Chapter 2 Her name

"Shazlyne Kiende. Native Kenyan unlike some foreigners I see trying to behave like they know my country. And someone with a sense of fashion unlike some people. I am eagerly waiting for the end of the semester." She then dropped the mic into my waiting hand. I did not know whether to be impressed or angered by her and her insolence. Somehow the only thing my brain could process was how her voice sounded like many water upon my hungry soul. Damn! I also couldn't wait for the semester to end for an entirely different reason.

I walked back to my desk taking long strides to close the distance faster while trying to gather my thoughts together. The only thing on my mind was how much I struggled to keep my eyes on her eyes when she spoke instead of on her lips. It was the first day of the semester and I could already see more than a hundred ways in which these semesters could go wrong. I was already used to Kenyans being racist towards me especially students in my campus and somehow that did not bother me but the walk without a word made it seem like I did.

"Beautiful but shamelessly rude. How stunning. I appreciate the diversity in our community and believe that everyone, regardless of their background, adds unique value to our shared experiences. It's essential to celebrate our differences and learn from one another. I'm proud of my American heritage, just as others are proud of their own cultural backgrounds. Let's foster understanding and respect for each other's perspectives, creating a harmonious environment for everyone to coexist peacefully." I was leaning on my desk while I spoke these words. My eyes were focused solely on her taking in whether my speech had made any impact but all I could see was her rolling her eyes at me again. Goddamn it. This girl was going to be the death of me. I could already see all the ways in which this would pan out. I forced myself to tear my eyes off of her and look at the rest of the class. They were all looking at me as if I had just flushed in cold air into the room. I knew for a fact that all the buildings in the campus were climate controlled and that alone was enough to know no such thing had happened.

"Let me make it clear that I will not allow any racial segregation in my class. All cultures are amazing and should be celebrated. Now I give you five minutes to draft any questions you have and pass it forward and the person at the front will drop them right here in this basket. I will answer them at the end of class." I then went around and sat behind the desk and then started playing a YouTube video that introduced my lesson. I was fond of using videos to explain things simply because students enjoyed it and I was also lazy about giving long lectures on anything. I always assumed that the same way I easily got tired of a class was the same way they also did. I also took time in the five minutes I had given them to familiarize myself with the topic that I had already read prior to this class and I had already taught it several times over. I could see from the corner of my eye students putting the questions in the basket that I had placed at the top of the desk. I knew that I would see that question somewhere in all that had been put there.

Once the video was done I stood and introduced my topic for the day. I had always loved being someone that people could depend on when it came to gaining knowledge. Being a lecturer gave me that fulfillment. Once again I felt appreciative of my father's behavior of getting me to a class even when I did not appreciate it. I could not have become as accomplished if he had not. I took my tablet that was already connected to the screen and started my lecture. I enjoyed writing down things while I taught. It made me feel like I looked more sophisticated and knowledgeable. The class went by quite fast and before I knew it, a little notification popped up on my tablet reminding me that time was up. It was interesting that I did not notice how much time had flown. What was even more interesting was the fact that I had been able to keep my eyes to myself and the rest of the class and not just her. The moment she popped into my head I found my eyes hunger just to lay on her again.

"So we gone tick the register while you leave then I will answer one question and we will call it a lesson. We meet again next week." I stated before setting my tablet to the register then passed it to the students and waited for them to sign their attendance while I went through the questions that were in the basket. I knew that they were just the obvious questions that younglings asked yet I only had one question that I wanted to answer. I hoped my hand would land on it first before any other and luck was on my side. Two of my favorite questions were written on the same piece of paper and I was holding it. I only had enough time for those two questions anyway. The handwriting was a sort of scrawl that I saw with most of the boy students I taught so I was halfway sure that it was a guy that had written it. I did not care however since it didn't matter to me that much.

"Mmh this questions are quite interesting. Why do you present as a man? There's also another one. What's your sexual orientation?" The mention of that had me catch movement at the corner of my eye. It was her. She was interested to get to know my sexuality, yet I was so sure that she was straight. I smiled at myself and decided to answer it jokingly.

"First of all, this is a women's suit so I do not present as a man. Secondly the hair is cut short because maintenance of long hair is just too much energy that I do not think I have enough to deal with it. I feel comfortable this way. What was the second question again?" I asked letting my eyes train on her again.