Until They Met

Until They Met

Until They Met

Written by:

Jennifer Sim Sing Ee
Kunaselani a/p Somasundram

Illustrated by: Li Ya Lan

Authorship

Jennifer is currently teaching English to upper
secondary students at SMK Tung Hua, Sibu,
Sarawak. She obtained her first degree in University
Malaysia Sarawak. She is at present pursuing her
Master’s degree in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Kunaselani A/P Somasundram is an English
teacher who is currently teaching in SK Ulu Sungai
Arip, Selangau. She has two years’ experience
teaching primary pupils. She is pursuing her
Master’s Degree in TESL in Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia.

Li Ya Lan is an illustrator based in Putian, Fujian,
China.

Twilight

The setting sun cast elongated shadows of everything on the ground.
Carol threw her drained body into her swivel chair, letting herself spin,
staring blankly into the warm, orange evening sky. She was in the
sunset year of her teaching career.

Teaching was her afterthought. Working in an administration line
was her first choice. Meagre earning of her parents forbade her from
pursuing her dream. However, as she picked up the pace, her
passion towards teaching grew. For once, she was a fervent English
teacher who willingly devoted most of her time planning her lessons.

And then, Covid-19 struck. For almost 3 years, teaching shifted to the
virtual world. Despite being overwhelmed by the piling clerical work,
Carol gave all out to adapt to the new norm.

Then, there came more repetitive data fillings. There landed the ever-
changing policies. All those fabricated students’ performance reports.
All those red tapes.

Being a teacher swiftly turned a torture for her. Smile ceased to
appear on her face. The striking sparkle which used to occupy her
lovely eyes was nowhere to be seen. Worn-out, beaten-up, she
was. Her body emanated an aura of devastation. She did not
expect darkness would befall her that soon.

“Retirement. 2023.”

The only thought that would restore the shine in her bloodshot
eyes.

“Enough is enough!” Carol sighed, burying her face in her palms.
Worried about his dejected wife, her husband put down his phone
and came up to her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Urgh! This paperwork! And the students. They’re less attentive.
And demotivated. I’ve to teach everything from scratch. I feel
totally demoralised!” she complained, wearily.

“Well…”
“Ding.” The notification ring disrupted the couple’s tête-à-tête.
It’s a Telegram message from Dave.
“Teacher, I got 76% for my English! Hope I’ve not let you down.”
She found the long-lost solace in his words. The corners of her
lips turned upward. Her mind drifted back to the year she first met
Dave…

The lost soul

Carol was sipping her hot espresso at her desk when she noticed a
turmoil at the discipline master’s office. “Ah! It’s him again!” she
murmured while watching the heated altercation between her
colleague and the boy from afar.

His name was Dave.
During lessons, Dave was constantly away with the fairies;
sometimes, he would suddenly whine and whimper for no reason. He
took pride in playing truants and disrupting lessons. Boisterous.
Defiant. Indolent. So he was labelled, yet he never seemed to be
bothered.
Until that day.

It was the first week the students returned to the face-to-face
learning at school after more than 2 years. During the English
lesson, Dave, being his usual annoying self, took a crack at
upsetting his classmates and his English teacher, Carol. However,
instead of being expelled from the class as usual, he was detained
after school.

After giving Dave her piece of mind, which she knew he had paid no
heed to, Carol squinted, her gaze fixated on Dave. “Now, it’s only
two of us. Tell me, Dave, what do you really want?” The “teacher’s
intuition” which she had developed after teaching teenagers for three
decades told her that behind his façade of defiance, lay a pathetic
boy yearning for attention.

Dave was slightly taken aback. That was the first time an adult
cared to listen to him. Something pulled at his heartstrings. And that
was the first time Carol saw Dave’s eyes sparkle.

Instinctively, he let down his guard and opened up to Carol; quietly,
she listened. His mum passed on when he was 8. His dad had a
new family. The father and son were estranged. He was left in the
care of his octogenarian grandmother. He felt abandoned, and lost.

A gem uncovered

“Help me, teacher. I want to learn English.”
And that’s when the bond was established between Carol and her lost
boy.
Carol discovered that Dave could hardly tell the meaning of the
simplest English words. His English sentence structures were flawed.
His pronunciations required a plethora of corrections. It was a tough
mission, no doubt, but Carol persevered. And Dave too. He
approached Carol on Telegram whenever he had doubts. Even
though she had lots on her plate, she never left the boy unattended.

Their relentless efforts eventually paid off.

In months, Dave managed to complete the workbook of hundreds of
pages assigned over a fortnight despite having to take up a part
time job at a night market. One step at a time, he climbed up the
ladder.
A year later, he made it to the top of his class. He represented his
school in a national competition. He would share every of his
glorious moment with Carol. He admitted that he dared not let
himself wind down perchance he should disappoint her.

Until They met

“ I thank God for sending you to me, teacher.” There came another
message.
The edge of Carol’s eyes crinkled. Tears welled up in her tired eyes.
Until they met, Dave had never thought he could one day be the
crème de la crème of his class; until they met, it had never dawned
on Carol that every little pebble which she dropped into each of her
students life might create ripples that spread and stretch over a
lifetime.

Amidst the pitch-dark night sky, Carol spotted some shimmers, the
shimmers that reminded her why she had stayed.

To show the lost ones the right paths, one at a time.