I was a graduate student working on my thesis and a few part-time jobs. One of them was the position as a lecturer in a "continuing education" evening class, with about 60 students that the courage to juggle work, family, and school. In order to give students a greater degree of flexibility over their time, I tended to base a large percentage of the overall grade on a term paper rather than an end-of-term exam. I had the experience that it kept students interested and provided them with a writing sample they often needed for subsequent applications.
Among my students was a recently retired couple, both in their early sixties. They had a keen mind, a great sense of humour, and contributed a great deal to the discussions that took place during lectures. I thoroughly enjoyed their presence in the classroom. Needless to say, I spent a considerable amount time with them structuring their term papers, guiding them with the relevant literature, and focusing their thoughts on the questions they really wanted to analyse in their papers.
From their demeanour and their way of dressing, they portrayed themselves as confidently bourgeois, generally conservative in their views but secure enough to remain open-minded and curious. François, tall and quite athletic for his age, typically wore a suit, a (blue) shirt with a refreshingly colourful tie, wearing a golden ring with his family's crest on his right hand. He had thin, slightly receding grey hair, bright blue eyes, and golden-rimmed glasses. He smiled easily and warmly. Renée was larger but with proportions that suited her size, a women that would have delighted and inspired old Mr Rubens. She truly made the most of her figure, supporting her large, very motherly breasts with bras that help to defy gravity. Normally, she wore relatively plain blouses, allowing others to enjoy a little décolletage, and astonishingly well-tailored trousers that flattered her figure immensely. Her hair was dyed an ash-blond, which gave her hazel-coloured eyes a particular shine. These, together with her very sensuous lips and immaculate teeth intrigued me from the first time I saw the two of them.
During our last discussion before Renée and François had to hand in their respective term papers (and, by that time, their papers had been in a terrific state), they enquired about my summer plans. For the most time, I needed to spend summer in the library and, hopefully, finish the second of my three chapters. However, I wanted to take off a week or ten days to clear my head but did not have any time to make plans. Without too much thought, I said that much — and I was surprised and intrigued when they invited me to come and stay in their chalet about two hours north in the mountains. Without any alternative plans, I had wanted to accept their kind invitations immediately, but I needed to put them off until I would have finished grading all the term papers and posting their results. However, I suggested to meet for a coffee at that time, which they keenly accepted.
That way, I knew, I would not run into any conflict-of-interest situations, and I felt more comfortable. Also, it allowed Renée and François to re-assess their invitation without any embarrassment. Three weeks later, the two of them promptly showed up at the coffee bar (I had been reading a newspaper, not being entirely sure this was meant seriously). We talked about the term papers and my comments, about politics and a number of other topics before — by that time, somewhat surprisingly — the question was posed whether I had considered their offer and felt any interest in joining them in their chalet. I still did, and they gave me directions to meet them about two weeks' later.
