An akward introduction

Ali was waiting for the "tutor" to arrive. Professor Lawrence was still trying to get her to change her major to linguistics, so she was obliging him with meeting the "German" tutor he wished her to talk to. Her long hair was twisted up, simple gold hoops, gold bracelets, her silk beige shell with a pastel scarf loosely tied around her neck. Her blue jeans stylishly worn to her walking clogs, she was looking put together, and more like a young professional than a struggling college student.

She couldn't smoke while she waited, she was trying not to pace, and here she stood by the campus "Coffee" shop waiting as she was asked. At least it was at 9pm and not 9am, after last night's shift at the computer lab, with the Frat crew of OMG - we need to do a paper NOW! She had no time to work on her own homework, or clean before she handed off the room.

She chewed another piece of nicotine gum taking a deep breath and trying to find a calm place so she didn't come across to crazy.

The German, looking rather casual as he pulled three books out of his SUV, wasn't hard to find. In fact, everything about him just looked German, from the way he walked to the way he dressed to the way he looked. He also moved with a confidence and a grace that was hard to miss -- he didn't seem arrogant, just sure of himself. He had been told that he was meeting with a student tonight and was -- once again -- thankful that Areron had taught him more about the secrets of how to blend in with mortal society a little more easily.

The Professor had asked him to meet with a girl who wanted to learn his native language. That didn't faze him in the slightest -- in fact, it helped him to blend in even more, with the night classes he was taking for medical school. He was closer and closer to being a surgeon, and that was a very good thing. Heading for the front of the coffee shop, he let an easy, pleasant smile grace his lips -- no reason to scare the mundanes -- and walked forward. A laptop bag was slung over his shoulder and he carried those three books -- obviously textbooks -- in his rather large left hand. To Ali, he offered his right.

"You must be Ali."

She shook his hand "Yes I am, and you're... I'm going to mess this up so I'm sorry but the Professor rattled it off very quickly. Medowin?" looking at him with a smile on her face now matching his as he was not at all what she had expected but then again she wasn't sure what she had expected either.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Dr. Lawrence is trying to lure me to his language department." with a partially still reserved grin but a bit more relaxed then before. "Do you want to get some coffee and talk or is this a drop off and meet up later?"

He continued to hold her hand as she shook it. He didn't let go, but he wasn't forcing her to stay there, either. He just let the handshake linger.

"Medwyn -- Medwyn Bauer." He chuckled a little bit, very softly. "And you, Miss Ali, are very nervous. There's no need to be -- I won't bite."

"Unless I ask real nice right?" with a playful smile at him, not taking her hand back yet, and a look at him. "Well my last "tutor" was an 80 year old local Chinese business man so I wasn't sure what to expect Mr. Bauer." she said mimicking his punctuation of his name.

"The Laguna should give away my heritage." with a deep breath trying to calm a bit more. Her hand was still in his as she looked to him to continue to take the lead on this first awkward meeting.

He laughed, finally letting go of her hand.

"Medwyn, please. Mister Bauer was my father and he's dead now." With another smile, he looked her over. "Actually, your last name doesn't tell me anything about your heritage. For all I know, you could be adopted. As for only biting you if you ask really nice -- well, I'm sure we'll come to some sort of arrangement. Would you like a drink? You're a little too hyper at the moment for coffee."

"I'm not hyper, but a drink would be nice." with a nod to him. "Actually Laguna is my last name, which is South American, but my Grandmother was El Salvadorian, so my looks are less Native and more Castillian." with a smile at him as she went to follow him.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "So what is your schedule like Medwyn, and sorry your father has passed. I didn't mean to be so insensitive." with a mental kick to herself and a note to not go there again. "And what's your major?"

He laughed again. He both seemed to like the barrage of questions that she asked him -- and seemed to think that it was nerves on her part. She might have gotten the feeling that he didn't get these sorts of questions often.

"Well, let's see. First, my dad's been dead for over a decade, so you weren't insensitive in the least. My schedule is a nighttime one, sadly. I work in the afternoon and sleep during the day, so I'm in night classes. Currently, I'm in med school -- major of pediatric surgery."

He smiled as he started to lead her toward a small bar -- just a little hole-in-the-wall, really -- and even held the door open for her.

"And what about you, Miss Laguna? What's your major?"

She listened attentively, taking in his words and accent. She stepped into the bar as he held the door for her, "Well international business at the moment, but Economics and me are not getting along at all." with a soft laugh. "It seems pretty mundane compared to your major. I mess up a decimal point, I get a bad grade. You miss your mark and it's a bit more a drastic difference." with a pause.

"I work nights at the computer lab." going to pop another nicotine gum, "and take mostly afternoon classes. When possible I try to work on the weekends at the little sports bar near by. Especially on Gator Games and stuff to make a bit more extra cash." with look at him. "I'm babbling again sorry. So around your intense schedule when would it be best for me to learn from you?"

He listened as she talked, with a soft laugh as she recognized her own babbling. He led her to a back table at the bar, holding out a chair for her to sit first -- he was a gentleman, after all -- and took the seat across from her.

"I have classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. So any night that isn't one of those, you're pretty much golden."

"So Wednesdays, Friday's and Sunday's?" with a bright grin at him, she pulled out her school planner checking her own schedule "I work Friday and Sunday's so it looks like Wednesday is the best time for us both?" glancing at him to see if he agreed or had something to add. "I can try to get off one of those nights if one is better than the other for you?" pausing then saying "Well Friday or Sunday nights..."

She hadn't pulled out an Iphone but a good old fashion School Time planner. She pulled off the pen cap with her teeth, then kept the cap in her mouth, and looked to him to see if he had a preference.

He looked thoughtful, truly thoughtful.

"Well, I am a firm believer that education is never something that should be shoved aside. However, I do not know your learning habits as of yet. So with that in mind, do you feel that you can learn a language, meeting only once a week?"

"Actually no, I had been meeting with Mr. Chin 4 days a week, but I don't think your schedule will allow it and I can try to change mine around but I need the work study money to live or I'd try for a new one or an alternative job." she said honestly. "I currently have a 3.8 and was hoping to get a 4.0 but Economics is staying a B to C no matter what I do." with a sigh of frustration obviously at herself.

"But I'm sure you'd like your Friday nights free, but then again no ring so no wife? And why pediatric surgery?" she said inquiring and then pausing "If it's not to personal to answer." with a glance to him for more of his thoughts.

He laughed softly.

"Well, if you really want that 4.0, I can see about helping you with Economics, too. I can probably work it so that I have a few more nights free per week, it'll just mean cramming more classes into different days. As for why pediatric surgery? Well, I want to make the world a better place. And the children are our future, so to make the future better means to make the world a greater place for my own children, if I ever have any. No, I don't have a wife, but I do have a girlfriend. However, if you need me on Friday nights, I'm sure I can talk to her and she'll understand."

"Well I don't have a boy friend at the moment so I'm free but if I can pick up a few hours at the bar it's normally Friday night." with a look at him "Oh wow no you don't need to do that i just didn't want to cramp up your free time." with a look at him, a soft blush to her tan cheeks, and a relieved smile to see the cocktail waitress.

Looking at the girl "Margarita, salt and on the rocks not frozen." she pulled out her id showed it to the girl and then she turned for his order.

He smiled at the girl, showing his own ID (which said he was 23).

"Double PMF, please."

Then he waited for the waitress to leave and laughed softly at the girl across from him.

"You don't need to worry about it. Look, I understand the need for money -- I haven't met a college student yet who wasn't working in some crappy dive to make ends meet. So here's what I'll do. I've got a couple of friends who own a bar, so I'll give you the address and see if you can't get paid a little better so that you can take the time to further your education."

She looked at him "Really?" not sure what to say to him as he offered to do so. "So meet Wednesday, Friday and Sunday?" she said hesitantly and then reflecting back on his words. "I think it would be a depressing job because children are fragile and if one died I'd not be able to deal with it. I'd keep going did I do everything I could and then the self doubt thoughts. Then again I've been told I'm a bit too empathetic at times. To be a surgeon you'd almost not have to be right?"

She looked at him, then a small wrinkle in the middle of her forehead as if she was seeing him slightly differently then before, then she shook her head and smiled again at him, dismissing what ever she was thinking for the moment. Then looking at him, "So is your girlfriend crazy and am I going to cause an issue?"

He laughed softly.

"Some of the kids -- yes, it's very hard. But you make peace with it. You review your steps, you look at what you did -- and then you come to terms with the fact that you did everything within your power to do. Sometimes, God just calls the children home to be at His side. No, I'm not a religious nut or anything, but I believe that children belong with God -- so when one passes away, they really just go home again. It helps. And the ones that you save? Well, you can thank God for giving you the knowledge and skill to do so. It helps, believe it or not, to keep you from going insane."

He smiled.

"As for the bar -- sure. I won't say that I'll get you a job, but I'll give you a place and see if they might pay you a bit more. As for the girlfriend -- all girlfriends are psycho sometimes. But she's not crazy enough to freak out because I'm teaching you how to speak German."

She smiled as he explained how he could be a surgeon, then the bar, and then a tilt of her head at his words. "Well being female I am going to say not all are psycho from time to time, but then again I find people get and give what they expect." not being judgemental but very matter of fact in her tone.

"Thanks for the bar, but" leaning back as the drinks were served and she took a sip of hers. "Where would you like to meet for the lesson's? The library I can pre-arrange I think to rent a room due to us having to speak, but if there was a place you'd rather do so then let me know."

He thought about that one, too.

"Well, since most languages are rather boring to learn for the first week or two, let's start out at the library. We can migrate to other places, like a coffee shop or even here or something once you learn enough to become conversational. Practical application in a distracting situation, that sort of thing."

"So the next night your free at the library at what time?" as she prepared to make the note in her planner, looking at him expectantly and a slow sly grin on her face. Really he was confident, not arrogant and there was something about him, she couldn't just put her finger on, but at that moment she decided his girl friend was a very lucky lady.

"And sure there isn't anything I can do for you in return for your instruction?" glancing at him as she wrote a note in her book.

He smiled.

"Wednesday night. I'm free from 8pm until around 3am or so. Any time between there should be fine."

"How long a session do you wish to do? I could make the library by 9." with a glance to see if that suited him or not. She took another sip, then licked the salt off her lips, and she cracked her neck. Then she blushed "Sorry I know that sounds bad but it really does make me feel better."

He gave her a smile, then chuckled softly.

"It's terrible for your spine. But that aside, meet me at the library by 9. We'll work until we get tired of it and go from there. Sound good?"

"Sounds good and actually I'm hyper flexible so it needs to be done." with a soft laugh at him. "I don't have time for gymnastics or dance anymore so when I get keyed up I don't have the natural release I use to." with a tilt of her head looking at him, "You've got the neatest eyes." said as a statement and not a "flirt". "Debating on picking up a martial arts class."