I felt guilty for not arriving on time on this particular day.

Ms. Dujour was looking at me with a confident smile, the same one I gave to the young girl on the street earlier that day. It seemed like Ms. Dujour and I had a lot in common. But I had to cast such thoughts aside as I needed to start the lecture.

"Alright, children. That will be everything for today," I said when the lecture was done. "Tomorrow, we will cover the Darcsen Calamity. For homework, please make sure you read chapters 5 and 6 of 'The Valkyria Theory'".

I suddenly started to hear whines in the classroom. Were the pupils complaining about the work I just assigned them?

"Please, Father Watfen! We want to learn more!" said one pupil.

"Yes, Father Watfen! Let us cover the Darcsen Calamity now!" said another pupil.

I felt relieved after hearing what they just said. It meant that I was doing my job properly. But I certainly understood their concerns. After all, I did arrive late in class and we did not have enough time to cover the material thoroughly.

"Come now, children. You will have plenty of time tomorrow to learn about the Darcsen Calamity," I told them. "I promise that we will have extra class time tomorrow to make up for today's shorter class session."

The pupils stopped whining and calmly packed away their notebooks and pencil cases before leaving the classroom. Everyone left except Ms. Dujour who was waiting for me by the door. I knew she wanted to talk to me, so I grabbed my belongings and approached Ms. Dujour to hear what she had to say.

"I really enjoyed your class, Father Watfen," she said. "I am especially impressed with the way you charismatically explained the tenets of life that were laid down by the Valkyrur."

Upon hearing her compliments, I started to blush a little bit and wondered if she was returning the favor: now I was the one feeling a little embarrassed! I realized that we had much more in common than I previously thought.

"Thank you very much for your kind compliments." I replied. "In all honesty I was just trying to live up to the legacy my father left."

"Your father?" said Ms. Dujour with a hint of curiosity in her words. Before she could utter another word, our conversation was cut short by the principal who came behind me and patted me on the back. He caught me by surprise and I thought he would chastise me once more.

"Well, my dear Watfen, are we having fun with Ms. Dujour?" said the principal as he lightly chuckled.

I suddenly found myself in a bind: I had to quickly respond to the principal for fear of appearing like an idiot in front of Ms. Dujour, but I could not offer him an asinine answer. My shyness was getting the better of me and my heart started to beat incessantly. What should I do?

"There is no reason for concern, Mr. Friley," said Ms. Dujour. "I was simply complimenting Father Watfen for his peerless performance as a school pastor. I must say, he easily in a class by himself!"

"Really?" said the principal. "So our good friend here truly has potential! I bet your father is singing your praises right now, Watfen."

I started to feel stressed. I could feel sweat dripping down my neck, but I could not remain silent for long. I had to get away from Ms. Dujour and the principal, or else I would faint.

"Ms. Dujour, Principal Friley, I greatly appreciate your presence, but unfortunately I need to leave as I have a few errands to run." I told them. "Have a good day, and may the Valkyrur bless you!"

Before I could so much as step away from them, the principal lightly grabbed my arm.

"Now, now, Watfen. Did you already forget about the evening reception we had planned for Ms. Dujour?" said the principal.

"The reception!" I said. "I...I had completely forgotten about it, sir. I apologize for my ignorance."

Ms. Dujour started to titter. I suddenly felt ashamed for making a fool of myself in front of her, and lowered my head in shame.

"Father Watfen, you should not be so apologetic." she said. "We were just teasing you! You are too immersed by your work."

"Precisely," said the principal. "Perhaps spending some time with the faculty and Ms. Dujour will help you relax a little bit, my dear Watfen. After all, you do deserve to have some fun!"

I could not refute their arguments. They were right: I was so intent on honoring my father's legacy that I deprived myself of any form of entertainment. I was a pastor, sure, but I was also a human being, and human beings could not be enslaved by the work they are doing.

"Alright then," said the principal. "I am looking forward to seeing you at the reception. It would be a real shame if you deprived our dear guest of your presence."

The principal let go of my hand and I subsequently left the premises. Once more I was reminded of the fact that I could not let my close ones down, including Ms. Dujour. So I decided to attend the evening reception after much hesitation. One night off surely would not kill me, right?