will be Lake Havasu City. He’s renting a houseboat for us to stay on.”
“He’s very rich?” I whisper.
Edgard shrugs. He leans toward me and lowers his voice. “I think he hoarded money all his life. Then when his wife died a few years back, he realized he should have used his money to have fun with her when he could have. So, he just does things like this now. He doesn’t have family left, so he says he has adopted us.”
“That’s very sweet. Your English, it is very good,” I tell him.
“Thank you.” He bows his head. “We were required to speak English in medical school.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“There, I was. Here, for now, I wash dishes in a restaurant.” He smiles like this is not so bad.
“How long have you been in United States?”
“In
the
United States,” he corrects me. We don’t use definite articles like
the
in Iran and it is something I often forget. “Six months. I married an American nurse who was in the Peace Corps in my country.”
“What is this, Peace Corps?”
Edgard shrugs. “Mostly, it’s a bunch of do-gooders who help poor communities around the world. A bunch of hippies with long hair.”
Our conversation is interrupted by the sound of a guitar softly strumming. It is Danny, at the front of the table and sitting on its edge.
“He was in the Peace Corps, too,” Edgard whispers to me with a wink before leaning back and sitting upright.
“Let’s begin, friends. It looks like everyone’s here.”
“Except Eva,” call out the others. They share a laugh.
“Except Eva,” Danny agrees, setting his guitar at his side. “We have a new student joining us today. Let’s all say hello to Tamila.”
“Hello, Tamila,” they say in chorus. I feel very glad to be with such a friendly group. Maybe these people will be my friends. Maybe I will make jokes with them soon.
“Hello, it is very nice to meet you,” I respond. “Please, call me Tami.”
They introduce themselves. The old woman is Agata from Poland. There is Edgard from Peru; Josef from Czechoslovakia; and Nadia from Russia, who is pregnant-large and speaks very softly. She looks sad or shy, I cannot tell which.
“And here is Eva,” announces Agata with a flourish, just as the introductions conclude and a light-featured woman enters wearing the shortest skirt I have ever seen. She carries a tray of some type of dessert that smells delicious. Agata turns to me. “Eva is from Germany, and she is
not
good girl.”
The class laughs, even Danny and Nadia. Eva grins at me. The grin reminds me of the woman from the airplane, the one who was twice divorced and liked the tongues of Persian men. I will need to be careful around Eva.
“But I make good
stollen,
no?” She passes the tray to Edgard, who takes a helping and passes it along to Josef. I enjoy hearing their appreciative murmurs as they taste her
stollen
.
As the passing of the treat continues, Danny turns his attention back to me. “When we get a new student, we have that person tell us a little bit about themselves and then we take turns asking questions. Only if you’re comfortable. Do you feel up for that?”
Up for that. My nerves shake inside my body as I push back my chair and stand. I take a deep breath. I tell them I am twenty-seven years old and I am from Iran and I am visiting my sister and her husband in America. I say I am very pleased to meet you all. I pronounce my words carefully. My nerves relax as I talk because I realize from their encouraging expressions that each of them has had to speak like this in front of the class at some point or other.
“Thank you, Tamila.” Danny compliments my diction and gestures for me to sit. “Now, who would like to ask the first question?”
Eva raises her hand very quickly. The whole class laughs. “Not you, Eva,” chuckles Danny.
“Darn.” Eva snaps her fingers as she says this.
Darn.
I need to find out about that word, too. I write it down in my notebook.
“Nadia, why
“He’s very rich?” I whisper.
Edgard shrugs. He leans toward me and lowers his voice. “I think he hoarded money all his life. Then when his wife died a few years back, he realized he should have used his money to have fun with her when he could have. So, he just does things like this now. He doesn’t have family left, so he says he has adopted us.”
“That’s very sweet. Your English, it is very good,” I tell him.
“Thank you.” He bows his head. “We were required to speak English in medical school.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“There, I was. Here, for now, I wash dishes in a restaurant.” He smiles like this is not so bad.
“How long have you been in United States?”
“In
the
United States,” he corrects me. We don’t use definite articles like
the
in Iran and it is something I often forget. “Six months. I married an American nurse who was in the Peace Corps in my country.”
“What is this, Peace Corps?”
Edgard shrugs. “Mostly, it’s a bunch of do-gooders who help poor communities around the world. A bunch of hippies with long hair.”
Our conversation is interrupted by the sound of a guitar softly strumming. It is Danny, at the front of the table and sitting on its edge.
“He was in the Peace Corps, too,” Edgard whispers to me with a wink before leaning back and sitting upright.
“Let’s begin, friends. It looks like everyone’s here.”
“Except Eva,” call out the others. They share a laugh.
“Except Eva,” Danny agrees, setting his guitar at his side. “We have a new student joining us today. Let’s all say hello to Tamila.”
“Hello, Tamila,” they say in chorus. I feel very glad to be with such a friendly group. Maybe these people will be my friends. Maybe I will make jokes with them soon.
“Hello, it is very nice to meet you,” I respond. “Please, call me Tami.”
They introduce themselves. The old woman is Agata from Poland. There is Edgard from Peru; Josef from Czechoslovakia; and Nadia from Russia, who is pregnant-large and speaks very softly. She looks sad or shy, I cannot tell which.
“And here is Eva,” announces Agata with a flourish, just as the introductions conclude and a light-featured woman enters wearing the shortest skirt I have ever seen. She carries a tray of some type of dessert that smells delicious. Agata turns to me. “Eva is from Germany, and she is
not
good girl.”
The class laughs, even Danny and Nadia. Eva grins at me. The grin reminds me of the woman from the airplane, the one who was twice divorced and liked the tongues of Persian men. I will need to be careful around Eva.
“But I make good
stollen,
no?” She passes the tray to Edgard, who takes a helping and passes it along to Josef. I enjoy hearing their appreciative murmurs as they taste her
stollen
.
As the passing of the treat continues, Danny turns his attention back to me. “When we get a new student, we have that person tell us a little bit about themselves and then we take turns asking questions. Only if you’re comfortable. Do you feel up for that?”
Up for that. My nerves shake inside my body as I push back my chair and stand. I take a deep breath. I tell them I am twenty-seven years old and I am from Iran and I am visiting my sister and her husband in America. I say I am very pleased to meet you all. I pronounce my words carefully. My nerves relax as I talk because I realize from their encouraging expressions that each of them has had to speak like this in front of the class at some point or other.
“Thank you, Tamila.” Danny compliments my diction and gestures for me to sit. “Now, who would like to ask the first question?”
Eva raises her hand very quickly. The whole class laughs. “Not you, Eva,” chuckles Danny.
“Darn.” Eva snaps her fingers as she says this.
Darn.
I need to find out about that word, too. I write it down in my notebook.
“Nadia, why
Similar Books
