The other day, while I was waiting for my Holocaust and Representation class to start, a young man struck up casual conversation. It must be noted that I am quite cautious or even averted to people who, upon first encounter, I quickly deduce to be a total weirdo. It must be noted that I am also a believer in giving people the benefit of the doubt. Keeping with this policy of politeness, I engage and ask if he’s a History major. He answers yes. Further developing this congenial pre-class etiquette, I ask what he plans to do with his degree. He answers that he’d like to teach history and coach basketball, football and possibly golf. He says he loves kids and can’t explain it but, he knows he has to be around kids. He HAS to be around kids. Right away my “spidey” senses start tingling. There was a bit too much eagerness and more than a hint of perv in his voice.
So at a lull in the conversation, I remove myself to the classroom. I find a seat and wait. Yes, we all know what’s coming. He sits right next to me. Great. One of the benefits of being a nerd is that I actually listen to my professors. Therefore, without great effort I can focus intently on my professor when my peripheral vision and auditory senses are being infiltrated by some wise crackin’ punk. So this guy is bitching about the class and the work load but, I stay committed to my inner nerd. I feign total engrossment in the matter at hand. The subject matter for the moment was films about the Holocaust. The professor goes into an explanation about various films and whether or not the director lent their art to better the understanding or representation of the Holocaust. She mentions the film “Sophie’s Choice”, of which she argues that that representation of Sophie’s choice was different than that of a Jewish mother in the same situation. Next, she mentions the film “The Reader”. She explains that, to her, the film’s portrayal of pedophilia overshadowed its representation of the Holocaust.
It would be beyond boastful to think that I have some sort of encompassing knowledge about human behavior. Nor would I egregiously intimate that in some way I willed the following actions to happen. But, why, as soon as my professor said the word pedophilia, did I know what was going to happen next? I knew it. Why was it that the only notes this boy took was the name of that pedophiliac movie? Now I know that there is some jumping to conclusions on my behalf but, come on. As a mom, as a female, as a non deviant, my creep meter went off like fireworks on the fourth of July.
There have been other times when I’ve just KNOWN the series of events that were about to occur. Usually it is the not-so-good premonitions. Those, I promise, will be in a future musing. What explains this? It’s not stereo typing. It’s not psychic ability. It’s not vast psychological analysis. Maybe I’m tapping into a great well of experiences from past lives. Like a kind of de-ja-vue. I’m not a believer in past lives but, I’m not a non believer in them either. Intuition? Some sick sort of luck? Is it just my jaded cynicism hop scotching into fruition?
Whatever it is, let’s all think happy thoughts that this guy isn’t the next Mr. Nish. Who’s that? Oh well he was my chemistry teacher that got thrown in jail for “inappropriate behavior” with a young girl. Sigh, another musing for another day.
p.s. Five hour energy at 7 o’clock is a means to an all night study or blog session.
