The Good Teacher by Emily Shiner

Author:Emily Shiner [Shiner, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-03T22:00:00+00:00

Carol

I’m enjoying a cup of coffee at the kitchen counter when Dr. Bennett wanders in. I almost choke on my coffee when I see him: he’s got on jeans and a hoodie and he looks more like a wayward teenager than a celebrated cardiologist.

I knew that he’d come home. I noticed that his bedroom door was closed this morning when I got up and came downstairs to make some breakfast for myself. Still, it’s surprising to see him standing here, looking for all the world like he just woke up after a nice restful sleep.

“You’re home!” I say, setting my coffee down and hoping that he can’t see the way my hand shakes. “I’m so glad. Does Lilah know?”

He nods, pouring himself a cup of coffee, then takes a seat on the stool next to me. “I checked on her last night when I got in and she woke up enough to say hi and see that I was here.” He blows on his coffee then takes a sip, sighing with contentment as the taste spreads across his tongue. “It’s nice to have another early bird in the house for once.”

“Oh, I’m not good at sleeping,” I tell him. “Too many things to do. But now that you’re home, I’ll get out of your hair. I hope that it’s okay that I stayed over, I simply didn’t want to leave Lilah alone, especially not at night.”

“No, you did exactly the right thing.”

When I make a move to leave, he turns his head to me. “Wait, Carol, let me talk to you for a moment if you don’t mind. I can’t thank you enough for what you did yesterday. I know that you’re Lilah’s teacher and you’ve been tutoring her this summer and all, but you really went above and beyond.”

“It was nothing,” I say, but I don’t move. I want to hear how the great Dr. Bennett is going to thank me for taking such good care of his only child. “It was what anyone would have done in the situation.”

Although I don’t really know about that. Our situation is definitely not one that I think a lot of people have come across before. It’s, shall we say, unique.

“That’s not true,” he says. “Not everyone would have done that. Lilah really looks up to you, Carol. She loves spending time with you. You make her feel special and that’s important, especially at her age. How in the world can I ever thank you for what you’ve done for her?”

“Your checks are more than enough,” I tell him. “More than I ever expected, really. I wanted to help Lilah with her math to make sure that she’s prepared enough to do well in the fall, and I never thought that you’d be so generous with the payment. Really, it’s almost too much.”

“This is more than tutoring, though,” he says, getting up and walking over to the refrigerator. “You’ve been taking care of my daughter when I simply couldn’t. I don’t know how to put a price on that but I’m willing to pay you whatever you want for your time.

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