other life

Today, after I tried to get lunch in between my grammar class and coordinators' meeting, but failed because the line was too long and I only had 15 minutes, after I felt my students' attention slip for the hundredth time, after I once again questioned my ability to teach, after I tried to explain the percentage breakdown in Engrade to the best of my ability, after all of that, I went to the bathroom. As I approached the bathroom, a voice sang out from within, loud and clear, just for a few seconds. Then it corralled itself back up into a loud, wavering hum. In the bathroom, I found one of the cleaning ladies. She was wiping down the mirrors, humming to her heart's content, and smiling at my reflection with a slightly embarrassed grin as I darted into the stall. She never stopped humming. For quite a while afterward, during the meeting, during my last lesson, during my rush to gather my things and catch the bus, I kept hearing her voice. Seeing her smile. I think I envy her. Her contentedness. Her humming on the job. Her other life.