Moonstruck by Her Smile

There was a look in her eyes of excitement when we met. Those clear, violet eyes not blue but purple. Maybe it was the light. I had never seen anything like them or heard of the color purple and yet that is what they were. I was transfixed.

She was a math tutor and I had trouble with math. I said, "Your eyes are violet."

"Yes they are," then she smiled. Perfect teeth, white and her hair was a dark brown in layered, feathered, parted in the middle covered her ears but didn't drop past her shoulders.

"That's very unique. I have never heard of, seen it."

"Yes, thank you," she smiled again,"But we need to learn math."

The very tone was a nice brush off, an order to focus, and she was paid for this. Alena was.

"Why do you think you are having problems?" it was advanced algebra.

"It could be that I have not had a mathematics class in years. I took algebra in the eighth grade. Geometry as a sophomore, then advanced algebra as a junior and it's been almost three years.

This university has quarters and things move fast. The number of classes taken is a lot higher than most.

"It says here you received "A's" in all three courses?"

"I did but I was getting a "D" is advanced algebra then I switched schools for a few months, had a different teacher, and voila, I understood it." When I came back to the first school, I knew it."

"Let's go through some basic math to see where you were at."

She handed me some sheets to test me, "You're not showing any work but the answers are correct?"

"I do it in my head. This regular math is very easy for me because I do it over time."

She bent over me to put the papers back and she rubbed against me. She smiled warmly at me and wham.

I felt like an astronaut who ran out of fuel in the path of the moon - Moonstruck.

Anyways, she realized she was too close and backed away as I turned and looked at her, smiled.

Whatever, I needed to pass this class. I needed her help. I saw her body language. She stayed silent almost frozen and then, she snapped out it. Whatever it was.

"I need your help."

"You shouldn't. Not if you can do that. Solve equations like that, have the "A's".

"Well I am doing something wrong that I do not understand on this higher stuff. I am getting a "D"." At this university a "D" was death. One could receive 36 Fails but only two "D's." GONE! BURNT ENGLISH MUFFINS!

Try to scrape the charcoal off of those!

"Finish those and we shall see with the next set of tests."

She left the room and I did them in less than ten minutes. I waited. She returned. It was a long table which seated twelve. She graded the papers.

"You understand basic math very well because there are no errors. Hmmm." She thought and, "There's only one thing to do give the next set of tests. I don't have them with me but I have advanced algebra so do you want to try those and see how you do?"

"Yes."

She handed me a paper, test. I took it from her and she left. I worked on it and could only do two of the ten equations. Three I did not understand. The other five I thought were right, were not.

"I still do not get what is happening here." She looked at the paper. "All math is essentially addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. You can do that, as fast or faster than I can use a calculator. That is all I see is the same thing on this test."

"What do the letters mean?" I asked her, "the variables. What do they mean?"

"Hmmm? What do they mean?"

"Well these are abstract mathematical formulas. What is required is to break the variables down into easier, smaller sub components. You're not messing with me are you, pretending you don't know when you do?"

"I think you are very pretty, yes. But no, I do not understand what it is because I have forgotten something, like what do they stand for?"

"They could be anything. Apples or Oranges, bolts, nails. This 5a means there are 5, "a's" whatever "a" stands for."

"Hmmm..."

"Take this one 5a = x. That translates to x/a = 5. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"But not the other ones?"

"I thought I did."

"I am going to give this book and I must have it back when you are through with it. Okay?"

"Yes."

"Read as far as you can and do all the problems."

"I will meet with you here in two days at the same time, four pm, Okay."

I nodded, went home, the dorms, and read. Answered problems. My next class wasn't until Monday. Nothing else was due until after the weekend. I decided to go for it.

Somewhere before the next two days, I found some answers. I learned that the 5 before the a was a coefficient. There were 5 "a's" but not 5 "ax's". Two letters together were the first multipled by the second.

I had thought strings of letters and numbers were one thing. A letter alone, without a coefficient was 1.

Math started being not headache but a love! By this, I was completely moonstruck. I began to progress through math, understand it again. Something never used, it might be in the head somewhere but wherever it is can be hard to find.

I ended up going to the used bookstore, buying her book. Every once in awhile, go back over what I learned. To solve equations is a love like no other.

When I got to calculus I was flunking, I switched professors who actually told us what we trying to do and why - it make a difference.

If things are a little hard
Don't cut your wrists with a shard
Don't smack yourself with a hammer in the head
When hanging upside down will help instead
If that does not work out put it away
Take the problem up another day