Copyright © 2012 By Candace Mumford and A.N.C. Media Publishing
This book is purely a work of fiction and the names,characters,places and incidents contained within this body of work are not related to or portraying anyone living or dead. Any similarities are purely coincidental.
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Pleasing.Professor.
Petersen.
by
Candace Mumford
Tianna's Truth
You were never a mother,
I snatched the title from you .
The day you started neglecting your responsibilities.
You left me to pick up your mess and fend for myself,
I was a kid when this fell in my lap.
Wondering what I did ?
As you fed me daily doses of mental abuse,
exhausting me mentally.
Yet I pushed on.
Got myself scholarships.
Got myself away from you.
And now... you talk like you miss me?
How can you miss something you damaged and threw away?
I raised myself to be a strong woman,
with no help from you.
I survived.
How dare you say you miss me...
I missed you.
Missed home cooked meals and a mother's nurturing care.
But I can't get that back...
just like you can't get your baby back.
I am fully grown
And those memories you threw away for your own selfish reasons,
you will never get back.
I will be OK.
But will you,
Mama..........
Written
by
Mizz Fab
Part 1
Tianna sat at her desk dumbfounded . What the hell is going on here? Tianna thought to herself. I've had enough of this bullshit. Tianna sat at her desk fuming. This is the third damn paper I've turned in this semester Professor Petersen has given me a failing grade on? Well... what I consider to be failing! This muthafucka has lost his damn mind if he thinks he's going to screw with my grades... my scholarship? When I know for a fact I'm turning in quality papers.
I've had enough of this bullshit! I'm getting to the bottom of all this as soon is class is over!
I want answers. I work my ass off in every class and I've earned every grade it takes to be in this 300 level English class,Tianna thought as fleeting doubts clouded her mind about if it was in fact, a bad idea to have ever signed up for English 382 Romantic Literature taught by Professor Petersen. Tianna recalled meeting Professor Petersen once at a mixer and after talking with him one on one for awhile that night,Tianna knew she had to enroll in one of his classes. They were hard to get into though but when she finally was able to enroll she did. Which I now see was a huge mistake, Tianna thought crossing her arms in disgust and making a futile attempt to concentrate on the remainder of today's class.
Tianna watched the students file out of the lecture hall and then rose from her seat to speak with her Professor Petersen.
Tianna grabbed her books, threw her hobo bag over her shoulder and made her way to the front of the lecture hall.
"Excuse me Professor Petersen, do you have a few minutes? I'd really like to speak to you about the latest grades I've received."
" What exactly would you like to discuss Ms. Williams ? "
" Professor Petersen ,the last few papers I've turned in I've worked very hard on. I did extensive research on each paper and put in a considerable amount of time with each and every assignment. Two C papers and one D? I have to be honest and say I really don't think I deserved those grades."
" Well Ms. Williams I take great pains to carefully read each paper my students submit. I'm sure with a little more research on your part you can get the grades you think you deserve."
"Well that's just it Professor Petersen. All you do is mark through my papers in red. Which is why I'm standing here now to see what's going on with my grades. I can tell you without a doubt, two of the students in this very class with me are my study partners. So how can all three of us be turning in papers to the same professor... yet I'm getting failing grades and they're passing with flying colors? I'm stating beyond a shadow of a doubt that I know my papers are just as good if not better than theirs because they come to me for help. Yet they are receiving A and B marks and I'm getting C and D? What are you wanting that I'm not providing within the content of my papers?" Tianna said not even trying conceal her anger at that point.
" Well now Ms. Williams, let's not jump the gun. You didn't receive F's on your papers."
"Professor Petersen with all due respect, you may as well have given me F's as grades because they're effecting my GPA in the same manner....lowering it! I need to know what I can do to get this grade up. Point blank. This could jeopardize my entire scholarship not to mention the way I'd like my transcripts to read when I'm applying to grad schools. Especially if I continue to get the type of grades I'm getting now." Tianna said hoping he could understand where she was coming from. A lot of the students attending this university had parents to fall back on to help pay for classes. That wasn't the case for her. Tianna worked damn hard to earn the scholarship that enabled her to attend the University of California Los Angeles, one of the top ten universities in the country. In fact delaying entrance in order to earn more money prior to leaving New Jersey and heading to California. The last thing she needed was some asshole professor targeting her with unfair grades.
" Well Ms. Williams why don't you let me give this entire situation some thought, I haven't tallied grades yet but if you're worried about your scholarship,I'm more than happy to see where you're at right now in regards to my class. Please stop by my office on Wednesday so we can discuss what you can do to raise your grades. If in fact you actually need to."
" Thanks Professor Petersen. I really appreciate this more that you realize." Tianna said barely able to contain her disgust at the whole situation. What the fuck is wrong with his reading comprehension that he can't see those papers are great?
Tianna pulled her cell phone out of her purse after she left the lecture hall. Tianna saw she'd missed a call from her boyfriend of the last three months Derek Taylor, a forward on the UCLA basketball team. Tianna pressed his name to call him back.
" Hey Derek."
"What's going on ? I thought we were meeting for lunch ?"
" I know Derek, I'm sorry. I had to meet with that asshole Professor Petersen. Derek he gave me D on my last paper."
" Damn."
" Yes. So I went to ask his pony tail wearing ass about it! I don't know what to do about it either... I'm supposed to meet with him on Wednesday in his office to see what I can do to improve my grade.
I mean,don't get me wrong. I appreciate him offering but honestly , I don't feel like I should have to do anything extra. I put a lot of effort into my work you already know that Derek." Tianna said sighing.
" I feel you. Anyways, are we getting together later? I wanna see you and kiss on you a little bit for the day...since that's all you're letting me get right now."
" Derek please. That is the absolute last thing on my mind right now. Don't you understand this isn't a small issue for me?This grade could effect my scholarship... you know what, I'll just talk to you late
r OK." Tianna said disconnecting the call.
Why am I even being bothered with this shallow son of a bitch ? I already know the answer, I was bored. Derek is a dumb muthafucka! Fine but dumb none the less! Tianna thought to herself walking towards the open quad area. It was a beautiful California day. Damn. Tianna thought looking towards the sky. This beats "Dirty Jersey" all day everyday!
Tianna found an empty bench and sat down to mull over her talk with Professor Petersen. I have to do anything I can to bring this grade up before the end of the semester, Tianna thought to herself placing her headphones on and pulling out her textbook to go over some of her required class reading. There were only a few weeks left before the the semester ended and summer break started. I need all my grades to be on point. This is not a game. Professor Petersen has got me fucked up!
Shit! Jason thought to himself throwing some files across his desk as he entered his overcrowded office. Books stuffed into every available nook and cranny of space in the small oddly shaped room. The only exception being the comfortable brown leather couch he'd insisted on stuffing into the small space. Jason knew he'd need it though. Many nights that couch served as his bed if he was busy grading papers or working on a new manuscript.
Why did I do that to her? It's wrong... not to mention unethical! Jason asked himself thinking about his earlier conversation with Tianna Williams, a student who had captured his interest even before he knew she would be a student in one of his classes.
It's unethical for me to not give her the grades she deserves and to top it off she's a brilliant writer. Jesus, how could I stoop so low in order to get her attention? How could I ever think a plan this stupid would work? Because you are stupid, his inner voice said to him. " You got that right!" Jason answered aloud.
Months ago Jason hatched the stupidest plan alive to get Tianna Williams to engage him in some type of....shit any type of dialogue. Not knowing where to start, he gave Tianna a lower grade than he knew she deserved. In finding out more about the beautiful young student he knew she was an overachiever. So he was surprised when she never asked him about the mark he'd given her. In turn Tianna just submitted a paper that topped the previous assignment.
And so the game began.
Today was the first time she'd come to ask him about the low marks. Honestly speaking he'd been caught off guard. Not that off guard though. It had taken three assignments to get her to approach him about the grades she was getting. Not to mention the end of the academic year. Jason sat down on his couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Jason remembered the day he'd met Tianna Williams as if it was yesterday. Jason had in fact been thinking about her....no fantasizing about her for the last two years.
The sophomore mixer is the first place he'd ever laid eyes on her. Tianna Williams stood about 5'8 in height, perhaps 145lbs in all the right places. Jason often wondered how she stayed in such great shape observing the outfits she wore to class. Tianna had great legs of which he'd imagined wrapped around his waist numerous times.
Flawless, honey colored skin and a beautiful smile but it was her hair he loved the most. One day Jason often thought to himself, I want to run my hands through it, Jason thought with a smile. Tianna wore her shoulder length hair in all it's natural glory. Jason after falling in love with her hair, had secretly visited a few websites frequented by black women with natural hair. I want to know all about her, well at least her hair...for now! Jason would think to himself when researching the website. Jason often laughed to himself when Tianna would show up to class wearing a style he'd seen and admired on some of the websites.
Two years ago Jason had felt coerced into attending the mixer quite frankly. At 27, Jason Petersen was one of the youngest professors on staff. Long story short, he was born a genius, skipped several grades as a youngster and had completed college with a teaching degree at the tender age of 19. It didn't take him long to obtain his masters in education and be hired as one of the youngest professors on staff. Many of his colleagues resented him for his fast rise in the academic world. Others made a point to remind him that his students were actually his peers.
Unfortunately the downside to being so intelligent was that his book smarts didn't necessarily measure up to his social skills. Many women found him to be very good looking. Wavy dark brown hair that he wore a bit long, usually brushing it into a neat pony tail,striking blue eyes and at 6'2 he was average height with a muscular build he maintained through bike riding many of the places he went. What many would see as a handsome package was flawed by the fact Jason was in certain social situations, almost painfully shy. Shy or not,Jason Petersen knew he wanted Tianna Williams. Jason recalled the one conversation he'd had with her at the mixer. They'd both had an honest interaction with one another because when talking about his class well, his conversation just flowed as opposed to talking about things on a more personal level. Jason was impressed with her opinions on the various topics they'd discussed and they spent a good forty-five minutes laughing and talking.
Jason wondered if Tianna remembered the conversation? Jason couldn't stop playing it over and over in his mind...every time he saw her. Crap, if she does remember it, I'll bet she hates me now. I know I would. I've got to think of a way to make this right. Especially for her. I know I was wrong to give her those grades even though they didn't count, I shouldn't have done it.
Tianna walked into the small house she shared with two other room mates and called out their names. None of them had cars so that was no indication that no one was home. After a few minutes of walking around and looking for Amina and Mark her roommates,
Tianna sat on her couch and called her mother. A phone call she'd been avoiding for the last week. Despite being her mothers only child, Tianna hated the way her mother always seemed to go out of her way to make her feel useless and stupid. Even though Tianna had known from the day she started school she was far from stupid.
" Well it's about time you called your mama. Every since you left for California you never keep in touch. Do you think being in California makes you too good to call home now?" her mother Geraldine said bitterly. Tianna could tell she was speaking between puffs of a cigarette.
" Well mom you probably speak to me as much as you did when I lived in the same house as you. Actually as much as you've spoken to me since the 8th grade." Tianna said defensively. Tianna really hated taking this attitude with her mother but her mother knew just how to push her buttons and make her feel guilty simply for being born. Never missing a chance to try and make her feel guilty for leaving. Every since she'd been a child Tianna had been in major role reversal with her mother. Cooking dinner for herself, paying bills with the social security check they received from the death of her father since she was in the fourth grade. Tianna's mother according to family members, just never seemed to recover from the loss of her husband and for no reason chose to take her loss out on Tianna.
" OK Mom, I was just checking in. Seems like everything is going all right so I'll give you a call next week." Tianna said suddenly hearing a dial tone. Same old shit with her Tianna thought.
When Wednesday arrived Tianna opened her eyes and laid there staring at the ceiling. The day before, Tianna received an email from Professor Petersen stating she could meet him in his office at 1pm. That will give me just enough time to get to my morning class, stop by the campus post office and from there to my meeting with Professor Petersen she thought closing her eyes in a silent prayer. Please God let this go well, the last thing I need is any nonsense messing up my scholarship Tianna thought to herself raising up from the bed to get her day started.
It was 12:45pm and Jason was pacing his office wondering what he was going to do. I'm not completely stupid he thought to himself. I want to let her know her grade really isn't in jeopardy. I'll play it by ear he thought. There are two more weeks before the official end of the semester, I just need to open up my mouth and speak to her. I know she's upset but the syllabus does state those are extra assignments. Jason looked ar
ound to make sure his office looked neat.
Jason heard a light tap at his office door.
" Come in."
" Hello Professor Petersen, I'm a few minutes early I hope you don't mind?"
" Of course not Tianna ,please have a seat. I was just fixing myself a cup of tea would you like some? It will only take a second to make."Jason offered.
" Umm sure Professor Petersen"
"Please call me Jason, I don't know why that title makes me feel so uncomfortable but it does sometimes you know."
" Well I just want to be respectful."
" How old are you Tianna?"
" I'm 23, why do you ask?"
"Tianna did you know I'm only 4 years older than you?" Jason said quietly.
Tianna for the first time the entire semester really looked at Professor Petersen...Tianna was surprised to see a really good looking man staring back at her. Amazingly clear blue eyes, kinda long dark brown hair he had pulled back in a neat ponytail. In class Professor Petersen usually had on a blazer but today... just jeans and a baby blue pin striped button down. Professor Petersen appeared to have a nice body. If you were into white men that is. Tianna had gone out on a causal date with two white guys before,she'd met them in classes and wasn't interested enough in either one of them to make it to a second date even though they'd asked.
" You know what Professor Petersen, I mean Jason... it never dawned on me!" Tianna said looking him over so intently Jason started to blush.
" I mean I knew you weren't a troll or anything but I'll be the first to admit. I'm so intent on everything you say in class your age never crossed my mind. You know I did overhear a conversation about you once come to think of it!" Tianna said laughing.
"Really?"
" Oh yeah, two of the girls in class. I guess one of them hit on you and you turned her down flat ?"
Pleasing.Professor.Petersen. Page 1
