Better Late Than Never

Annie ran across campus as if her feet were on fire, but it was futile. She groaned as she saw the door to her next class close soundly. She slowed her pace and now walked with resignation. She sighed as she touched the doorknob and then hesitated.

Professor Xia was going to kill her, quite possibly, before the semester's end. She didn't mean to anger him so much, truly! But being as it was her first year attending college in China after having grown up in the United States, she struggled to find her way around most places. It didn't help that she naturally struggled with time management when in an English speaking country, much less in a country where she was still working to become fluent in the language! She was usually running behind on a good day. Now, she seemed perpetually late, much to her Mandarin Professor's dismay.

Dr. Xia, or Xia Guang, as his name was written in Chinese, was not a man of patience. He was a strict but fair teacher. He expected diligence, dedication, and yes, punctuality of his students. Annie was determined to learn Mandarin to a level of fluency and she was diligent in her school work, but punctuality was not her strong suit. Her father used to tell her that she would be late for her own funeral one day—but Professor Xia did not find humor in the situation. And he might end up being the reason for her funeral if she didn't improve! In an irritated tone of voice he had informed her that the Chinese did not make jokes about death. Annie had quickly apologized for her cultural misstep, but it seemed she'd made a bad first impression on the first day of class, and it just continued to get worse.

Suddenly the door her hand had rested on opened and she stumbled forward. She tripped in her heels and knew she was about to face plant in the floor, when she collided into a firm wall with arms that surrounded her.

She gasped for breath and slowly raised her eyes to meet those of Professor Xia. His own eyes were widened in shock and dismay. She continued to inhale short and shallow breathes as she realized that he had caught her in his arms and she was pressed against his chest. He set her back away from him and glared at her.

"What's wrong with you? Were you going to stand behind the door daydreaming all day? And why can't you manage to stay on your feet? He asked; a jab in reference to the very first time that they made each other's acquaintance.

"I am so sorry!" She whispered. "Truly! Professor Xia, I didn't mean to be late! But I didn't sleep well and I over slept my alarm and—"she rushed to explain.

"That's irrelevant! You know that I insist on punctuality. I'm going to start docking your grade every time that you are late in the future. I've a mind to do worse than that!" He threatened.

"Professor Xia, please! I'll do better, I promise! Please don't be angry with me!" She coaxed him, with a soft voice and big, puppy dog eyes, the way she used to look at her father when she was in trouble. She reached out with both hands and gently tugged at his arm. He sighed heavily and his breath turned ragged for a moment.

"Sit down, Annie!" He said just above a whisper. For some reason his voice sounded strained. No matter, Annie felt relieved that he was allowing her to sit in on the lesson despite her tardiness. His rule was that late students would not be admitted.

The class was over soon and Annie rose to leave with everyone.

"Just a moment!" Professor Xia called out. "Miss Walker, see me before leaving!"

Annie groaned. Clearly her day wasn't getting any better.