One day, an unknown teacher walked into our class. She introduced herself, saying that she would be the substitute teacher for a few months because our math teacher had personal issues that he needed to be away for a while.
Our
Math teacher was fun; most of us enjoyed his class, so it was a bummer.
However, we were not mean students; we just went with it. It was obvious to me
that this teacher, Miss Sarah, was motivated. She was young, and although she
didn’t have the charm of our teacher and her classes were dry, she tried. She
encouraged us with our tasks, and she was friendly and helpful.
One
day, she told us that we had an upcoming big test, and she wouldn’t be here the
next semester since she was only a substitute. This test was important because
it was about everything she taught us. With that, she announced that she had
special gifts for students who got full marks on this test.
I
would bury this story if I suck at Math, but not to brag (of course, it means I
am bragging); I was always good at Math; it was my favorite subject. I forgot
about this because it was a while before we finally took the test. So, after
the test, Miss Sarah happily announced that she had two winners, a classmate
and me. She gave us a small box with a red ribbon each. I was a stoic kid and
didn’t have many expressions except the standard thank you, which I feel bad
about now, but Miss Sarah was very excited; she said many good things and
congratulated us. I am grateful my friend had better expressions and responses
to match that. After that, she was gone.
I
opened the box at home to find a golden, expensive fountain pen. I recognized
the tip because I saw my father used this type of pen before. Gold was not my
color, but it was nice and classy. However, I didn’t know how to use that or
had any access to ink. At that time, I didn’t have anyone to ask. My dad worked
overseas, and my mom was busy every day I barely saw her.
The
day after, a few classmates asked us about the prizes, to which my friend
scoffed, “It is a useless pen, because it doesn’t have ink!” It was followed by
more questions and confirmations, and those who asked took the same stance and
mocked the prize.
I
told them it was a fountain pen; the ink came separately, but it didn’t help. I
admit it was probably not a suitable gift for fourth graders; even ordinary
pens were something we barely used; we used pencils for almost everything. Even
though we had the resources to fill it, we were not sophisticated enough to use
it.
However,
I cherished the gift; it was probably the first time I received something new
for myself. I kept that pen for years, and every time I looked at it, I felt
terrible about how enthusiastic Miss Sarah was and how she tried for us, only
to be mocked by my friend (fortunately not in front of her) and to see my stoic
face. I hoped she continued to be passionate about what she was doing.
I
don’t like to send out newsletters too often, just in case it clogs your email,
and I know it’s annoying. I want to drop by and am happy to announce my new
book, All Ora: The Boiling Point, is live on Amazon. Thank you so much for your
support.
My first book, In Ora: The Land of the Superior, will be free on 1st December 2023, but I don’t know what time zone Amazon uses.
It remains a mystery for me because I could never, ever, publish my books on the dates I want. I try to match my time zone with Amazon’s and use the small window to get the same date. I wish to publish it on 29th November for various reasons. And guess what? I traveled back in time!
My submission
date was correct, the 29th, but the book’s publication date was recorded as the
28th. (How? Am I actually a time traveler? Why am I doing this? I should check
the winning lottery number and return to yesterday to buy it! So much for a
fourth-grader math champion!)
Thank
you!
