047: The Students in the Basement

It started with an office in the basement, sort of tucked away in the corner. A few bookshelves, a desk, a laptop, and a printer filled it. This was where dad taught all his lessons from, and where he worked on his second degree, though every once in a while he went to clear his head on the balcony. Sometimes my sister would go look for him, because she needed a second brain for a maths question or a science problem, and then they would go down to the basement and huddle together around their laptops and a notebook.

As my own deadline for the last assessment of my degree approached, I took to spending more time writing and editing. I discovered that it was generally quieter in the basement, so I made a nest of books and papers and blankets and cups of forgotten tea on the floor.

One evening I was sitting in my nest, my sister had come down to pick dad's brain about a decoding-problem, and dad was leaning down from his armchair to look at her laptop and notes. My heart swelled and I smiled. It seemed we had started an impromptu study group.

Written by: Katrine H.