“So, last week,” I started, my voice wavering as it always does when I approach a professor. “Well, I was on vacation, and I wanted to know if I missed anything other than the videos. Was there a lecture or discussion on Friday?”

She laughed, straightening her tie. “Well, it’s funny — we really didn’t have much time for discussion. The first half-hour of class was spent answering questions about myself.” She smiled and shrugged it off, leaning in toward me. Her body language said it all: You know how it is.

But I don’t, I thought to myself, and yet I do.