Page 4 of Teaching the Kot'oll Coach

When we get to the staff room, I’m trying my best to hide my panting. It’s not that bad, but it feels like I’ve been in a lot more hurry than the principal.

He leads me inside, which is brightly lit with a few potted plants around. There is a scent of strong coffee in the air, which is nice and feels like home. Most of the seats are empty when the teachers are probably having lessons with the kids. There are sounds of beings typing on a keyboard and paper flipping. Otherwise, this place will be a bit too quiet and I’d wonder whether there are any beings here.

The principal leads me down the corridors between the islands of desks and partition boards. There are heads there, which are barely visible from the partition boards. Those teachers are probably busy. No one seems to pay attention to me, which is better than otherwise.

We stop at an empty spot. The principal says, “This will be your desk. Here, meet Telke.”

I peek behind that partition and my heart skips a beat. Telke is the hulky big kot’oll who I sat next to in the assembly hall. Now that seating plan seemed to be planned instead of a coincidence.

He looks over at me too. He grins, tips his baseball cap, types on the keyboard, while he sips his water. “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Telke.”

He puts down his water bottle and shakes my hand. He has large hands.

I put up a smile while half-worrying that he would squeeze my hand flat.

He gives me a light squeeze, which is better than I expected. He watches our hands, seemingly paying a bit too much attention to it. Maybe this is his way of making sure he won’t crush my hand, which is a good thing.

“Hi, I’m Winnie.” How can I almost forget about my introduction? He is going to think that I’m weird.

He chuckles. “Glad to meet you. Looks like we’re going to be neighbors now.”

The principal nods with a grin. “Yes, finally, the staff room has found another member. Now, remember, don’t scare her.”

I roll my eyes.

“Come on. I’m not that scary,” he says. “You all are playing too much into it.”

Is he scary? I suppose he kind of is in terms of his size. He is more than a head taller than me and a lot stronger and bulkier than me, packed with muscles even though he is trying to hide that under a t-shirt. He looks a bit better than when he was in a tight suit. I suppose he isn’t a fan of the suit after all.

With the baseball cap, he looks like he is the sports coach here.

The principal says, “Hopefully, the two of you will get along well. I think there’s room for you to plan some special activities for the kids together.” He pats my shoulder and pulls the office chair for me. “Here you go. You have time to get to know each other.”

He turns around to leave in a hurry, staring at his watch. He must have remembered his meeting, finally.

I let out a breath when... I turn to Telke, who is watching me with curious eyes. “Um... Hi.”

He blinks, seemingly pulling his attention back to the presence. “Oh, right. Have you gotten to know all the places?”

I nod. Hopefully, he isn’t planning to take me on another stroll through all the floors yet again. “I do. Thanks for asking. The principal has brought me to all the rooms.”

“Good.” He glances at his screen before looking back at me. “If you need anything, feel free to ask. Hopefully, I won’t scare you. It really isn’t like what he said. Don’t trust him on that.”

I force a smile. My shoes will hide my wriggling toes, but still... He is a big guy, but when both of us are sitting, he doesn’t look as intimidating. Maybe I’m overthinking that. I can’t let him think that I’m weird when we are both teaching in the school. “What made him say that?”

“Ha, I wonder. Let’s say... last time we got new staff, I gave a welcome hug, which... Now, I remember to be careful with everyone, not just kids.”

I blink and stifle a laugh. Sounds like he is the one that is too energetic. I ask, “Is that one still alive?”

He grunts, but with a smile. “Oh, you bet he is.” He gestures at the empty chair to his other side. “There he sits. This is Jackel’s seat. He teaches art. He is very alive. Don’t worry about that.”

“Maybe your kind is a bit too strong.”

He winks. “I give...” he pauses for an awkward second. My heart skips a beat when I can guess. He continues, “I give useful advice for someone starting in this school. You’re going to love this place.”

I swear that’s not what he wanted to say. Maybe he doesn’t want to make it weird by saying that he gives good hugs.

Looking at those arms... Maybe he does give great hugs.

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