I finished one of my last lessons this morning. I was really tired as I waited in the lobby. I felt like I got punched yesterday. I kept telling myself to get through it somehow. I was relieved the lesson was with a very nice woman that I’ve taught before. I knew I could pretty much be myself around her – but wasn’t sure if I would tell her about my job situation and risk getting emotional. So I geared myself up, took a deep breath, and walked into the company. It's one of the biggest ones in Paris. The lobby is huge and lux and today I felt very small. This morning it was packed with people. I kept trying to focus and I noticed some strange things:  the mix of cool glass coffee tables matched with funny lounge chairs made out of brown cardboard boxes – the French tres chic answer to recycling. I sat in one, decided the chair was strong enough and I wouldn’t fall on my ass. Then I waited to be called. Finally, I got called in and took the elevator up to the suite of offices.

I felt a lot better once I met the woman in the hallway. Gracious as always, she offered me coffee – prime French blend served in fine china – and we sat down to start. She’s a detailed person so I taught her the subtle differences in words:  affect / effect, for example. (Boy, am I wordy today...) Then I took a breath and told her this was one of my last lessons. I described what happened at work. She really surprized me by saying she wanted to keep taking lessons with me and would pay me herself. (The company had been paying the school.) It’s hard to describe how it made me feel. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. Then she said it’s not the lesson but the quality of the teacher. I could’ve hugged her and I almost cried all over again. So I got started and the lesson went very well. I felt so good. She has my card and I hope we can hook up again soon.

This afternoon I have another last lesson with a nice guy – also friendly and uncomplicated. No idea what I’ll teach him. I keep waiting to get inspired. Now if I can just hang on till Friday…