Author's note: Just to forestall any concern in a chapter about a clearly disturbed man, but, no, despite similar hairstyles and a love for glasses, the girl at the end of this chapter is not the underage girl from Willow Creek. She's a senior at Copperdale and 18. Can't get those kinds of tattoos until you're of age. I definitely expect you'll see Britney naked eventually, but not for four more (sim) years.

 

Dear Mother,

 

Warmest greetings! But enough chit-chat, I'm too excited to go through our normal holiday letter rigamarole. Let me get right to it: I've met someone!

 

 

Bertie is amazing! He's Dean of Admissions at Britechester, so we could be the ultimate education power couple! I didn't want to tell you right away, but we've actually been together for a month now. We spent Harvestfest together. He helped me cook a nice meal (not as nice as yours, of course).

 

 

And he showed off his French Literature skills by reading me some romantic poetry!

 

 

What can I say? Cliche, yes, but super romantic!

 

 

Let me tell you about him. He's a workaholic. Starts every day with enough coffee to wake up an elephant.

 

 

And as Dean of Admissions, he has responsibilities to both the faculty and the students. So sometimes, he's working on administrative tasks, like planning budgets for new student programs.

 

 

And sometimes he's going online and helping prospective students with their projects and homework to get them ready for university.

 

 

And he's very romantic.

 

 

And I wont make you blush with the details, but let's just say we get on together very well!

 

 

Because of his job, he works together very closely with the next generation. He's helping to mold the future of this country! A lot of his students, of course, come from Copperdale Academy, as it's the most prestigious prep school in the country, and where a lot of Britechester's students come from.

 

And he starts with them very young, sometimes working with students for years. When he sees someone special, he will take them under his wing even in the first or second year at Copperdale, helping push them to new heights to make sure they are ready for the challenges of Britechester.

 

 

But he somehow makes the time to work with disadvantaged youth, too. He has contacts throughout the country, and recently told me about a trip to Willow Creek where he met with a bunch of young women stuck in cramped government housing.

 

 

They were piled into these tiny dorm rooms like sardines.

 

 

And, he told me, sadly, many of them would never amount to much. Some were already addicted to drugs, and he figured several of them would soon be strippers or worse. But some could still be saved. He was especially impressed by a young girl named Britney, only 14, who loved music and had a bright head on her shoulders. He decided to make her his own project to make sure she didn't get lost in the terrible neighborhood she was currently stuck in.

 

 

Isn't that just going above and beyond? And of course, he doesn't ignore the young men, but I couldn't help but notice that he seems to have a special affinity for the young ladies, which really captures my heartstrings, after my own experiences with the glass ceiling, as you recall.

 

 

It's the detail he puts in that's so special. He even invites these students over for special study sessions, where he does a deep dive into their homework.

 

 

And gives them pointers.

 

 

And knows how to comfort them and get more out of them when they are feeling like they can't keep up.

 

 

He says the trick is to get to know them in excruciating detail.

 

 

And to demand they show you the best of what they are capable of.

 

 

And to never be afraid of pushing yourself beyond what you're used to.

 

 

True success, he tells them, demands that you go all the way, no holds barred.

 

 

When he does it right, he says, the tutor gets just as much satisfaction out of it as the student.

 

 

I have no doubt any student leaving one of his study sessions is fully satisfied with the work done.

 

 

Mom, I think I'm in love with this man.

 

Your loving daughter,

Kayla