The Study Group of Two

The math study group met every Saturday at ten. It had five students. That was the plan. But on one rainy Saturday, only two came.

Alba arrived first. She chose the big table by the window. She put out her books. The library was nearly empty. The rain hit the glass in long lines.

At five past ten, Viktor came in. His coat was wet. He stopped at the door. He looked at the empty chairs.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"I think they stayed at home," said Alba. "It is a bad day."

Viktor stood still for a moment. Alba knew him from class. He sat two rows behind her. He was tall and quiet. He always had a pencil behind his ear. They never spoke.

"Should I go?" he asked.

"No," Alba said quickly. Then her cheeks felt warm. "I mean, we have a test on Monday. We can work together."

"Okay," said Viktor. He sat down across from her.

They opened their books. For ten minutes, neither of them spoke. Alba looked at the same problem again and again. It was about fractions. She did not understand it.

"I cannot do this one," she said at last. She pushed the book across the table.

Viktor leaned over. He read the problem. Then he smiled. "This is easy," he said. "Wait."

He opened his bag. He took out a bar of chocolate. It had twelve squares.

"What is that for?" Alba asked.

"A teacher," said Viktor. "Look. This whole bar is one. I break it in four parts. Each part is one quarter."

He broke the bar into four parts. Each part had three squares. He put one part in front of Alba.

"You have one quarter," he said. "Now I give you half of my part."

He broke his part in two and gave her half. Alba counted the squares. She had four and a half squares now.

"I see," she said slowly. "A quarter and a half of a quarter."

"Yes. Write it as a number," Viktor said. "One quarter plus one eighth."

Alba wrote it. The answer came out right. She looked up. "That is a good teacher," she said.

"The chocolate is a very good teacher," he said.

They ate the squares. Then they did the next problem, and the next. Viktor explained. Alba listened. She laughed at his silly drawings of cakes.

After a while, Alba helped him too. He had to write a short story for English class. He did not know how to start.

"Start with a place," Alba said. "Where is your story?"

"At the sea," said Viktor.

"Then write: The sea was cold and gray."

He wrote it down. He looked at her with surprise. "That is good," he said.

By noon, the rain was lighter. The library was still quiet. They finished four pages of math. They also wrote one page of the story.

The librarian came by. She said it was time to close. Alba and Viktor packed their bags.

At the door, Viktor opened his big black umbrella. "My home is on your street," he said. "Can I walk with you?"

"Yes," said Alba. They stepped out into the rain under the one umbrella.

At her gate, Alba stopped. "Same table next Saturday?" she asked.

"Same time," said Viktor. He took out the rest of the chocolate. "I bring a bigger bar."