Tea With Theodore

The teapot whistled shrilly on the burning stove as the sun set below the horizon, letting Theodore Watkins know that the water was ready. He had a guest at the moment—a student by the name of David Andrews. Theodore Watkins was Brennan Hall’s very own resident director. A jolly, goofy big guy with terrible jokes and useless football trivia in his bag, Theodore (or as Brennan’s residents fondly called him, “Teddy”) was very well liked by all. He really cared about the students in his charge and he expected the same from his R.As. Troubled students could come to him at any time. Except after lights out, unless of course, it was an emergency. Teddy got up from the sofa and padded barefooted to the apartment’s tiny little kitchen. That was his signature style. Every time a student would come to see him for advice or for counseling, he would boil a kettle of water for tea. Some students had lovingly dubbed it “Tea With Theodore” or “Tea Time With Theodore”. It had helped a lot of students in the past and Teddy hoped it would continue to help students in pain like David Andrews, or ones that were in trouble, in the future. “Water’s ready,” he said, as he retrieved two cups from the cupboards, pouring the hot water into each one and steeping the teabags into them. “Is tea alright with you?” “Yeah, sure,” David answered from the living room. “I’ll take tea. I mean, I’m more of a coffee person, but whatever.” “Okay,” Teddy said, bringing the tea over in a tray that he held in his hands. “Here you go! So, what brings you to my humble abode this evening? Everything okay? Been studying well?” “Yeah, yeah,” David said. “No, I’m good. I’ve been keeping my grades up. That’s not why I’m here.” “So why are you here?” Teddy asked. “Um… There’s this girl that I like, Dinah,” David recounted. “And I asked her out to the Fall Festival. She said yes.” “Well, that’s great!” Teddy said enthusiastically. “Need advice on what to where? Which rides to go on? Which foods to eat? Or which games to play? I can tell you which ones are rigged and which ones aren’t. There’s quite a lot of them. But some games are okay. They’re not rigged.” “No, no, that’s okay,” David said with a sigh and Teddy’s face fell. “I’m not going anyway. She is.” “What? Why? What happened?” Teddy asked with concern. “Initially, she said yes,” David said. “And then she said no. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can take rejection, but the way she did it, man! Freaking stings!” “How’d she tell you?” Teddy asked, eyebrow raised. “She told me over text,” David sniffled. “Said she was going with some friends and they didn’t know me, so they would be uncomfortable and it’d be awkward. I mean, how shitty is that excuse?” “I can see two sides here,” Teddy said consolingly after giving it much thought. “First, from your perspective. Yeah, that’s gotta sting. If you asked her out in person and she later rejected you—after saying yes to you, no less—via SMS, then that sure is a low blow. She could have talked to you in person, just like you asked her out in person, but she didn’t. She took the coward’s way out.” “And on the other hand?” David asked, sipping on his tea. “On the other hand, I can see it from her friends’ point of view,” Teddy said, sipping his tea. “They don’t know you, and she’s right. You are a stranger to them. It might get awkward on the ride over there. But you could spend that time and the time at the Festival to get to know them and for them to get to know you. Huh. Now that I said that, it does sound like a lousy excuse.” “Told you,” David said with a roll of his eyes. “So? What am I supposed to do? I don’t have any date and none of my friends are going.” “Well, you could use that time to study,” Teddy suggested. “Get a head start ahead of your classmates, keep your grades up, impress your professors, that kind of thing. Or you could invite your friends over and we can have a movie marathon here. How’s that sound?” “Since my brain’s too fried from studying,” David said. “I think the second option sounds way more appealing than the first.” “Then it’s settled!” Teddy said. “All your friends who aren’t going to the Fall Festival, invite them over here. Friday. I’ll have the movies and the popcorn ready. Any requests?” “Yeah,” David thought, taking another sip of his tea. “Maybe the Jack Ryan movies?” “Excellent choice, brother!” Teddy said with a laugh. “Who doesn’t love a good spy thriller every now and then, am I right? Remember, Friday.” “We’ll be there,” David said. “Don’t be late,” Teddy said. “We won’t,” David responded. “So, are you feeling better now?” Teddy asked. “Yeah, I’m feeling much better now,” David said. “Thanks for the talk, Teddy. And the tea.” “Anytime,” Teddy said. “Wait! I have an idea. Come back here with your roommate and one other friend and I’ll have the Xbox ready. What do you say to a couple rounds of Call of Duty?” “Oh, heck yes!” David said, pumping his fist in the air. “You don’t have to, though. Just talking to you is enough.” “Are you sure?” Teddy asked. “I’ve got some more tea left.” “Tell you what,” David replied. “We’ll come over if you promise to serve coffee instead.” “Deal,” Teddy said, shaking David’s hand. “Just knock at my door in an hour. That would give us four hours of playtime. Remember, lights out is at 11:00.” “Clear as crystal,” David said with a salute. “I’ll see you later, Ted! Oh, and prepare to lose.” “Is that right?” Teddy said with a laugh. “Them’s fighting words, my friend. Them’s fighting words.”