In Case You Didn't Know

Chapter 43

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Nathaniel

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To say the day has been dull would be a euphemism. A look to the mug of coffee sitting atop my desk reminds of how it's still far from over. Although I can regularly function like a proper human being with as little as five hours of sleep, this last stretch of the semester has got me grumpier than usual. Alarm goes off at 6:30, shower, breakfast, early lectures, meetings, late lunch, more lectures, office hours, drive home, read and grade papers, late dinner, sleep. Repeat.

Days like today particularly where I have time to spare but not enough to go home and drive back in time leave me twiddling my thumbs...and glaring sternly to everyone that comes into my field of vision more than usual.

The monotony of it is killing me and I cannot wait for winter break. It doesn't help at all knowing that Alexia is home all by herself. She has been even busier this week, determined to meet the deadline for her first draft before Christmas time. The look she flashed me this morning when I asked her if we should get lunch together and go watch a movie later tonight almost reduced my bones to ashes.

We got to spend a lot of quality time in Philadelphia, but ever since we came back home we've barely managed to squeeze in a moment in our busy schedules to spend together that doesn't imply lying in bed at night. I miss her. I know that's stupid because we live together and I wake up to her lovely face every day, but I miss her. Am I getting too clingy? God's grief. As if I could get any sappier when it comes to her.

The peaceful quiet of in-between lectures, and therefore my internal monologue, is interrupted by hasty students flooding the room. When the clock marks eleven sharp, I stand up from my desk and pace the front of the room.

"Good morning, everyone. Take out your annotations on Hemingway, please." I have mixed feelings regarding this class. It's American Literature which means I get to ramble about my favorite things, but it's also a freshman course, meaning that half of the students don't have the most miniscule idea of what they are doing here. "The twenties, can anyone put us in context?"

Only a few hands shoot up, and I drink a long sip of my coffee to brace myself.

"Entering the twenties was sort of disillusioning for the civilized Western democracy, forcing its citizen to question their values and morals." A girl in the front row starts. "This is strongly reflected by authors who are part of The Lost Generation. Nevertheless, America witnessed a huge economic growth, and jazz music became widely popular, with nightclubs and African Americans dominating the scene."

"Thank you. What do we mean when we say 'The Lost Generation'?" Even less volunteers, and ultimately the same girl ends up answering.

"Writers, musicians, artists and intellectuals that came of age during the First World War."

"Illinois own, Ernest Hemingway, is known as one of the greatest American novelists of the twentieth century. He started his career as a writer at the age of 17 as a journalist. He also served in the World War I as a volunteer in the ambulance unit in the Italian army."

Hemingway was one of the first authors that I remember enjoying reading; he was very articulate about every place that he visited, and I like the way in which he tells the truth of his time as it was, no sugarcoat. Not even Fitzgerald managed to accomplish that.

"I'll give one extra point to whoever can tell me what event precisely inspired him to write 'A Farewell to Arms'". I love doing this. Offering extra points for a question I have already given the answer to. Mask it as an impossible enigma, and you will have everyone sweating. Am I evil? Maybe. I deserve the entertainment after having to read the barbaric papers some of these kids write.