Page 10 of Single Malt
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” I promised.
“Thank you,” Dr. Ipres said again, the gratitude coming across loud and clear. “I’ll see you then.”
Re-arranging my schedule for today, at least, would be easy. I’d pick up pizza on the way home, and we could still have our dinner and movie. While Aline watched, I could do my usual pre-semester skimming of my textbooks, as well as make any necessary notes about this Karina.
After quickly changing clothes into something more professional than my sweats, I went back to the living room to explain the change in plans to my sister.
Twenty-two minutes later, I walked into Dr. Ipres’s office, already talking as I entered the room. “I’m sorry I’m late. There was a new detour that took me a couple blocks out of the way and–”
The rest of what I’d intended to say died on my tongue as I realized my mentor wasn’t alone. Sitting in the chair opposite Dr. Ipres’s desk was a pretty, dark-haired young woman.
“It’s quite all right,” Dr. Ipres said with a smile. If I hadn’t known her as well as I did, I might’ve missed the tightening at the corners of her mouth and the annoyance in her eyes. I didn’t think it was directed at me. “Freedom Mercier, meet Karina Montoya.”
“That is really your name?” Her heavily accented question held curiosity rather than ridicule.
“It is.” I sat down next to her, giving her a polite smile.
“Ms. Mercier will be your guide,” Dr. Ipres explained. “She will show you around campus, ensure that you know where everything is. If at any point this semester you have questions or difficulties understanding your professors, you can reach out to her.”
Karina looked over at me and rattled off a question in Spanish.
I raised an eyebrow and answered, letting her know that I actually did know that Spanish wasn’t the same in every country and that I’d studied many of the differences between the largest of the Spanish-speaking countries.
“You are very good,” she admitted before turning her attention back to Dr. Ipres. “She will do.”
I folded my hands onto my lap, allowing my own annoyance at the question to translate into pressure there rather than showing any emotion on my face.
“Ms. Mercier is one of our top Political Science students,” Dr. Ipres said, her tone taking on an edge, as if Karina’s words had offended her on my behalf. “She is fluent in several languages, including Spanish and Greek, which is why she was chosen to assist you as you transition to life here at Stanford.”
A flush of pride colored my cheeks. Dr. Ipres was a tough professor, always pushing us to excel, and while she didn’t disapprove of complimenting students who did well, she also didn’t offer praise easily.
“Where is your dormitory?” Karina asked, deigning to look my way.
“I live in an off-campus apartment with my sister.”
For some reason, that seemed to annoy her. “To which sorority do you belong?”
“I’m not in one.” I resisted the impulse to tell her that one of the reasons I had accomplished what Dr. Ipres had said was because I focused all of my energy on my work. I really didn’t dislike or look down on the sororities. It would have been snark on my part.
Karina sighed. “Do you at least know of the best clubs? I do not wish to be working all the time. What is the American saying? ‘All work and no play will make Jack a dull boy?’”
Dr. Ipres saved me from having to answer that particular question. “Two clubs in the area allow admittance at the age of eighteen with a stamp that marks them as underage. The rest require a photo ID stating that you are the legal drinking age of twenty-one.”
Another sigh, as if this was the most disappointing news she’d ever heard. At least she didn’t ask if I could get her a fake ID, though I wouldn’t put it past her to ask it when Dr. Ipres wasn’t around. Karina didn’t seem like a cruel or mean person, but everything she’d displayed so far made me think that she wasn’t going to accept anything that interfered with what she wanted to do.
I wondered if Dr. Ipres was regretting helping out Dr. Josephs as much as I was regretting accepting the task. Instead of coming up with an excuse as to why I wasn’t the right person for the job, however, I just reminded myself that Dr. Ipres had been good to me, and I didn’t want to let her down. It was, after all, only for one semester. I could put up with anything for that period of time if it was for someone I respected, and this had the added benefit of reflecting well on me for potential employers.
That didn’t mean I had to enjoy it, though.
Seven
Brody
“You looklike you lost some weight,” Theresa said as she gave me a hug. “Are you taking care of yourself?”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I promised before kissing her forehead. “And I promise I weigh the same as I did at Christmas. If anything, I weigh more after everything I ate that day.”
“Good to see you, lad.” Da gave me a brief hug, thumping me on the back hard enough to make me think I might need to start going to the gym more often.