I had pleasant bookends to the weekend. I met two favourite Book Club members in the Melbourne CBD. On Friday it was Selena, a brilliant young woman who, as well as doing amazingly at maths and science, drew delicate pictures I would have paid for when she arrived at our school as a twelve year old from China, wrote better essays in my Year 8 class than native English speakers and was one of my beloved Nerd Pack who graced my lunchtime book club from Year 7 to 10, when I lost her to Senior Campus.
I was putting money for a CD into the case of a very good busker in Bourke St when she called out to me. I was shopping for my last gifts for a birthday lunch on Sunday and she was free till 7.00 pm, so we went for a cuppa next door to Target and caught up.
Much of it was “Whatever happened to...?” and the rest about our current reading. I learned that another of my Nerd Pack is studying veterinary science and his younger brother(not a book clubber, but in my class, and whom I remember with affection) married his high school sweetheart and is now a father! She mentioned the older brother of one of my Western Chances scholars and I told her he was going to Melbourne Uni, where she is a final year Mechanical Engineering student, so she said she would get in touch and show him around. She has been doing robotics and running engineering camps, though she said this would be her last year.
And then we talked about books! What else?
Yesterday I was on my way home from that birthday lunch when there was another “Hi, Miss!” This time it was Milana, another book clubber, now in Year 10 and school captain. Milana, another of my Western Chances scholars, was on her way home from drama class. She is amazingly gifted - drama, figure skating, folk dancing, singing, writing, drawing, playing the keyboard and all her subjects at school. Well, maths is her weakest subject, but her teacher assured me she was fine, just not top of the class. She asked for maths tutoring as part of her scholarship anyway. This meeting was shorter, as we both had trains to catch, but a pleasure to see her anyway.
I miss my kids! And the library that helped me meet them...
I was putting money for a CD into the case of a very good busker in Bourke St when she called out to me. I was shopping for my last gifts for a birthday lunch on Sunday and she was free till 7.00 pm, so we went for a cuppa next door to Target and caught up.
Much of it was “Whatever happened to...?” and the rest about our current reading. I learned that another of my Nerd Pack is studying veterinary science and his younger brother(not a book clubber, but in my class, and whom I remember with affection) married his high school sweetheart and is now a father! She mentioned the older brother of one of my Western Chances scholars and I told her he was going to Melbourne Uni, where she is a final year Mechanical Engineering student, so she said she would get in touch and show him around. She has been doing robotics and running engineering camps, though she said this would be her last year.
And then we talked about books! What else?
Yesterday I was on my way home from that birthday lunch when there was another “Hi, Miss!” This time it was Milana, another book clubber, now in Year 10 and school captain. Milana, another of my Western Chances scholars, was on her way home from drama class. She is amazingly gifted - drama, figure skating, folk dancing, singing, writing, drawing, playing the keyboard and all her subjects at school. Well, maths is her weakest subject, but her teacher assured me she was fine, just not top of the class. She asked for maths tutoring as part of her scholarship anyway. This meeting was shorter, as we both had trains to catch, but a pleasure to see her anyway.
I miss my kids! And the library that helped me meet them...
Hi Sue - it sounds as though you do - as they obviously miss you ... great that they call out to you in Melbourne ... fun to read and I can feel the happiness in your words. So pleased for you all - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hilary! Yes, I was very happy to meet both young women again. And they were pleased to see me too, because they saw me first and greeted me.
ReplyDeleteThat is lovely, Sue. You obviously hold a special place in their hearts.
ReplyDeleteThanks, AJ! And they hold a speial place in mine too. 🙂
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