Dr. Benjamin Linus Chapter Two
I looked at her, knowing that she wasn't fit at all to talk to my teachers. But I was so crazy about Dr. Linus, I simply couldn't resist. I walked into the room that the conferences were held in, and saw that Dr. Linus was available. I took a moment to brace myself, and then I walked to Dr. Linus' desk, pulling my mom with me. He rose to greet us.
"Joan, how wonderful it is to see you here," he said, smiling. Then he added inquisitively, "Who is this?"
"This is my mother, Isabelle; Mom, this is Dr. Linus," I said.
"Ben," Dr. Linus said, shaking my mother's hand.
"How wonderful…" my mother slurred, seeming to mentally wander off mid-sentence. We sat down awkwardly, and Dr. Linus began the conference.
"Well, Joan is a very good student, I have her grades here," he trailed off when he saw that my mom still wasn't paying attention.
"Mom," I said, rubbing her back with one hand and gesturing to Dr. Linus with the other. This shook her awake and brought her attention to the present.
"Sorry," she said.
"As I was saying," Ben continued with a concerned look on his face, "Joan is one of my best students, she's attentive, she contributes to class discussions, and her grades are an excellent reflection of that. She's wonderful, you're very lucky to have her. Do you have any questions?"
"Uh, no. That's very nice of you to say those things about Joan. Thank you," she replied.
Ben looked between my mom and me with fretful blue eyes. "Well, I guess that's it then," he rose and shook my mother's hand. Then he turned his glance to me, giving me a meaningful gaze and squeezing my hand while he shook it. I kept eye contact with him, and walked away slowly, guiding my mom to the school's front door.
In a twisted way, I had accomplished my goal. I knew I had made an impression on Dr. Linus, and I hoped he would see me in a new, more mature light.