A thought arose in my head that “old parents give birth to ‘old’ children.” In this family the child was late and only. Mama was already “well past 40.” And all her intellectual potential, not fully used in Norway (here there is nowhere to use it), she directed at her child, and “at the same time” at me.
At the beginning of my narrative I wrote that I agreed to do a little English, having quite good experience of working with children in this direction. I advised buying on the internet an English textbook from a Russian publisher, i.e. with a translation of English words into Russian. Originally what was required was that the child should not forget Russian.
And once, while I was heating up food for him in the kitchen, he was in the room. I call him to lunch, and he was sitting in headphones and listening to something on an iPad. I ask: “Listening to music?” — “No, English.” I looked at what exactly. In the iPad a programme for children had been “downloaded,” and in this programme he had already “gone through” Present Continuous! And here I was going to “drill into him” from a Russian–English textbook “What is your name.” Then he told me that his mama, before coming to Norway, had taught on English courses. In general the boy knew about all his relatives more than I about mine.
At some moment I wondered “why am I here, in this house?” But I could not quickly refuse the work. Because the parents had to submit an application to the after-school group in advance. And I decided that until spring I would “hold out,” all the more as my husband supported me, drove me to school and came for me.
Once we came from school, sit at the table in the kitchen, and the child says to me: “You know, Ira (that is how he addressed me), mama wants a student from England to work with me after school. Because she wants to send me to International school.” I asked: “What, have they already found a replacement for me?” — “No, mama is just thinking so.” I also thought then “God grant it!” This was said after three weeks of my work.
And soon mama called me, when I was at home and already getting ready to leave to meet her son from school, and started telling me about shortcomings in my work and that I must draw up a plan of English lessons. And then I already “drew air into my lungs” and I “took off.” From my raised voice my husband jumped up from the sofa in complete bewilderment. (In Norway it is not customary to talk in a raised tone, and Norwegians get frightened when they hear loud Russian speech). The main thought that I said into the telephone was that I am working today for the last day!
Having met the child from school, I explained to him that I feel unwell and cannot work. I said the same to his father. He sincerely regretted my sudden decision….