Melaine

Chapter 18: The New Teacher

He walked through the corridor full of students in his crispy, ironed grey suit with a grey tie on his white collared shirt. His black hair slicked back; clean shaved face, high cheekbones, squared jaw and broad lips with a proud nose. He had maintained his physique through years, carrying himself in such a graceful manner that he appeared to be a man in his mid forties, even younger than his original age. One has a moral duty towards himself; one's own body, to take a good physical care of himself that had been his standing principle for years and he held his belief that age is a number that shouldn't be allowed to get the worse out of oneself. Though maturity is another paradigm, and he, being a man of heavy words, could deliver a good lecture on his philosophical ideas to the younger generation that, according to him, need a grave sense of both psychology and philosophy. He passed his colleague Professor Wilbur; his senior in experience and he slightly nodded his head at him in greeting. Mr. Wilbur, he had realized in these past few days, was a man of average intelligence and simple in mannerism. His sharp tongue had given a  cover to his shallow wisdom that he found interesting of how shallow a mind can be of someone who tries to depict maturity and knowledge of his age, and maturity sometimes, doesn't come with physical aging.

"Good morning, Mr. Darren." He stopped to greet a young professor, Ms. Rebecca on his way to office.
"Good morning, Miss Rebecca." He clasped his hand with the lady, who was in her white blouse and red pencil skirt, and he recognized the perfume she's wearing the sooner he took a whiff of her body scent, who had been standing dangerously closer to him. He entered his office, that was small but decent to his taste, and comfortable enough for him to work without interruption of his privacy. He sat in his chair and opened the drawer to retrieve out a yellow folder from it. He opened the folder, looking at the snipped pictures from newspapers and articles stapled inside. He read the bold headline from June 16, 2012,
'A young boy is arrested with drugs at Block 33, street 178 down town.'
'According to police report, the boy is found with marijuana in his bag. "Boy is minor", said a police officer, "He will be held for juvenile drug possession".

June 21, 2012
'Police has raided drugs factory, the drug mafia has been caught.
Resource says that the factory whereabouts has been given by a juvenile boy in drug possession.'

The man passed his forefinger on the paper picture of the arrested boy, and circled his face with red pen. He noticed the time for his class and left for the classroom carrying a book. The noisy students went silent and settled in their seats, when he entered the class and turned to introduce himself.

"You must be surprised to see me here in your class, but I have recently replaced your english teacher; Mr. Crawford." He noticed the surprised faces of his new students and grimace on Rohan's face didn't go neglected in his periphery.

"I'm Dr. Darren, and from now on, I'll be taking your english class", he smiled at his students and turned to write a quote out of the book on the green board with chalk, and Rohan couldn't recall where he had seen the writing somewhere before.

"Can anybody tell me who has said these lines?"
'It's the brain, brain only where sins would take place.'
"These are spoken by Lord Henry from The picture of Dorian Grey", Melaine answered to her amused teacher.
"You're very right. Miss..." He pointed the chalk in her direction.
"Melaine"
"Thankyou Ms. Melaine for your answer. Can anybody tell me what's the plot of novel?" He questioned his class that had dull soul and no excitement for learning, and he pitied the young minds that lack the wild passion.
"It's a story of a young handsome lad, who traded his soul to his portrait to stay young forever", Annie spoke putting down her cellphone.
 "The theme is beauty that gives rise to sins."
"The theme is much deeper than this my students. Let me ask you aren't you people the very Dorian in yourself? Dorian has an innocent face to the world, while he's the only one who was able to see the ugliness in his loneliness. Like Dorian, we put a mask of lamb to hide the hideous monster inside us. Dorian was obsessed with Sibyl, as long as she acted well as Juliet and Portia, but then the moment she showed her real self, he abandoned her. We, like Dorian, are infatuated with people who serve our imagination and desires. We look ourselves in others rather than seeing them for themselves."

"Am I right Miss. Melaine?" The girl furrowed her brows at the professor but nodded otherwise in confirmation.
" You don't mind calling you Miss over Ms. Do you?"
"No"
"Very well then, would you explain to our class the quote I've written here?" He gestured towards the lines on the board and Melaine nervously swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry in nervousness.

"Sin and crime first takes place in our mind, we can say our thoughts give birth to the lust that result in sins..."

"How do you define 'Lust' ?"
"Lust is craving, I guess"
"And what's craving?"
"Longing for something"
"What gives to our longing?"
"Our burning desires for something absent?"
"Absence creates hunger and lust creates madness to sin." Professor explained to his class and gave a nod of appreciation to his favourite student, Melaine.

"Your project will be the critical appreciation of the novel and we'll be discussing few things tomorrow."

The period ended and the students dispered, gathering their books. When Melaine passed by him supporting herself on arm crutch he spoke, "Be careful with your foot, Miss Melaine." The girl tensed at his words but left the class hurrying to her locker.

Darren after the school hours walked to his car in the parking lot and saw Rohan struggling with another boy at his car. The boy left him with a jerk and Rohan turned to kick his car grunting and cursing. Darren pulled out his car and slowed the car near the boy, "Everything alright with your car?"
"It died down on me, nothing big." Rohan told him avoiding to meet man's gaze.

"I'll give you a ride", Darren offered his student and Rohan's face flushed at the male's words blaming cold in the air.

"Thankyou sir but I can walk..."

"You live at lane 3, street 14? I live nearby so I'll drop you at home." Rohan closed his mouth and got inside the car. Darren smiled and drove to the road.
"You must be thinking what I was doing at the club?" He questioned.
"No, sir..."
"It's Darren since we're out of school. I keep my private life separated from my professional life."
"I get it, Darren." And the man nodded at the boy
"So, your name is Rohan?"
"You've already got that and sorry for what happened at the club."
"Like I have said before, my private life has nothing to do with my profession. That kiss was between two men than a professor and his student."
"It's embarrassing that you're my teacher and given age..." Rohan trailed off closing his mouth than completing the sentence that it's wrong between them given the age difference and his own thought sounded wrong given the context that they had already shared a kiss.
"You're concerned about your age or mine?" Darren scoffed at the immaturity of boy.
"Both", he moistened his lips and Darren eyes momentarily took the shape of his mouth. " I think both."
"Your young generation is quite immature. I have liked your bold confidence back at the club that you seem to lack now."
"If I had been mature, wouldn't have kissed you..." Rohan admitted. He couldn't remove the feeling of his lips from his mouth and mind, as if it had happened few minutes ago.
"Your house..." Darren stopped the car at Rohan's house and before the boy could open to door to leave, Darren turned him around and placed a languid kiss on boy's mouth, savoring the moment.
"You're mature enough for me." Darren pulled back and wiped Rohan's mouth with the back of his finger.
"See you at school", Rohan bid him goodbye and marched to the porch of his house, not looking back.

Rohan can never replace his favourite student

Melaine