The Professor's Daughter

“It would mean going back home for a couple days.” Maria explained, the following week.

“Rostock is always nice at this time of year.” Mother reminded her and Maria thought back to the autumn sun on the cobbled streets, the way the market bubbled with people and how others spent their afternoons rowing up and down the Warnow river. “And if they think it would help your course.”

Maria nodded in agreement. “But what about the money?”

“We are not poor, sweetheart. I’m sure we…” Anne’s voice drifted off and Maria looked up at her, her eyelids slightly drooped and her face blank before she came back to the room. “We can find the money if we need to.”

Once again, Maria nodded knowing that realistically there was no way the family would be able to afford such a trip and even if they could scrounge up the money, she would feel too guilty to accept it. It was needed elsewhere.

“I should go, I have a meeting with Professor Daniels at the University and a tutorial with Professor Lei-, my professor.” She corrected herself before she was too late.

Anne said goodbye to her daughter and watched as she kissed her father on the cheek before leaving. Then she went to lie down, feeling another headache coming on.

Maria, meanwhile, made it to the university in good time and was ushered through to Professor Daniel’s office by his assistant.

“Take a seat.” Daniels smiled broadly. Maria did so, her stomach turning as she noticed Leighton sat in the one next to her. He looked over briefly before turning back to Daniels. “I have good news for you, my dear.” Daniels smiled at her, looking up through his bushy eyebrows. “After speaking to admin about your ‘situation’, I remembered the trust we have set up for people like you.”

Maria was confused. “People like me?”

Daniels gave her a sympathetic look. “Those who may find it difficult to come up with funds.”

Maria felt the burn spread through her cheeks as she looked down at her hands in her lap. She knew her family was practically penniless but it was not nice to have it laid out in front of you and other people knowing made her anxious. Maria did not care about her social status, she just didn’t want them thinking she was being given handouts or special treatment.

It was such a big change to go from their comfortable lifestyle in Germany to the drab background of London, she wasn’t used to it.

“We understand that your father’s university closing must have hit your family sizably and we would not want your education to suffer as a result.”

“My father has always made sure it doesn’t.” Maria spoke quietly.

“Of course.” Professor Daniels’ smile had disappeared and his face looked uncommonly serious. “I’m sure he does. Professor Leighton will give you the forms that need to be signed and I shall sort the rest out.”

“Thank you.”

The room was silent and Maria could feel eyes upon her but she didn’t meet them.

“You may go now.” Daniels stated after a moment or two.

Nodding, Maria left the room, focusing on the floor and hearing the door close behind her.

“He just cares about his students.” She heard in her ear and felt the hairs on her arms rise.

Maria stopped and looked up at Leighton, he was closer then she expected but she didn’t move away and neither did he. The grey of his eyes was clearer now and whenever she lost her focus a little, she saw her wide-eyed reflection in his glasses.

Do youcare? She wanted to ask but her lips wouldn’t form the words.

“I know.” Maria spoke instead in a voice barely above a whisper.

Leighton, lost for an instant, pulled himself together. “We should go.” He began. “Work to be done and what not.”

“Sure.”

The pair walked awkwardly to room thirty-two, took two seats either side of the table and set up the books.

“Should we wait for Susie?” Maria inquired.

Leighton did not meet her fixed look. “Professor Daniels informed me that Susie is not well and won’t be joining us.”

Her mind overturning, Maria tried to keep a cool persona; there was no one to be angry with, Susie couldn’t help being sick and she would simply have to tolerate an hour and a half with Leighton alone. Though ‘tolerate’ felt like the wrong word for there was a small part of the girl that was a little enlivened at the situation.

After their time looking at the formation and evolution of stars, Maria closed the covers on her textbooks and tidied away her notes as Leighton rubbed out the diagrams from the board.

“Thank you for your time, Professor Leighton.”

Leighton placed the rubber back on the ledge and turned to his student.

“As Daniels said, your education is important.” He leant back against the desk. “You are a smart girl, Maria and I wouldn’t want that to go to waste.”

“Well, thanks.” Maria shied away a little, never prepared to take a compliment especially from Leighton.

“I apologize if I was a little belligerent when you first arrived.” Leighton rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced, clearly equally as uncomfortable but this was something he wanted to say. He wantedto set things right with Maria. “It was a shock to learn who you were and it brought back memories.”

It was Maria’s turn to give the sympathetic look. “I understand.”

“You do?”

“My father made your life hell when you published your thesis, I remember what he was like and I was barely ten years old myself.”

“Yes.” Leighton looked at his fidgety hands and smiled reservedly. “You are a little older these days.”

“And a better swimmer as well.” Maria pointed out to which a short sound, suspected to be a laugh, came in reply.

“Clean slate?” Leighton looked at Maria hopefully and she became a little distracted for a brief time.

“Clean slate.” She agreed.

“And you’ll be coming on this trip?”

Smiling, Maria nodded for saying ‘no’ to Leighton seemed like a difficult feat to her right now as she spotted the way the lines around his mouth deepened as his lips upturned slightly. After accepting the forms, she said ‘goodbye’ reluctantly and walked down the corridor of the university, a smile of her own uncontrollably plastered to her face.