“Cora?” Robert asked while buttering his toast. It was a Sunday morning and had spent the night at Cora’s. During the week both were busy, but this was the second weekend they were together. Friday evening they went to a gig from a local band, yesterday they had walked around in the National Gallery. He noticed Cora was passionate about art. She knew so much about all the different artists.
Cora turned around, her curls swirled around her face, she was standing at the kitchen counter. Robert was transported back to last night when her curls were tickling his thighs. It had been obvious that he was Cora’s first, but he loved showing her what was possible and she was a fast learner. Last night she had surprised him with her mouth in a way he had never been pleased.
“Stop thinking about last night and ask your question.” Cora said stepping closer and kissing his cheek.
Robert wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her bottom. “I forgot what my question was.” He felt Cora’s hand moving over his back. She bent down to kiss his lips.
“I am sure you did not.”
With his hand still on her bottom he smirked. “You know me too well. “Why do you teach at that local school?”
Cora’s hand movement stopped. “Because I like teaching?” She raised her eyebrows. “What an odd question.”
“I don’t mean, why do you teach, I mean why aren’t you teaching on a higher level?” Robert moved his hand, so it was resting on her waist.
Cora frowned. She didn’t tell Robert about her dream. Teaching at the Royal College of Art. How did he know her doubts? “I, I.” She started but did not know what to answer exactly. “I never got the chance to teach somewhere else. I got this job and think I am happy with it.”
Now Robert took Cora’s hands in his. “Don’t fool yourself. I don’t believe you are happy with it. When you talk about your classes, I miss a spark in your eyes.”
“Oh” Cora said softly.
“Yes. Yesterday in the gallery I saw a spark when you were talking about the paintings and their history. Don’t you want to feel that when you are teaching?”
Cora lowered her eyes and tried to pull back her hands, but Robert strengthened his grip. “I don’t know the right people.”
With his thumb, he was brushing her hand with the other one he lifted her chin. “With your knowledge you don’t need to. Why don’t you write to them?”
“They won’t take it seriously. I am just a public school teacher.”
“Where did you study yourself?” Robert asked.
“I got my Master in art history at Columbia University back in New York.”
“And you are teaching at a public school? Darling, how did you end up there?”
Cora shrugged. “I needed a job. The only thing I found was at the school I teach now.”
Robert stared at Cora, she thought she wasn’t skilled enough. Totally forgetting the fact she has a master, something you need to be skilled for. “Cora, I think you should write that letter.
“Do you really?” Cora wasn’t sure if he was saying this to please her or that he really thought it.
“You have a master’s in art history, why would the Royal college of art don’t want you?”
Cora sighed, she knew Robert wouldn’t understand. “It is a master from America.”
“So?” Robert was getting more confused by the minute.
“You really don’t understand do you?” Cora got irritated. How did Robert not see the problem? She was lucky she had a job as a teacher at all. “Robert, you are forgetting I am an American with an American education. British people tend to look down on that. I wish I had taken the time to get my PhD at the University College London. But I didn’t.”
“You could still go for that PhD?” Robert tried. He saw that Cora’s blue eyes had turned into ice-cold fireballs.
“And who is going to pay for that? And how do you think I can afford this house? No Robert, maybe you are coming from a rich family where everything is possible and presented on a gold plate. I have to work for it. Something you should try” Cora did not know why she was getting this angry, she didn’t even know if Robert was rich. Maybe his parents didn’t pay for everything for him and he had said he worked in his father’s business. She sighed again, took Robert’s empty plate and threw it in the sink.
“If you really think that, then I think I better go.” Robert got up, kissed her cheek and left.
Cora sank to the ground with her head in her hands, she didn’t know why she got so mad and why she said that. Until now he hadn’t treated her differently since he knew she was from America and didn’t her parents pay for everything she needed. Her mother bought her this house. But once she got her teaching job, her mother cut her allowance in half. It was Martha’s way of saying she disagreed.
Cora got up and walked to her study, opened her laptop and checked the website for vacancies. There was one, for a minute she didn’t do anything, but then she clicked on the apply button.
+++
Angry Robert walked into his own apartment. Why had Cora said all this? His parents always gave him what he needed, but nothing came for free. His father taught him very young to work for his money. How dared Cora insinuate that he didn’t work? They were opening a new office on the mainland and his mother wanted him to go there to make sure the start-up would go smoothly. He had been very enthusiastic to go until he met Cora. She had shaken up his world and it was hard to leave her behind in London. He should not have left her house like this. Although he was only trying to help, he understood where she was coming from. It must have been indeed hard to find a job as an American. He knew his mother always looked down on Americans, they were loud and annoying according to Violet. But Robert knew better because he had met Cora.
Verhalen van Traan 