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Monday, April 20, 2015

Tales of the Shokuinshitsu (The Exciting Conclusion)

Tales of the Shokuinshitsu


Volume 3: It Melts Like Sugar In The Rain

     Today something quite magical happened. The person who has been the bane of my work existence took another knee today to explain something to me. She started with her usual insincere apology about not telling me earlier. Then she told me something that she will never have to apologize for: She is no longer an English teacher. I couldn't believe it. She had hurt herself, or suffered some kind on injury that meant she wasn't able to come to work for a while, and those were the most refreshing days of my time here since those all too precious first few weeks - before I met her. I wasn't happy about her injury of course. I don't wish injury or illness to those I don't like but rather for them to carry on their ill will elsewhere. In any case, I was pretty content at the thought of simply recharging my harassment batteries, but when she laid that on me, I was all kinds of happy. Naturally I made a note of it in the journal and I wanted to share that with you right now:

3:10 pm
She took to her condescending knee and told me that although she's a staff member here still, she doesn't teach English and will instead work with various handicapped students at other schools in the area. I was really done listening by that point and in those few seconds after she uttered the words, "not an English teacher," I wanted to stop time, or maybe just slow it down enough, to the point where I could have a small party atop the mountain of her failure as an English teacher, at the end of which we could light the hills on fire, basking in the the amber glow, knowing that whatever demon had up until now forsaken the foreign language department was enjoying the sweet release of death. I wanted to do that. Instead I said, "Okay," and quietly, happily, carried on about my business. 

 Let's have a goddamn party.

-J


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