Page 2 of Mysterious Teacher : Arrival
“Please,” April said as she waved Sonya in. “Do come in.”
“I’m supposed to meet with Dr.Ang,” Sonya said as she entered the home that was silent and still.
The front foyer was inviting with its hardwood floors, its wallpapered walls and ornate wood trims. Sonya immediately felt at home in the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Yes,” April said. “I know. Father is off to one of his meetings in Europe.”
“Are you alone here?”
She nodded. “I arrived at our family summer house last week with my tutor.” She shrugged as she led the way to an informal sitting room. “With Father away, he thought it best that my tutor accompanies me.”
She went to the window to pull the heavy green drapes back, flooding the room with sunlight. Two rose colored sofas faced one another while two yellow floral armchairs joined them around the large coffee table in the center. In the far corner was an elegant side table and tall curio cabinet.
“And what happened to that tutor?”Sonya said as she sat on the rose-colored sofa.
Again, April shrugged. “I wish I knew. We were here for three nights...maybe four...and then, suddenly, I got up one morning and she was gone.”
“Gone?”
“That’s right. Not a note. Not a call. Not a word. Just gone.”
“That’s unusual, isn’t it?”Sonya said, a little concerned about the situation.
“I looked everywhere I could think to look, but I could not find a clue to where she could have gone. I finally had to conclude that she abandoned me.” She looked pointedly at me. “I’m not that bad of a student, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t understand why she would leave. And my father really does pay handsomely. It is quite curious, if you ask me.”
“Have you told the authorities about her disappearance?”
She waved the question away. “They’re all the way in town and couldn’t be bothered coming all the way out here to look for a runaway tutor.”
Sonya looked around. The home was tastefully decorated, with expensive paintings on the walls, handwoven rugs on the floor and elegant furniture. But there was dust on the coffee table, the hint of a few dust bunnies under the sofa facing her and grime on the windows.
“Don’t you have anyone to help you...well, tend to the property?”
April shook her head. “The house has been closed since last summer. Father wanted to have our staff come back to reopen it, but they were all unavailable.” She looked at me, her eyes suddenly sad. “The war has been hard on everyone in more ways than one. The horrors of what happened over there are just unimaginable, and now, with the war finally over...well, it seems that many strong, able-bodied men have not returned, leaving us shorthanded.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s not all bad,” she said, bringing a smile back to her lips. “I do have my pets here to keep me company. And, of course, I do have my work to keep me busy.”
“Work?”Sonya said. “I thought you were a student?”
“I am,” she said with a beaming grin. “But I do have a few projects that I like to spend time on. And being out here at the summer house makes it easier to do so.” She leaned in closer, as if sharing a secret. “There are no prying eyes out here. Back in the city, it’s virtually impossible to get anything done without a barrage of questions from inquisitive neighbors.”
“Oh,” Sonya said. “That sounds very interesting. What kind of projects are you working on?”
April clasped her hands together and squealed with delight. “Projects that I’m passionate about. Projects that keep me up at night as I think through every aspect of it. It’s all about...”
The phone rang.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said as she turned to the side table to answer the phone. “Hello. Oh, Father! I’m so happy you called.”
She wrapped the telephone wire around her fingers as she listened to him. “Yes. Yes. She’s right here,” she said after a moment. “All right. Yes. I look forward to seeing you, too. I love you, Father.”
She held the phone out a moment before setting it down. “Father is tied up in Europe and won’t be able to be here for a few days still. He would like to conduct the interview over the phone, if that’s all right with you.”
“That’s perfectly all right.” Sonya stood and went to the side table.
“I’ll go make some tea,” April said on her way to the door. “It’s usually Wanda, our maid, who does such things, but...well...like I mentioned earlier; since the war, it’s been impossible to find adequate help.” She let out an uncomfortable giggle and headed out.
