It hasn’t been easy for Albert because the opposing force is strong even now, a year after implementing the new admissions requirements. The conservatives say the new guidelines cheapen the university’s reputation by lowing their standards, even though the school is now creating more opportunities for children from low-income families like me.
It took me a semester longer than usual to finish college because of my pregnancies. But I made it, thanks to my brilliant professor husband, who spent extra hours tutoring my math and science throughout the years.
I majored in music education and have gotten a credential to teach elementary school. I also credit Albert for my passion for teaching. I know how much difference a wonderful teacher will make in a student’s life from my own experience. If I hadn’t met Albert, I would never have made it to college. I would probably have given up the adult high school and gotten a job at my mom’s nightclub. I can’t even picture where I would be today. Later at the ceremony, I’ll sing a song I wrote and dedicated to my husband and mentor.
Leaving my kids in the yard with their nanny, I enter the house I’ve lived in for five years. I put the roses in a vase and fill it with water. After admiring them for a minute, I place the vase on our dining table. And then I clean the living room, even though it’s the job of the housekeeper. I enjoy doing house chores because I appreciate every minute of my life in this beautiful house.
Before meeting Albert, I spent my life in various squalid apartments, motels, and trailers. I’ve never been homeless, but some places I lived were barely comfortable.
I still don’t know how I became Cinderella and met my gorgeous Prince, but I know I’m lucky. I’ll never forget the night I first saw Albert in his starched shirt and stiff pants. His intense eyes caught me the moment I opened the door of my mom’s apartment. I knew then, he was a prince. I just didn’t think he would be mine.
Over the years, I never stop feeling insecure and always worry one day when I wake up, Albert would be gone. But thank God, he’s next to me every morning when I open my eyes. And from the way he makes love to me every night, I know my worries aren’t necessary at all.
I’m mopping the floor diligently, wanting to make everything sparkling clean. As I’m singing, I feel a pair of arms wrapping around my belly from behind and a hand grabbing the handle of the mop to stop me from moving. I look over my shoulder and see my husband. “Hi, Albert! You’re home!”
“Yes, Sweetheart. Why are you cleaning the house? You should get ready for the ceremony already.”
“Oh, it isn’t until two in the afternoon!” I laugh. “We still have plenty of time.”
“Yeah, but don’t you need time to get dressed?” he asks, pushing me toward the wall and kissing the back of my neck, his hardness pressing into my backside.
I coo. It isn’t unusual for him to show his affection during the days, and that’s the main reason we need a nanny in the house even when I’m home.
“Damn, you’re the sexiest housemaid on earth,” he says in a gruff voice while palming my cheek. “Do you always wear a short skirt when you mop the floor?”
My God. I’m melting. “No,” I say in a croaky voice, feeling the streams rushing down my thighs. “I wear it only when I work for you, sir.”
“You’re a naughty girl, Elsie,” he whispers into my ear while hiking up my skirt. “Shit, not wearing anything underneath.”
I hear the sound of him unzipping his pants, and then I feel the familiar meaty male part poking between my thighs. “Mmm,” I moan as the delicious sensation spreads through my aching center.
Hours later, I’m on the stage on campus, wearing a graduation cap and a garland, in front of my fellow graduating students. With tears in my eyes, I sing the song I wrote for my dear husband, who taught me not only algebra but love and pleasure. My dad is sitting on the side of the stage next to Albert and other school authorities, smiling proudly at me. Contrary to Albert’s worries, our relationship hasn’t damaged their friendship but strengthened it.
My mom isn’t here, which doesn’t surprise me. Over the years, she’s been with many guys and moved around a lot. Sometimes she calls me asking for money, but she doesn’t seem to remember me most of the time. I miss her sometimes. Although she hasn’t been the most responsible mom, she raised me and provided me a home. And I’m grateful for that. I hated her for extorting money from Albert, though. But that’s history. Today, the footage is locked in Albert’s drawer like a treasure. Once a year, on the same night we first met, we take it out and watch it together on his computer, after our kids fall asleep, and relive the passionate moment in our kitchen. Of course, we often go beyond our initial encounter and turn the kitchen into a zoo occupied by two wild animals in heat.
With all the passionate details in my head, I finish singing my song on the stage. And after I sing my outro, I speak through the microphone while locking my eyes with Albert Albertson, the dean of the admissions. “Albert, I just want to thank you for making higher education accessible to me and other underprivileged kids. I’m forever grateful to you, and I love you!”
Albert stands up and walks to me briskly. “You’re very welcome, Elsie, and I love you too,” he says and kisses me right in front of the crowd. I return him the kiss eagerly, amid the applause and cheering from the audience.
