First love story
When I was young, I was a vain girl. Not only did I compete with other girls in my class over grades, but I also wouldn’t give in when it came to clothes and love letters. Of course, these were secret competitions, and once an envious person reported it to the teacher, this vanity would instantly disappear, leaving only embarrassment and shame for myself.
My first love with Wen Kang grew secretly and sweetly under such cautious circumstances, unnoticed by our homeroom teacher, “Geometry Granny.” This nickname wasn’t given by us; she taught mathematics, her surname was He, and she often called herself “Geometry Granny,” so we also called her that secretly.
At that time, we were about to enter senior year. Wen Kang and I were both Geometry Granny’s most proud students. I can’t remember exactly how this love, surrounded by tenderness, began. It seemed to be intricately connected with Geometry Granny. We were often asked to stay after school for extra tutoring or to help her grade papers in her small room. If we finished grading quickly, she would “force” us to stay for a meal. She lived alone after an early divorce, with her children already grown up.
Sometimes, we guessed she was lonely and missed her children, which was why she favored Wen Kang and me. As teenagers, we didn’t appreciate her care and, instead, would exchange mischievous glances behind her back, mocking her short and plump figure. This silent exchange gradually made us forget our original intentions and only see the attachment and affection in each other’s eyes. Wen Kang and I fell for each other under Geometry Granny’s watchful eyes, who was ironically dubbed the “love poison.”
The sweetness of first love can make people overlook all obstacles and dangers. When Geometry Granny sternly reiterated on the podium that any discovered romance would be immediately cut off, Wen Kang and I were still exchanging affectionate notes. While she tirelessly explained the grading rules, our hands, holding red ballpoint pens, had already become intertwined. Even when she praised our intelligence in front of other teachers, we would exchange warm smiles. Our love eventually caught the attention of our classmates.
Surprisingly, instead of jealousy, they only had admiration for the romance between the first and second-ranked students. This made Wen Kang and me feel proud, and sometimes we would argue about who fell in love first. We were still young and vain, and our hearts would be pricked by each other’s rankings, leading to small quarrels even after sweet words.
Finally, one day, after being scolded by Geometry Granny for my scores lagging far behind Wen Kang’s, I angrily demanded he return all the notes I had written to him.
The Unexpected Reaction of Geometry Granny
That impulsive remark finally revealed our secret to Geometry Granny. She must have been extremely shocked and angry. The students she held up as models were dating right under her nose and even bickering about it! For almost two weeks, she ignored Wen Kang and me, unsure how to handle this delicate matter. She seemed flustered, often spacing out when she saw us raising our hands in class and deliberately skipping us to call on another student. I regretted my impulsiveness and wrote notes to Wen Kang to apologize. He wasn’t angry but worriedly asked, “Will our love die in Geometry Granny’s hands? How can we avoid her ‘poison’?” After thinking for a long time, I uncertainly replied, “Maybe maintaining our grades will withstand her harsh measures.”
After a few tense days, Geometry Granny finally called Wen Kang and me to her small room under the pretext of “understanding the situation.” The three of us sat awkwardly for a while before she cleared her throat and said, “Have you encountered any difficulties in your studies recently? If you do, besides seeking my help, you should also support each other. You two are my most proud students, and I hope to see you shine in the next year, perhaps becoming top scorers. This way, my three years of teaching you won’t be in vain…”
Her unexpected opening, followed by her usual cooking of her specialty, braised carp, made us feel like nothing had happened. We chatted about the students’ academic performance, accompanied by the sounds of children playing in the hallway and the never-ending piano music from next door. We had a usual dinner, but Wen Kang and I didn’t dare to hold hands. Geometry Granny, contrary to her usual impatience, slowly finished her bowl of rice while smiling and watching us.
That meal had an indescribable flavor, somewhat lengthy and cold but also with a warmth and kindness we had never felt before. At least, the look in Geometry Granny’s eyes wasn’t as cold and gloomy as we had imagined.
After that, everything was surprisingly quiet. Geometry Granny seemed to have forgotten about our secret romance, treating Wen Kang and me as her most favored students. Our love, after this scare, flowed smoothly like a stream over obstacles, gradually moving forward. However, we still felt a lingering guilt, believing that fulfilling her dream of our success was the only way to repay her for her tolerance.
Repaying the Kindness with Achievement
With this purpose in mind, Wen Kang and I worked hard, and in the college entrance exams, Wen Kang ranked first in the city, and I ranked third, finally repaying the debt of gratitude to Geometry Granny. On the day we checked our scores, a classmate told us, “Did you know? Geometry Granny retired and went home. We were her last batch of students.” Wen Kang and I smiled at each other and simultaneously said, “So that’s it.”
Until our graduation, Wen Kang and I believed that Geometry Granny spared us to leave herself a perfect memory in her last year before retirement. If she had punished us, leaving a permanent regret, her entire teaching career would have felt incomplete.
One day, Wen Kang and I were holding hands, strolling down a street in our small town, when we ran into Geometry Granny. Reflexively, we let go of each other’s hands, but she noticed and laughed heartily, saying, “I knew you two would end up together.” My cheeks flushed slightly, and I asked, “Teacher, did we break your heart back then?”
Geometry Granny, still smiling, replied, “Not broke my heart, but wore out my brain. I treated you as my best children, hoping you would succeed. So, I didn’t know whether to break you up or let your love grow healthily. Fortunately, I held back because seeing my best students together made me more happy than worried. I didn’t misjudge you. You are indeed my most outstanding students who can control their futures.”
So that’s how it was. Our secret first love flowed smoothly because of a warm and caring heart silently supporting us.
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