7. Daria Starts Something Good

Late Tuesday Morning

Daria walked into the classroom – her classroom – and looked at all of her freshmen. One of the students in the front row even said that it was good to have her back. She responded that it was good to be back. She walked over to the digital podium and logged onto the computer. From the network she loaded a slide presentation, turned on the projector, picked up the remote control and then stepped from behind the podium to face the class.

"Good morning everyone," Daria began in her slightly loud lecture voice.

The room became quiet immediately. The novelty of having their professor back was enough that it was indeed quiet. The third of the students who usually had their noses buried in their phones even looked up and seemed ready to pay attention. This was not a moment to be wasted.

"I can't tell you how good it is to be back in this classroom," Daria stated. "I have been through many experiences over the past six weeks. Let me start by asking what anyone knows about why I was away. Who would like to take a stab at it?"

One pimply faced young man raised his hand. Daria called on him and he responded, "Weren't you away on travel?"

"No," Daria replied. She was purposely avoiding calling on 'Margie the mortician' in the middle of the room.

A girl with pink tinged hair raised her hand. Daria called on her and she said, "My mom asked me if the lady in an accident a few weeks back was one of my professors. I didn't know. I thought she said the lady died, so it couldn't be you."

"I was in an accident, but as you can see I am not dead," Daria deadpanned.

Another kid raised his hand and said, without being called on, "I know there was a bad accident six weeks ago and there was a video on the website of one of the TV channels. Somebody died. I guessed it wasn't you, since no one here said that a professor had died."

Daria advanced the slide show by one slide. It showed a still image of the accident. She told the students, "This was my crash. I was driving to campus after dropping my husband at work. A guy in an old pickup truck ran through a stop sign and broadsided me." She advanced to the next slide which showed blood on the curb. "He was drunk, high, and not wearing a seatbelt. His head hit the windshield. He was ejected from the truck. His head hit the curb and he died." She clicked on the link and a video from one of the television stations ran. It was their report of the accident.

When the video was over she advanced to the next slide. It showed her in her hospital bed in the metal neck brace. The scrapes and bruises on her face were very clearly visible, as well as her swollen nose and black eyes. She said to the students, "Here I am after being rescued with the Jaws of Life and treated by the trauma team." Daria could hear some students in the class going 'eew' or 'ick.'

The next slide showed Daria in her wheelchair with her big cast and forearm cast clearly visible. The following slide showed her in the power chair. "Now Margie, would you tell the class about our meeting each other." Margie proceeded to do just that.

When Margie was done Daria went on with her lecture, "I spent three weeks with my parents. My husband slept on a futon in the dining room they had converted into a bedroom for me. Only after I had a walking cast and could go up and down stairs was I allowed to go home." She advanced the slide and showed a short video taken on her phone. It clearly showed her having difficulty going up and down the stairs in her townhouse. It also showed her hobbling around their living room.

When it was over Daria said, "Today I stand before you healed, at least physically. I still have no memory of the accident. I still sometimes need to take something for pain in my leg or back. Now I want you each take out a sheet of paper. Put your name on it and then make a table with about 10 rows and 2 columns. Label the first column 'My Emotions' and the second column 'Her Emotions.' Then write down in the first column a list of emotions you felt while I described and showed the results of my crash. In the second column write down what you think my emotions might have been during my state in each slide. You have five minutes. When you are done take a picture of your paper and post it in the discussion section for our class on the learning management system."

The students worked on their lists for the five minutes. For the two students who did not have phones with them Daria used her phone and posted the images. Then she asked several students to share their lists. When all were complete she went on with the lecture, "The reason I had you do this is that it illustrates how images and descriptions can elicit emotions from people. You have in front of you the core of literature – eliciting an emotional response from the reader. The emotion may be interest or revulsion, empathy or sympathy, love or hate, or any one of a myriad of emotions we feel as human beings. Your assignment for next week is to write about a crash. It doesn't have to be my crash, but I will post this slideshow on the course site so that you can refer to it. You can write poetry, an essay, or a short story. In any event it must be between 1,000 and 6,000 words. You must try to elicit the emotions you wrote under the 'Her Emotions' column from the reader. Use the skills you have learned in this class. If you need reference material, then look at the bibliography I have posted. This assignment is also on the site. Since it is not on the syllabus it will replace the next exam." Just as she said this, the clock showed that the class period was up and students started reaching for their backpacks.

Daria added, "My office hours resume tomorrow. We are done here." With that she walked out of the classroom and headed for the elevator.

Daria walked into her office and sat down in her desk chair. Her computer was still running from earlier in the morning. She stared at the screen. Now Daria had her first class behind her. It felt good to be back in action. Daria took a few moments to reflect. The students in her first class had seemed genuinely glad to see her again. That made Daria happy. Things were changing in her life. She had overcome the adversity of the accident and returned to her position as a professor.

She made a mental note to ask around about a good chiropractor. Her back and neck were still having some problems. It was probably best to deal with her back and neck sooner rather than later. Who knew what effects pregnancy would have on them?

She had to admit to herself that she had some anxiety about being pregnant and starting a family. Over the years she had read so many books that included pregnancy, childbirth, and raising children. It was not like she hadn't been exposed to both the good and the bad. She could reason what was ahead and plan for it. She had Tom, her friends, and even her relatives to support her. She was not alone and she was loved. She decided that when it came time to start telling everyone about her pregnancy her first call would be to Aunt Amy.

Now back to reality. Daria needed to get ready for her next class in two hours. With so much time away there were several things she wanted to do before class.