PROFESSOR IVANOV POV
Anya packed me the last two cinnamon rolls so I could warm them in my office when I arrived at 6 on Thursday morning. We have been rationing how many we eat per day to savor the delectable treats, even though Callie assured us her Mama has more she is working to make right now.
Dinner with Mike and Gracie was... well, it happened. It is difficult to be the father of 4 such different sons. My boys may look the same, aside from differences in musculature and hair style, but the similarities end there. Gracie was not a bad girl, overall, but I was hopeful our Mikhail would move on to someone that could be a strong partner for him in the future.
We had another faculty meeting at seven and I wanted to tackle emails before dealing with my coworkers. They frequently complain about students lack of attention or how often some skip class while my focus is on the ones that choose to be present.
Meetings are my least favorite part of my job.
I had one message from Callie with an outline of how the study session went. She noted a group of students, including Nik, worked together to get research done for a new linguistics project I assigned which was a relief. I was more than a little surprised he did not spend the entire session flirting with my Teaching Assistant.
I know my son has a crush on Callie.
More than one of them do, to be fair.
My Anya made the point that Callie would be a wonderful daughter in law but we had our suspicions which son would be the best fit.
I noticed a message from Valentin in my personal inbox from late last night and smirked, aware that he was at the session as well and curious how that went from his perspective. Val has always been the quietest of my boys. He started his own tech firm around a year and a half ago after working in the public sector for a few years and has been wildly successful.
Anya and I always knew he had the bravery to take such huge steps in his professional life. Hopefully one day he takes the same type of risks in his personal life.
"Morning, Papa,
Hope your meetings go well today. It was great to watch Callie in action last night as she helped your students. I can see how beneficial it is to have her in your corner, working alongside so your job is more streamline.
Would it be okay if she joined us again on Saturday for family dinner? Not as my date, I know she has a lot going on so don't want to stress her out, but just to hang out and enjoy her company. If not then that's no problem but wanted to run it by you and Mama to see what you think. I can give her a ride and hope to build a friendship with her now that I can see clearly how genuine she is.
We all need someone like Callie in our lives, right?
Let me know and I'll plan on stopping by Thursday around lunch for a few. Love you!"
I chuckled to myself and grabbed my phone, calling Anya while enjoying my breakfast.
"Is everything okay, my love?" her sweet voice asked with a tinge of concern as she answered the call.
"Yes, Anya. Just wanted to let you know Val requested we invite Callie this week for dinner."
She laughed, a sound I craved each day, and let out a happy sigh. "I'm so glad he was happy to have her there. He's had a hard time since his engagement ended so hopefully their friendship helps him see not every woman will try to force him to end his dreams."
