Dream: School Worksheet

I’m standing in a classroom with my math teacher/professor.  He asks me, “Shouldn’t you be studying for the mid term?”  I say, “No, I’m done.  I’m ready.”  He leaves the room.

A student volunteer errand boy enters.  I’m still standing in the same location. I’m deeply engrossed in reading something.  The boy starts saying that he has a paper to give to the professor.  I shush the boy.  I hold out my hand, still looking at my reading.  Then I look at the paper, and the boy says that it’s an old graded [quiz / homework / worksheet] that needs to be returned to the student.  I read SK’s son’s name written at the top in child-like penmanship. “Indeed it’s old,” I think to myself.  SK’s son graduated 10 years ago, and this isn’t even high school-level work!  Then I realize that name isn’t SK’s son’s name, it’s S himself.  SK is about my age, a sexagenarian(1)!  “I’ll take care of it,” I say, and the boy leaves.

I leave the classroom and walk toward the main office.  There are a few students in the hallways.  As I approach a staircase, one student is in front of me.  He’s walking a bit slowly, and he’s got a buddy nearby.  That buddy is on another staircase, and he’s showing off how he can slide down a few steps at a time.  Now I’m on the stairs stuck behind this slow student.  My impatience is building.  “I can do better than that,” I say, referring to the buddy, and I slide down the entire set of stairs, which is about twelve steps.  And I feel relieved to be moving at a decent pace again.

(1) A sexagenarian is a person between the ages of 60 to 69 years old. https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/Age-by-Decade