Fast Fiction: The Private Tutor
There are subtle undercurrents between the tutor and his dark-haired female student in this story by Richard Mallinson.
The girl wanted to know why I was ‘wasting my time’ as a private tutor when I could be a newspaper columnist or a tv producer.
I tried to explain that I was incapable of being either of those.
‘This is my metier,’ I said, ‘tutoring pupils in my own home. I’m not subject to anybody’s authority and nor do I have to exercise authority.’
She pushed her dark hair back from her face and gazed at me.
‘You see,’ I resumed,’ I can ask you to write an essay on Philip Larkin for next week but I can’t force you to do it, can I?’
At which she smiled at me - rather sweetly, I thought.
The following week she arrived at the usual time and sat in the usual chair.
She began to read in a husky voice. Her subject, as we’d agreed, was Larkin’s Early Poems 1938 to 1945.
She argued that some of these shouldn’t be dismissed as mere juvenilia and she even made a case for two which, in my opinion, were far too derivative.
But it was a fine piece of work and we had a fruitful discussion.
She left in high spirits.
*
A few weeks later I said to her, ‘Today I will tell you about Stephen Duck. He is, or was, a poet. He was born in 1705 and worked on farms and later he -’
‘Oh, I think you’ve invented him just to tease me,’ she cut in.
I stood up. ‘Now why the hell would I want to tease you?’ I snapped.
She blushed and stared at the carpet.
After that, things were never quite the same between us.
