Once inside my apartment, I took a deep breath, once more cursing my profession -I'm a Classics teacher-and I tried to set courageously to work...
I had just corrected several assignments, each one more disappointing than the previous-and thus unlikely to get my spirits up-when someone timidly knocked three times on the door.
I could guess who it was: it was him, indeed, awkward and embarrassed, eyes to the ground, not daring to lift his head up. He stood on the threshold, lost.