"Teach me how to please you, Professor Baker."
Talia Baker is a professor at Jerton Community College. Her job was the only thing she had, seeing as she'd left all her friends in Jamaica and her husband preferred the bed of his secretary. She took p...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The school Talia lectured for was Jerton College, a small institution on the outskirts of Brooklyn. It's a long, two-story building with several classrooms and small, faculty areas. While she waited for her next class, she found her solace in the teachers' lounge, which happened to be a pathetic little kitchen that the other lecturer's rarely used. The Professor pulled out the chicken sandwich she bought outside and took a small bite, cringing at the taste.
"I really need to carry my own lunch to work."
She sighed and picked up her phone, deciding she needed a little socialization before her next class. Her heart sank as she scrolled past Jerome's caller ID, remembering how he used to call her every day after her first lecture. It was a little annoying, but most times, she appreciated it. How interested he was in her day and if there was anything he could do to make it a little brighter. Ignoring the sting, she found another contact on Whatsapp and a smile stretched across her lip as she dialed it-her call was immediately answered.
"Goodie! Wah gwaan gyal? Long time mi nuh hear from yuh. (Sexy! What's going on girl? I haven't heard from you in a long while.)" Her best friend, Shanika exclaimed.
Talia giggled as she stared at the video call. Shanika had been her best friend since her high school days, and one of the few friends she managed to keep from home. The brown-eyed, curvy, dark-skinned lady arched her thick, perfectly-shaped eyebrow at her, giving her a playful, disappointed look.
"I'm sorry Shan. I've been so busy these days. Dem student yah ave mi pah mi toes. (These students have me on my toes.)" She huffed.
"Di likkle kindergarten pickney dem mi ave a teach now mus worse, ah mi still call yuh from time to time.(The little kindergarten kids I'm teaching are much worse, and I still call you from time to time.) Why do I get this feeling that you're avoiding me?"
Talia froze. She didn't mean to make her feel that way, but subconsciously, that made sense. Even so, she was quick to deny it and put on a teasing grin. "Den if mi did ah avoid yuh, why mi ah call yuh now ma'am? (If I was avoiding you, why would I call you now?)"
Shanika rolled her eyes, but deep down, she had a feeling that something was wrong. "So how are things up there? Ah wah gwaan wid big farrid Jerome? (What's up with big forehead Jerome?)"
Talia frowned a bit before she shrugged. "Work is the same, but not too frustrating. Most of my students are really understanding the material. Jerome... well..."
She truly did not know what to say when it came to him. Shanika narrowed her eyes at that realization. "Talia, are you and Jerome-"
"We're fine. We're just..." She sighed. "I don't know. I just feel like things have changed these past couple of months. I have a feeling that he's not the same person sometimes."
"Have you spoken to him about it?"
"... I want to but we're both so busy these days. Him especially. He keeps pulling extra hours at the car dealership. Comes home very late, almost every night."
