The Lotus and the Flame - Part One

Farida looked at her reflection in the mirror and felt a small pebble of discontent land in the pit of her stomach. Today was her first day back university and she wasn?t looking forward to it at all. Anyone else should have been excited that they were embarking on their third and final year but Farida felt so stressed out she would have hidden and not gone in at all if she could. Although her grades at the end of the second year were not dire, they were still not as high as she had expected. To anyone else her grades would have been over and above what they would have expected but for Farida, they were simply not good enough. Putting on some face cream and her obligatory eyeliner, Farida stood up from the chair in front of her dressing table and walked over to the wardrobe where her hijab and jilbab were hung. She had decided the night before to have a word with her tutor Mrs Barrington about her grades in the hope that something could be put into place to ensure that she could get her marks up high enough so she could graduate with a first. She so wanted to make everyone proud of her, Naeem and her parents, but more importantly she didn?t want to let herself down and as she walked down stairs she forced herself to remain positive. If she just went to see Mrs Barrington today after her first lecture she was sure that something could be sorted out. Arriving at university, Farida met up with her friends and made her way to the lecture theatre. Once seated she took out her pad and pen ready to take notes and buckle down right from the off, she was determined to start as she meant to go on. Anderson Bishop strode into the university like a man on a mission. As he pressed the button on the lift that would take him to his first lecture, he was aware of the appraising glances he was being given. At six foot four and from Jamaican descent, he cut a formidable figure and looked younger than his forty-four years. He had been drafted in to take over from the previous lecturer and to ensure that the student?s grades reflected the universities reputation and istanbul travesti he was determined to do just that. Reaching the lecture room, he took a deep breath, opened the door and walked in. Immediately there was a hush and he liked that. He liked his students to feel his presence and air of authority before he had even spoken. It could be said that he was a power tripper, a control freak even and that suited him just fine. Anderson Bishop was in control of every area of his life, both professional and personal. Farida looked up from her notepad and was momentarily taken aback. Like all the other students she had been expecting to see Mrs Barrington and instead here was a big Jamaican guy with an air of self-assurance that immediately put Farida on edge. She had been planning on having a heart to heart with Mrs Barrington today and now all those plans seemed to have been well and truly scuppered. ?Good morning, I am Anderson Bishop and I am going to be your new English Lit lecturer for your final year. Unfortunately, Mrs Barrington has been signed off sick and isn?t expected to return. Now, I have looked through your grades and although they are not dire, I can see that for some, there is room for improvement and I can assure you that we are here to work together and get you the degree that you are aspiring to achieve.? He coughed, giving them all time to digest what he had just said, ?Unlike a lot of tutors, I have an open door policy which means that if I am not in lectures, I will be in my office and I am available at all times. For me, there is nothing worse than tutors who have set times and dates. If you have a problem on Monday, then I don?t see the point in you having to wait till Thursday to discuss it. So, let?s make a start.? Farida tried hard to concentrate on the lecture and avidly took notes but she was still feeling uneasy and tense. She needed to speak to someone about her grades but she hadn?t been banking on it being some guy she didn?t even know. Her stomach churned at the prospect of having istanbul travesti to discuss her fears with a tutor she barely knew but she realised as the lecture ended that if she was going to achieve her aims she was going to have to put all those fears aside and bite the bullet so to speak. As the room emptied, Farida pushed her notebook in her bag and stood up. She made dua to Allah to give her the strength to approach this guy and ask him for his help. As Anderson snapped his briefcase shut and was ready to leave the room, Farida caught up with him. ?Excuse me; I was wondering if I could have a chat with you about my grades?? Anderson turned to her and smiled, ?Sure, you can come to my room now if you like or is that not convenient?? Farida swallowed, she wasn?t ready to see him right now but she knew that if she put it off, it would just play on her mind and she figured she may as well get the whole thing over and done with. She nodded, ?Now is fine.? Anderson opened the door and stepped aside, ?Ladies first.? Once in his room, Anderson sat down and pulled a chair out for Farida. ?Take a seat and what?s your name? Just so I can get your details up.? ?Farida Akhtar,? Farida took a seat and felt her cheeks start to burn. She had been very lucky up to now to have always had female tutors since she started university. She wasn?t used to being in the presence of a man all alone and there was something about Anderson that made her feel nervous. She watched as he logged into his computer and found her details before turning to her. ?So, what can I do for you?? He asked his mouth opening into a wide smile. ?It?s my grades. Over the last two years, I haven?t really been doing as well as I had hoped and I need to get them up to speed.? Anderson nodded, ?What is your aim?? ?I was thinking of a 1 st actually,? Farida replied and watched as Anderson's eyebrows arched. ?Really? That?s pretty ambitious? Farida nodded, ?Yes, I am ambitious.? Anderson let out a slow whistle and turned back to his computer and ran his finger down istanbul travesti the screen. ?I?ll be honest, to get at 1 st hons at this stage of the game you need to be hitting marks consistently in the 87 to 90 each assignment, however, if you write a dissertation that is worthy of a 1 st it is totally doable but like I said, it is going to take a lot of work on your part and total concentration, being focused on your goals from now on needs to be your key aim. May I ask why such a result is so important? ?Because I want to go on to do my PGCE and Masters and I guess I?m a perfectionist? I will do whatever it takes. I was told that I was easily first material and I appreciate the fact my grades slipped was totally my fault but if I worked hard, surely I could pull it back. So what if I start a dissertation?? Anderson leant back in his chair and tapped his pen against his teeth. ?I haven?t had a chance to read anyone?s work yet, I have only looked at the end of year results. What I can do, is look at your work from last year and if you start a dissertation that could pull all this back for you.? Farida felt a wash of relief flood over her, ?Thank you, I really appreciate that.? Anderson smiled, ?No problem. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?? Farida shook her head and picked her bag up from off the floor, ?No that?s all.? Anderson looked up at the clock and Farida saw this as a cue for her to leave. ?I will email you Farida once I have had chance to look over your work and don?t look so worried, I am sure you will be fine.? On his way home Anderson couldn?t stop thinking of Farida. Her eyes had done something to him that he could never have imagined, he knew it was a professional no-no to find a student attractive but he had never been one to follow the rules. It could be said, that Anderson was definitely a law unto himself. Unlocking the door to his apartment, he tossed his briefcase on the sofa and went into the kitchen and immediately went to the fridge for a beer. Snapping the top off with an opener, he took a long hard slug and leant against the kitchen work top. He hadn?t been lying when he had said that he could help Farida achieve her aims, but as he drained his bottle of beer, he was already concocting a plan. Farida arrived home and took her shoes off at the door allowing her body to sag with sweet relief.