Page 5 of On His Schedule
“Uh — afternoons are best. After 3:30. I have practice in the mornings and classes.”
“How does Tuesdays and Thursdays sound?”
“Either’s fine.”
More clicking. “All right. We’ll match you today. You’ll get an email with your tutor’s name and your first session.” She pauses for a second. “Within forty-eight hours, that work?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Call if you need anything.” She hangs up.
The speed of that conversation made me feel like I had been processed by a benevolent DMV. Then I get up because Rowan is yelling something that sounds likefood.
“Sit down,” Rowan says when I get back to the kitchen, “before he eats it all.”
“I am not going to eat it all,” Stanley says with his mouth full of food, eating most of it.
A frying pan sits in the middle of the table and has an entire frittata in it. There’s a pile of bacon, a stack of pancakes, and a small bowl of cut strawberries. Rowan is the cook of the house, and he always makes sure we’re well fed.
“Why is there this much food?” Blue asks, sitting down.
“Because I went to Costco.”
“You went to Costco at what time?”
“Seven.”
“Damn,” Stanley mutters. “That’s dedication.”
Percy’s book is next to his plate, face down.
Stanley gestures at me with a fork. “Reeve, so what’s this about missing the home opener?”
“I need to get a tutor right away and bring up my grade,” I say.
The table falls silent.
“Shit,” Blue says. “The semester just started.”
Rowan says, “I had a tutor sophomore year,” he slides a slice of frittata onto my plate. “For that comp class. The guy I got was fine. It was helpful.”
“Oh yeah?” Stanley says.
“Yeah. Helped me pass. I literally cannot remember his name. He knew nothing about hockey.” He throws a forkful of food in his mouth and nods.
“That is the dream tutor experience,” Blue says pointedly. “I had one freshman year, and all he wanted to talk about was hockey.”
“Should be fine,” I agree, picking up my fork. “I just don’t want to miss the opener.”
Stanley shakes his head. “Definitely not.”
An echo of agreements buzzes around the table.
My phone screen lights up, so I pick it up because it might be from my dad. I haven’t texted him back about the Sunday call. It’s an email.
Subject:Tutoring Match Confirmation — STAT 215From:Camden University Tutoring Center
Hi Benson, you’ve been matched with Lucy Moss for STAT 215. Your first session is scheduled for Tuesday at 4:00 PM, Library, Third Floor, Study Room 3B. It will run every Tuesdayand Thursday. Lucy will reach out separately to confirm. Good luck with your studies! BATC
