Chapter 7

Before Avery came down the next morning, Fred had already left the house and Karen had yet to emerge from her room. 

Avery went to knock on Karen's bedroom door "Mom, are you awake? Are you still asleep? Mom!?" 

Karen grunted from within "I'm awake now Avery. What do you want?" 

"You went to bed last night without eating any food. What would you like to eat so I can prepare it for you?" 

"Don't worry Avery" Karen replied "I'll be up soon and I'll prepare something for myself"

"Okay mom. I also wanted to tell you that I'll be heading to the library to see Mrs. Emma when I'm done eating" 

Karen grunted "Okay Avery" 

Avery made a light meal of toasted bread, scrambled eggs and a glass of milk. 

"Mom, I'm on my way out!" Avery yelled as she ran out of the house. 

The local library was stationed not too far from her house. 

It was formerly the old municipal building converted into the current local library. 

It's exterior had a rustic design portraying a serene and warm ambience. 

A warm welcoming atmosphere greeted both visitors and book lovers as they entered the library. 

It's interior had a blend of wooden shelves, rustic decor and vintage furniture giving it a cozy homespun feeling. 

The scent of old books as well as the quiet and peaceful atmosphere was what called out to Avery as well as many other people.

There were books from all genres of life, audio books and other media with diverse displays showcasing different authors, the town's history and community events. These were all well organized on different stacks of shelves. 

Avery could totally immerse herself in reading for hours without getting tired or bored. 

When Avery arrived at the library, she looked out for Mrs. Emma. 

Mrs. Emma's office was located at the library's entrance but she seemed busy so Avery took some books and went to sit in her favorite corner. 

Mrs. Emma had already seen her and when she was less busy, she approached her. 

"How are you Avery?" Mrs. Emma asked in a hushed tone. 

"I'm fine ma'am" Avery replied in a hushed tone as well. 

"What did your mom say?" 

"Mom says she would like to speak with you before making a decision. She also said you can come see her whenever you are free" 

"Okay, my replacement will resume by 2.30 Pm. Is it okay if I come to your place by 3 Pm?" 

Avery hesitated a bit before saying "Mrs. Emma, could we go back to my place together?" 

"I don't see why not" Mrs. Emma replied. 

___________ _____________ _______________

Back at the house, Karen was becoming increasingly impatient with Fred. 

Although they were at an impasse in regards to the unborn child, Fred's refusal to communicate with her and resolve issues seemed totally ridiculous to her. 

She decided to wait for Fred notwithstanding the time he got back. 

She was in the kitchen when Avery and Mrs. Emma arrived. 

Avery went into the kitchen to inform her "Hello mom, I came back with Mrs. Emma" 

"That was fast" Karen mumbled under her breath; surprised that Mrs. Emma actually came. 

She went to the living room to receive her while Avery went to her room. 

"Hello, Avery's mom" Mrs. Emma greeted Karen from the door entrance. 

"Hello madam, please call me Karen" 

"Nice meeting you Karen, please call me Emma" Mrs. Emma answered. 

"Emma, please have a seat" Karen said. 

"Thank you Karen. I won't take much of your time. I came to ask for your permission to teach Avery at home here" Mrs. Emma began as she comfortably sat down. 

"Avery is an intelligent and promising young girl. She comes to the library almost every day; that's where I work. I see she loves reading books but just reading books won't be enough for her to overcome certain life challenges. With your permission, I could plan my daily schedule to accommodate agreeable hours to teach her and I won't charge you anything for it" 

"Emma, I like to believe Avery has told you the reason I stopped her from going to school?" 

"Karen, it isn't my place to sit in judgement of others. Life can't be fair and unfair at the same time. We should make good use of whatever we have in hand today" Mrs. Emma replied 

"You hardly know us. Why would you do this for Avery and not charge anything for it?" Karen asked. 

"Like I said before, Avery is a very intelligent young girl. She told me she used to attend school but because of unfortunate incidents, she stopped. All I want to do is get her back on track from where she stopped and teach her using the curriculum currently used now in schools. I have 4 years experience in teaching and I believe I can bring her up to speed. The plan I'm proposing is actually a short term plan of 6 months to brush her up and if after 6 months, you're not satisfied with the results, we can call everything off"

Karen pondered a bit "If the short term plan is 6 months; how about the long term plan?" 

"The long term plan will depend on her eagerness to learn and her ability to adapt to the curriculum but give or take, it's from 2 to 3 years" replied Mrs. Emma. 

"So are you saying that all things being equal, you'll be willing to teach Avery 2 to 3 years for free?" Karen asked surprised. 

"Although I firmly believe in helping people; doing so unconditionally will not be good for either party. I can teach Avery free for 1 year just to prove how serious and dedicated I am but after that, whatever I charge will definitely be pocket friendly and probably by then, you may change your mind and have her enrolled in school" Mrs. Emma replied. 

"Emma, you work as a librarian and your work schedule must be tight. What time would you have to teach Avery?" 

"I close from work 2.30 Pm daily. With your permission, we could begin 3.30 Pm and round off by 5.30 Pm excluding Saturdays and Sundays" 

"Thank you for stopping by, Emma. It was a pleasure meeting you. I appreciate your kind gesture and I shall carefully consider all you've told me and send my reply to you through Avery soon. Have a pleasant day" Karen said. 

"It was a pleasure meeting you too. Do have a nice day as well, Karen" replied Mrs Emma. 

"Let me see you out" 

"Oh, thank you. You're too kind" 

From her bedroom window, Avery watched as Mrs. Emma left. 

She ran down to meet Karen. 

"So, mom. What do you think?" Avery anxiously asked. 

"I'm not pleased with you telling strangers of our problems at home, Avery" Karen reprimanded Avery with a frown. 

Avery became crestfallen. 

"But nonetheless" Karen continued "I'm only agreeing because it's free but the lessons can't be conducted here as Fred would surely kick up a fuss so when next you see Mrs. Emma, ask her if she would be willing to teach you at her own house" Karen said. 

"If she refuses" She continued "Then I don't want to hear one more word from you about home school again. Okay?" 

"Okay mom" Avery answered.