Period 4
I was walking around downtown somewhere, when my phone rang. Although it was on roaming, I answered it without bothering to look at the number. The voice on the other end was very soft but I could make out that it was some woman from HR and she wanted to meet with me to discuss something. I knew that it was Tuesday and that I was on lunch and, with some effort, remembered that my free period that afternoon was Period 4. We agreed on that and then I realised with horror that I'd spent the whole moring loafing around and doing stuff downtown. Tuesdays I teach in Period 1 as well. I asked her if they had found someone to cover my Period 1 class when I hadn't arrived and then she said, "Yes; everyone was present." I thanked her and hung up and then sat on the curb bewildered about how I could have missed a whole morning of school without realising it. My students' faces flashed through my mind. I wondered who took my class and what they taught the students and whether I would be in trouble for not showing up. Perhaps I should act sick when I headed in that afternoon. Then I realised that I was in another city and that I had planned stuff to do for another week and a half. How had I possibly screwed up this badly? Why hadn't I taken this trip during my vacation?
I walked down the street in a daze for a while, despairing that everything had gone all wrong when I realised that, no, I had planned correctly. We were, in fact, in the middle of vacation right now. I could stay away for another week and a half: there was no school. So what the hell was wrong with that lady? Had she totally misunderstood me? Had we made an appointment for the first day back from school? I tried to call her back, but there was no answer. While I was calling I continued, in my daze, into a clothing store and somehow stepped up onto and walked across the front counter without realising it. I jumped off and one of the employees shook his head at me. I tried calling her again. Still no answer.
I walked down the street in a daze for a while, despairing that everything had gone all wrong when I realised that, no, I had planned correctly. We were, in fact, in the middle of vacation right now. I could stay away for another week and a half: there was no school. So what the hell was wrong with that lady? Had she totally misunderstood me? Had we made an appointment for the first day back from school? I tried to call her back, but there was no answer. While I was calling I continued, in my daze, into a clothing store and somehow stepped up onto and walked across the front counter without realising it. I jumped off and one of the employees shook his head at me. I tried calling her again. Still no answer.