Emily’s parents were worried about her. They’d tried their best to raise her right, help
Emily’s parents were worried about her. They’d tried their best to raise her right, help her to accept her station in life without complaint. But still she insisted on acting up – insisting on ‘going to university’, insisting on ‘having a career’. They were at their wits end when a friend of theirs (who’d had the same trouble with their son’s girlfriend) recommend a tutor they could hire to help straighten her out.Of course Emily wasn’t happy about it, but that was to be expected. She was, for now, a willful girl. That was the problem.Their first meeting did not go the way she’d planned. In her head she had imagined herself holding firm and standing tall, turning her nose up at him, making it clear what she thought of him and how little impact he would have on her.Instead, something about him left her feeling very small indeed, and rather than proudly telling him all of her life’s goals and her desire to achieve them she instead shuffled nervously on the spot, her eyes on the floor, only able to mumble her name and even then only when he asked her for it.Things went downhill from there, at least to Emily it seemed they did.No matter what he said or had her do she just couldn’t refuse him. She’d spend hours before their sessions psyching herself up, swearing blind she’d hold tough, but the instant he appeared and the instant he spoke to her she just melted, meekly complying.Referring to him as sir? Yes sir.A uniform? Yes sir.Speaking only when spoken to? Yes sir.No more reading books that weren’t on his approved list? Yes sir.It was a very short list, too, and the books had very small words. Still, she had no choice. Her old books were still on the shelf but try as she might she just couldn’t do it. Even looking at them too long filled her with the most tremendous, gnawing guilt.What was happening to her?Eventually, after weeks of this with many instances of correction and instruction, Emily stopped feeling unhappy about how easily she’d given in and how pathetic she felt around him. It must be natural. What else could the answer be? What else could explain how it had happened, just like that? How the sight and sound of him turned her legs to jelly and seemed to chase all the thoughts out of her head? It must just be natural.What was the use in being unhappy about it? It was just the way things were. Just the way things were always going to be, now. No use in fighting it. And so she stopped fighting it. And all at once everything was beautiful.In the end the results were more than her parents could have hoped for. They’re already recommended the tutor to a few of their friends possessed of daughters going through similar rebellious phases.For her part, Emily is a good girl now. A very good girl. She understands what she’s for and she’s happy. No more struggling now. No more pushing back. No more reaching for things that aren’t for her.She knows her place. -- source link
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