TE22 Potpourri

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Special Needs

socialize. It’s for your own good.”

Meanwhile, I was thinking of some easy, quick way to ask him how you get such a muscular body. I wanted one too! I knew that you needed trainers on your feet for your muscles to develop. Nothing special could happen to your body while wearing Uncle Mario shoes. Everybody knew that. Professor Nikola wore trainers. I looked down from my school bench to seewhat brand theywere and tocheck himout again fromhead to foot. I was absorbed in my thoughts when the teacher made a sound. Her cheeks were flushed. Was she sick? My mind was still on trainers and muscles, but my thoughts were disturbed by the noise coming from her chest. Professor Nikola turned to me and said: “Emil, first I want to knowwhat you think about what I want to propose. Would you like to join us in PE class? Would you like to exercise? Play ball? Shoot baskets, things like that? Nothing difficult or tiring. I think physical activity would be good for you.” I was shocked by his proposal! Sometimes I dream about incredible things, mostly that I’m running and doing things I don’t ordinarily do. That I’m running fast, that I’m the fastest in my class, that I’m skipping two and three steps at a time… “Yeeess…” I heard my voice say as if it weren’t mine, having said yes, yes, yes to myself. “Well, well! So, we can talk when it’s about something we like? 149

Natalia didn’t celebrate her birthday this year. Or else she did, but she forgot to invite me. Or else she didn’t forget, but she didn’t dare invite me because of her friends. Or else there was another reason, but I don’t know what. I didn’t ask. But I did wonder why the teacher never mentioned a special school for Tonko. He stood shoulder to shoulder with me when it came to bad grades. Shoulder to shoulder. Plus, he got into fights and swore. In that respect he was top of the class. The only thing he was good at was writing and drawing cartoons. The teacher praised his imagination, but shedidn’t forget to tell him that being talented was not enough. It was important to read. Writing and reading went hand in hand, just as swearing and fighting went with something that had nothing to do with either culture or literature. But back to the butterflies. She’d just opened the gradebook, when Nikola, the new PE teacher walked into the classroom. Thatsamesecond, she losthertrainof thoughtand immediately forgotwhat shehadwanted todo, althoughshewas still holding the ballpoint pen in her hand and the ledger was open on my page. She closed the book and opened her mouth. That’s to say, it broke into a smile. It was only natural, who wouldn’t gape at Professor Nikola, at all those muscles under his tight-fitting, clinging top. And then they began to whisper. I waited politely for them to stop. 148