Meeting The Hero (Miroslav Klose

Meeting The Hero

Rachel Kramer is giving a bunch of thirteen year olds a lecture about how photosynthesis in plants is essential to human survival at a Munich Secondary School. The children are bored out of their minds but Rachel cannot do anything to ease their boredom because they have to finish the syllabus in three weeks. The summer sun is mocking everyone because they would rather be playing football in the heat than sit in a stuffy classroom for two hours of Biology.

The bell rings and it is like music to everyone's ears. The children rush out of class and Rachel is left alone to place chairs back in their places, changing the powerpoints to start two new hours of Biology for the Year 12s. She is humming to a new Robbie Williams song when her mobile phone starts vibrating against the teacher's desk. When she sees that it's her brother who's calling, she smiles and answers. "Hello Christoph. It's nice hearing you again."

"Morning Rachel. Listen, you know that footballer that you fancy, what's his name, Miroslav Klose?"

"Christoph, what did you do?"

"Nothing. Just told him that I had a sister who's a Biology teacher. He replied that he's looking forward to meeting you. I haven't shown him any pictures, honest!"

"Thanks Christoph," she replies sarcastically. "Hey I've got to go, Year 12s are next. Good luck for that game against Schalke. Just don't score another own goal like the one against Dortmund. I don't want to have another heart attack."

"Oh shut up Rachel. You know I was confused!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night dear. See you."

The Year 12s start pouring into the class and it takes quite a while for them to get settled. After that, Rachel starts her routine attendance check and goes through the powerpoint on the Central Nervous System with the teenagers. About thirty minutes after she starts, there is a knock on the classroom door and Miroslav Klose steps in the class. The girls start swooning, the boys start cheering and Rachel just stands there, motionless and expressionless. "I'm sorry to disturb you but where can I find Ms. Rachel Kramer?" he asks.

"I'm Rachel Kramer. It's a pleasure to have you in my class Mr. Klose."

"Is this Biology?" She nods sheepily. "Is it ok if I join in too? I've always loved Biology."

"Sure you can, if it's not a problem. There's an empty desk at the back if you'd like to take a seat." The footballer walks to the back and settles into the chair. Rachel settles the children again and continues her lesson.

Miroslav notices the way she writes on the board. She is left handed and her handwriting is rather sloppy but is legible to the teenagers as they furiously write down notes. Miroslav thinks he should too so he asks the person next to him for a pen and paper and starts writing the notes on the board. As he takes brief glances at the board, he observes her clothing. A simple red tee-shirt, blue jeans and white trainers. Bayern Munich colours, he thinks. Maybe she's a supporter, despite her brother playing for Moenchengladbach. He notices that she is more beautiful than her brother had described her. She has dark brown hair and the ends are dip-dyed in yellow and has eyes the colour of sapphires. Her lips are coated in pink lip-gloss and has a good figure in general. For the physical side, she is Miroslav's type of woman. He even takes a liking to the black glasses on her nose.

By the time she finishes on the powerpoint and notes, she gives the Year 12s a break to chat amongst each other. Some of the children ask Miroslav for autographs but Rachel stays back and resists the urge to fangirl in front of her hero. She invites Miroslav to join in on the interactive quiz about the topic they had just finished discussing and he accepts.

"Where are the cell bodies of the neurones located?" she asks Miroslav's team.

"In the brain and spinal cord," Miroslav himself replies. Rachel remains amazed at how much he remembers.

"Girls team, what is a nerve impulse?"

"A series of electrical pulses which travel down the fibre. They travel at 100 metres per second," answers a girl with red hair.

"That's great Yvonne. Boys team, what is a synapse?"

"The regions where impulses are able to cross from one neurone to another," answers the boy next to Miroslav.

The bell rings, signalling the boys' victory. The children rush out of class once again and Miroslav starts placing chairs in their places when Rachel tells him that she can do it by herself as she finishes packing up her laptop. "You know what? You really are as beautiful as Christoph describes. How come I've never heard of you before in the news or something like that?"

"I don't exactly like dealing with the press. That's why I moved from Moenchengladbach to Munich. No one knows me here, except the staff, students and parents, so it's a chance to get away from those cameras that my brother always has, even more now that he's a World Champion. Congratulations on that by the way."

"I really liked getting to know you today, even though it was a lesson. We should do this again some time." He gives her a paper with his mobile number. "Call me and we can arrange something." She nods and shows him to the staff room, where the rest of the teachers talk to him as she makes them all a cup of coffee. When she gives Miro the mug, he accepts it and savours the taste. "Thank you Rachel. Christoph is blessed to have a sister like you." She can only smile in amazement and since her last lesson is a free one, she goes back to her classroom with a large pile of papers and starts correcting as Miroslav sits at the front desk, staring at her like a lost puppy.

"Mr. Klose?" He looks her in the eye. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"It's kind of amusing, watching you grade papers. I didn't know that the Christoph who struggles with basic algebra would have a teacher sister who has a passion for Biology."

"Clearly you don't know Christoph enough," she states matter-of-factly, with a humorous tone. He laughs at this and sighs. "Is anything the matter?"

"How can women be so dense?"

"Excuse me?"

"You haven't noticed? The stares I've been giving you ever since I came here, the smiles in the staff room, the constant flirting in the class, haven't you noticed anything?" Her eyes widen at the realisation.

"You actually like me?" He doesn't reply but he gets up from his chair and goes to her desk. He pulls her to his desk and crashes his lips to hers. She runs her fingers through his short hair as he wraps his hands around her waist and sits down on the desk. Without her being aware, she ends up straddling him. When she actually realises what they're doing, she ends the kiss and says, "I'm sorry Mr. Klose. I shouldn't have done that." The bell rings, signalling the end of the free lesson and he asks her to be his girlfriend, to which she accepts. Her smile is from ear to ear as she packs her papers and heads out of the school, hand in hand with her new boyfriend.

One thing left to do, she thinks. I have to tell Christoph that his plan actually worked.