Page 12 of Mysterious Teacher : Arrival
Stunned, Sonya gaped at her. “You built this?”she said, trying to keep the incredulity out of her voice.
April giggled. “You’re not the first to react with such disbelief. Truth is, I didn’t build it entirely from scratch.” She set her hand on one portion of the machine. “My father bought me this and I tweaked it somewhat. I added this...”She brought her hand to another portion of the machine. “And then incorporated this function so that the blood is clean and ready for me.”
“This is all truly fascinating,” Sonya said.
“It’s unclear yet whether this has anything to do with my anemia, but the bright sunlight that is so pervasive in California blinds me. It’s impossible for me to go outside without sunglasses on, and on some days, even the darkest glasses aren’t enough. I can only stay outdoors for two to three hours. If I stay longer, my eyes tear up, they burn, my vision gets blurry and...well, I just avoid staying out too long altogether.”
“I can’t imagine how the two could be connected,” Sonya said.
April shrugged. “I know. I’ve spoken to a few doctors and have mentioned it to my father, but no one seems to think one thing has anything to do with the other.So, I avoid the sun as much as I can.”
April raised her hands out on either side of her and let them fall back to slap her hips. “Well, that’s it. That’s what I’m working on. This is my pet project.”
“Again,” Sonya said as she looked around the intriguing room. “Truly fascinating.”
“Why don’t you take your time and look around,” April said as she pulled off her smock and set it on her worktable. “I’ll go check on the roast beef and put the potatoes on the stove to warm them up.”
“Okay,” Sonya said.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
Alone in the red room, Sonya marveled at everything the young woman had accomplished. Her only conclusion was that the girl was obviously a genius. How else could someone so young do all this?
Seeing an open notebook on the stainless steel table, she went to it and glanced at April’s note. The complex formulas were far beyond what someone of April’s age would know.
“How am I to teach math to someone who can come up with this kind of formula?”
Intrigued by it all and eager to learn more about her new student, she turned to the door to go join April in the kitchen. She passed by the room where she’d napped and continued on to the main portion of the house.
“Need any help in here?”she said when she reached the large kitchen that was clearly meant to be staffed.
A large island was the central part of the room, with pots and pans of every conceivable shape and size hanging from a rack overhead. A counter lined the far wall, butting up against the large double door refrigerator. A gas stove took up much of the space to the right with a cast iron sink nearby.
“I have everything under control here,” April said as she stirred the warming mashed potatoes. “Oh...come to think of it, maybe you could set the table in the dining room. Not the large formal one. Just the small luncheonette just down that way.” She gestured with her head toward the left.
“It would be my pleasure.”
“You can grab plates from there.”Another swing of her head. “And the silverware is in there.”
But before Sonya could get her hands on anything at all, the doorbell rang.
“That’s strange,” April said. “It’s far too late for a social call.” She wiped her hands on a dishtowel.“I’ll go see who it is.”
“Why don’t you let me go and take care of this,” Sonya said, concerned that someone had made it past the gate and had managed to reach the front door.
“I can’t let you do that,” April said with a light laugh. “I didn’t even show you the layout of the house. You probably don’t know your way around yet.”
“I’m a quick study,” Sonya said with a chuckle. “I’m sure I can find my way.”
“But...”
“I insist,” Sonya said as she put a firm hand to April’s shoulder. “Now that I am here, not only as your tutor, but dare I say, as your caretaker – at least until your father returns – I will take care of such things.”
April smiled but it wasn’t quite enough to hide her concern for the late-night caller. “Wow. You really aren’t like my other tutors, are you? They would have been more than happy to let me deal with this on my own. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’ll be right back.”
“I should have dinner ready when you return.”
