Dennis…
“Guess who just came into my class this morning?”, I asked Sam.
“Hmmm, Ledesma?”, he replied.
“Exactly! And did you know that he is that student who was sitting alone in our spot.”
“Ah is that so?”, Sam said with a menacing smile. “now we know who we will ambush the next time he gets into our spot again.”
“You moron. That is not what I meant.”
“Haha, I’m just kidding.”, Sam laughed at me. “So, everything is okay now. You already found your missing student. You have a problem anymore.”
“I hope so.”, I replied under a heavy tone.
“What is the problem now?”, Sam inquired.
“The other day, when you said you need to go ahead, I saw him at the pathway that I used to take when leaving the University alone. He was also walking alone that afternoon and he seemed to be spaced out.”, I told Sam. “I didn’t bother noticing him that much then but when I saw him yesterday at our spot, he was still alone and looking so down. That was also the time I get to look at him closely. We even talked for a minute. He looked sickly. He was thin and his eyes were droopy.”
“Maybe that is the reason why he is always late in coming to his classes. Maybe he has health condition or something.”, Sam suggested.
“Maybe. And perhaps that is the reason why his dad was here last time. To inform the Dean about his condition.”, I agreed to him.
Beep…beep…beep… my phone vibrates in my pocket.
“Let me guess, it’s that hookup summer again?”, Sam said sarcastically.
“Sam, lower your voice. Someone might here you.”, I snapped at him.
“Sorry….so tell me. It’s him again right? I told you to block his number weeks ago. Why aren’t you doing it.”, Sam said. Not letting me answer his question first.
“It’s just his usual “have you eaten” send to many text again. There is nothing harm in it.”, I said. “Besides, he is not calling. Just let him be. Eventually, he’ll get tired of texting and he’ll stop.”
Sam pulled a great heave of sigh and did not speak anymore. He turned around and went to his cubicle.
After Sam left, I read “kulit” text message again. That is what I named him on my phone. I couldn’t remember his name anymore just like most of my hookups before. All Sam knows are this kulit’s usual greeting messages but I couldn’t share him the rest of it.
I found his text messages intriguing and entertaining at the same time, if these texts are really meant for me. His messages started to pile up on my phone. Before, it was just a simple “good morning, good afternoon and have you eaten already” messages. But recently, he started sharing a few details about himself.
Like last time, he texted about this newly found “merienda” in his school. They called it “choco-choco”. It is a cheap version of Magnolia Chocolait that is being sold in their cafeteria. He said that it tasted best when it is very cold.
He also texted about his new classmates in class, how they are misbehaving when their instructor has not yet arrived. He even mentioned this walkway the he discovered recently. He said he loved taking that way when leaving school because few students are taking that route.
Kulit is vaguely different compared to my previous hookups. Most of my hookups are texting only when they want to meet again, if I am free and not busy and many other nonsenses. And all of them are asking for the same thing always, s*x. And all of them, I mean all of them, haven’t had the second meetup after the first time.
But this kulit is the only hookup I ever had whose name is saved in my phonebook. His name is very appropriate as well because all of my hookup’s name had a precedent name of the site where I got their number, for me to easily identify them. But kulit’s is different.
Sometimes when I get bored of checking my student’s worksheets, I read back his text messages. I laugh and smile at most of them because I am not sure what his reasons are for sending such. He texts about the food he is eating, whatever is in his mind when his instructors are teaching in class. Even the covered court inside his school is in his text. I don’t know but it lightens my mood when I read them.
“Sam, let’s go out and eat.” I called to him over his cubicle.
“I thought you’d never ask.”, Sam replied cheerily at the sound of food. “Maybe this time, that student of yours won’t dare take out spot anymore because he already knows that its ours.”
“Don’t say that Sam. I didn’t tell Ledesma to not go on our spot anymore. Besides, that is not ours you know?”, I corrected him.
“That is understood already Den. Let’s not argue anymore. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”, Sam dropped the conversation and pulled me out of my cubicle.
And miraculously, our spot was unoccupied when we get there after buying a snack. Ledesma was not there. Sam was laughing menacingly and running toward the tree. I felt a slight regret not seeing Ledesma over there. I’m just thinking maybe he is in his class right now with his friends and classmates.
***
The following day in my class…
“Can anybody tell me the difference between a relation and a function?”, I asked the entire class.
As usual, the students who were pretending to be listen suddenly bowed their heads down as if they did not hear me. Their eyes which were pinned at me earlier while I teach suddenly turned to somewhere else. It is funny because this the normal reaction of students who do not know the answer.
As I move my eyes around the class, I noticed Ledesma, my B13 student. His brows are crossed, his looking straight to my writings on the whiteboard and muttering something under his breath.
“Mr. Ledesma.”, I called his name. He got surprised.
It was very noticeable that the faces of the class turned pleasant and relieved when I called Ledesma. Just a second ago, they all seemed holding their breaths in and praying that I won’t call their names.
“Yes sir?”, said Ledesma while standing slowly from him his seat.
“What is the difference between a relation and a function? Can you give at least one.”, I repeated the question.
Ledesma looked at the whiteboard again. After all my examples, illustrations and word problems, he seemed to be looking for something else.
“Sir, the one with shapes,”, he drew in the air. “The one with circles and arrows.”, his fingers and voice are trembling as he answers the question.
“Hey Ledesma, are you sure you’re on the right class? This is General Mathematics for grade 11 not kinder.”, one of his classmates commented that gathered a lot of laugher from the entire class.
I didn’t pay attention to Sanchez’s comment because my mind was fixated with Ledesma’s answer. After a few second, I stopped the class from laughing. I saw Ledesma get back on his seat with his head bowed down.
“What Mr. Ledesma was saying is the way we illustrate relations and functions.”, I said firmly and loudly in the class and took the marker. “We can picture it like this.”, I started drawing two columns of boxes.
“We can say that it is a relation when each box in group A is connected to two or more boxes in group B.”, I explained while connecting the boxes with arrows. “We call it one-to-many relation.”
“While a function is,”, I continued while drawing another set of boxes in two columns on the other side of the board. “When one and only box in group A is connected to one and only one box in group B. This is called a one-to-one relation.”
The entire class turned eerily quiet when I explained what Ledesma is trying to say. It was obvious that nobody understood his answer.
“Let me translate it to all of you especially to you Mr. Sanchez.”, I ill-temperedly said while giving him a piercing look. “When a guy is faithful to his girlfriend and he doesn’t cheat, that is a function. One guy is paired to one girl only. But, when the guy cheats, he is connected to other women aside from his girlfriend, that is a relation already. Because the guy is connected to more than one woman.”
“Oh, that’s what it is.”, the students uttered among themselves.
“Now, don’t make fun of someone that understands the things differently compared to most of you do. It’s a simple box and arrow yet you don’t understand? How dare you laugh at your classmate!”, I snapped to all of them. “Before you laugh at anyone, make sure that your brains are full and not empty!”
I did not mention the student whom I want to scold at but I know I sent my message to him clearly. The entire turned absolutely quiet after I speak. In fact, no one dared to even say a little during my remaining lecture until the bell rang.
“Assignment, answer pages 12 and 13 of your workbook. Mr. Sanchez, I believe you will be very willing to answer those numbers on the board tomorrow for checking.”
“Sir?”, Mr. Sanchez frowned at me but could do anything but accept.
“Goodbye class.”
“GOODBYE MR. TOLEDO.”, the class said in unison.
I was still fixing my books when Ledesma ran outside the classroom.
“Where is he going?”, I asked.
“He is always like that sir. He run and leaves the class whenever he wanted. And he is not coming back.”, one of the students answered.
I could do anything but to follow him with look as he ran away.
I quickly went back to my cubicle to pick up some books that I will be needing for my next class when I feel my phone vibrates in my pocket. I opened the message and I saw three sad face emoticons from kulit.
“What is this drama now?”, I whisper to myself. I care less about his message for now because I have I lot of classes for the day. I hastily tuck my phone back in to my pocket and hurriedly walk to my next class.
***
I had a very long day. I already accepted the fact that most of the students do not like Math, even my STEM classes are having a hard time on it.
“Excuse me, have you seen sir Sam?”, I asked a student assistant who passed by my cubicle.
“I saw him at the gym sir, teaching.”, the student assistant answered sweetly.
“Thank you.”, I said as I reciprocate her smile.
Sam is doing something extra again. Looks like I’ll be eating my snack alone. I went to the cafeteria to check out their offerings. Sam really had a huge influence on my eating patterns. I tend to eat even if I am not that hungry because of him. But since he is not here, I am taking a drink only.
I bought a bottle of juice and decided to drink this back in the cubicle. I was still in the cafeteria when I notice a group of students sitting under an Acacia nearby.
“Is he there?”, I whispered to myself.
I’m not sure but I have a strong feeling that Ledesma is at our spot right now. After the incident in the classroom this morning, I completely forgotten about him because of my classes. I walked hurriedly to our spot hoping that he is still there when I come. After taking the next corner of the building, there he was. I saw Ledesma sitting under our tree, alone again.
I slowly approached him. I don’t know what he is thinking after what happened. I’m afraid that he will run away if he sees me coming.
After a few steps closer, he noticed me. Even if he hid it, I saw him wiped his face with his hand. Is he crying? I continue walking towards him until I was standing in front of him. He was not looking at me. I noticed the empty plastic drink he was holding. Maybe he just finished his snack. He was holding his phone with his other hand too.
I could hear his heavy breaths as he looked the other way. I think he didn’t want to talk to me. He may had taken the incident quite painfully and he wanted to be left alone right now. I didn’t want to invade his privacy so I decided to leave him be.
I was about to turn around when he spoke.
“Sir, I am sorry if I run away from your class.”, Ledesma said under his breath. I looked at him but he is still looking the other way.
I didn’t know what to say to him to make him feel better. Even if I tell him to just ignore what his classmate had said, I could no longer erase the fact that he was embarrassed inside the class.
“Don’t worry sir. I will forget about it eventually. I just got hungry so I grabbed some snack.”, he said while forcing a smile at me. I knew he was trying to look okay even if he’s not. He tried his best to hide it.
“If you feel okay already, just follow me and get back to class.”, the only words I said to him. After all these years that I am teaching, why can’t I give him a sense full advice? Is it because I’m afraid that I might say something wrong that will worsen his feeling. I don’t know.
I was only a few classrooms away from the spot when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. This time, there are three happy emoticons from kulit.
“I really couldn’t get the drift of this person.”, I said.
I put my phone back and started walking again. I looked back to see Ledesma. He is now looking at his phone, smiling.
“At least, he is happy now.”, I told myself. He may be shy to tell me what he really felt but at least, he had somebody to tell it with. Even a text mate.