Ophelia tugged at her rather tight-fitting blouse for the twentieth time. It had fit just fine at the end of the school year, she thought. She sighed, looking at her rather rotund mid-section, uncomfortably trapped in a prison of buttons. She always hated that most of her weight was distributed there.
At the end of a school year, she still had her boyfriend of two years, she thought. Sadly, with the start of summer, things had started to crumble. She tried to blame it on compatibility. This is what she got for dating an Aquarius, she told herself. Far too spontaneous and free-spirited. She had loved his mind, the way he thought. He had been a gifted Classics professor with many lofty theories, a great compliment to her eclectic interests in Astrology. He was so out there, and yet so deep at the same time. But, he was ready for their relationship to take the next step when she was not. Oh, she knew he had thought very deeply about it, just much too fast for her to keep up. That was it.
No, she kept thinking, it was more than that. True, he had loved every inch of her, even as those inches had slowly increased. But, he wanted so much more out of life, and she just was not ready to give up her own dreams to satisfy his wild ideas. She was surprised how quickly things spiraled out of control after that. He had left to enjoy the world without her, and she had turned to her pantry as her only comfort. Only now did she realize, how generous her only "friend" this summer had been to her.
That had not been where it all came from, she knew. Over the years, teaching at Buttercombe she had packed on the pounds due to their delicious catering, generous portions, and free grocery delivery services. She had indulged in the Buttercombe "lifestyle," but had always been in denial of it until now. Without him to tell her how beautiful she still was, she did not know how she could handle the judgement from the other teachers and students. Oh sure, she had heard some whispers here or there, but had ignored them because of him.
Oh, but that was silly she thought. Since when had Ophelia Sevalle ever needed a man to tell her she was beautiful? Certainly not in high school or college when she was teased. She had ignored them all and showed them up when she graduated with honors. Besides, she was thirty-four years old. Since when did the opinion of a spoiled sixteen-year-old matter to her? With a new-found confidence, she was ready to begin yet another new school year.
As the students filed in, she checked her outfit once more. It was snug, but not too noticeable, not like how she had stuffed herself in a skirt that was from six-months ago. As the students filed in, she took note of the new faces, and she could always tell who was new. She was trying to gauge which ones could be potential trouble. Not that that mattered to her. She always believed in starting with a fresh slate and giving everyone a chance, even those who had crossed her in years past. Ophelia was not one to hold a grudge. She took a seat at her desk and began to read off the names of the students, trying her best to remember the names with the faces. She was quick, and went straight to business, handing out the syllabi to the students.
"Now then, for those of you new to Buttercombe," she began, "I'm Miss Sevalle. You are here for Astrology, correct?" She paused, waiting for the one or two who had gotten lost and were in the wrong room. Such was always the routine. "Now, if you check your syllabus, on the first page, you will note my office hours and contact information. Do not be a stranger, and always ask for help when you need it. That being said, I'm not here to hold your hand. We will be doing some heavy work, and I expect you to take the time to really work with it."
She noticed several of the students staring at the dome ceiling. Already, these were going to be the ones who struggled as they were clearly not paying attention. "Yes, we will be using the planetarium for some lessons," she said, clearing her throat, trying to catch their attention once more. "However, it will only be for our lessons in Western Astrology. I assume not many of you know that there are differing astrological systems found across several cultural traditions. This will be as much a lesson on cultural mythology and tradition as it is about the stars."
She read through all the topics of the course including Western Astrology, Chinese Astrology, Mayan Astrology, as well as Astrological Symbols in Alchemy. She saw a few faces brightening with these prospects. It always did her heart good to see students really taking an interest. The world relied too much on numbers and hard facts, she sometimes thought. Getting in touch with humanity across time and space was just as necessary. Oh no, she realized, he was the one who told her that. She was already breaking her promise to forget. She started to feel her stomach on the verge of a growl, as if knowing on its own that filling the hole in her heart with food would help.
Ophelia shook it off and continued reading the syllabus, noting their reading schedules and homework due dates. She hoped her homework assignments would be considered fun. Learning could only be achieved if one willed it, and they would not if they were miserable. That was what some of the other teachers here just could not understand. As she finished, the students were already starting to gather their things. Hmm, they had been spoiled with their earlier classes this morning releasing them early on the first day. "Hold on now!" she called. "You do have one assignment tonight."
She heard a few exasperated groans and a few curses under breaths. Funny how students seemed to think all teachers were deaf, she thought. "All you have to do is do a little research on yourself. Read up on your Western, Chinese, and Mayan zodiac signs. There are plenty of websites out there to help you."
There were a few kindly nods from the older students. They knew all to well not to cross her so early in the year with such an easy assignment. She shook her head as they all made a bee-line for the door after that. Oh, to be that young again, she thought.
Ophelia had a couple of hours before her next class and took to checking a few emails. The students may have hated first day assignments, but she probably hated all the messages the teachers got at the beginning of a new term. There were messages about scheduling group meetings for planning, measuring students progress, and the latest in testing. Just what she needed; a reason to get up at an ungodly hour. There were a slew of other messages she absent-mindlessly gazed through: updates to the code of conduct, new hours at the library, and such. A few she marked for later, including some on new insurance policies available to faculty and staff. All the while, she had, without thinking of it, started in on her secret stash of treats in her desk, munching away without a care.
She had not heard the door to her classroom open and was surprised when she found someone standing before the desk. It was not a student, though she looked not all that much older than one. She was one of the new teachers, fresh out of school she could tell. Yet, she could not place a name with the woman, though she had seen her picture added to the directory. "Oh, I didn't mean to disturb you," she said with a pleasant smile. "I just noticed that you're right next to me, and I thought I'd invite you to lunch. I haven't met too many other teachers yet and wanted to test the waters, so to speak."
Ophelia now noticed the half-eaten cookie in her hands, finding herself a little embarrassed. She tried to play it subtle, brushed the crumbs off her blouse, and said, "Uh...well, I..."
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