with Eilis McCullough @knightsmc
Unerring optimism had perhaps always been one of his defining traits. Always able to not only see the bright side but believe that things could and would be better. The glass wasn't just half full but also filled with potential, dark clouds didn't just have a silver lining but brimmed with rain that could give an entirely new life. Any obstacle he faced had been a chance to learn something new, nothing seemed impossible. Upbeat to a fault he knew that some could find such confidence in the world jarring, preferring to look at it with realism instead. It was something he had grown used to - accepted as a trade off, happy to have some dislike him if it meant he could be a light to others. But he had never expected Kahoa to be one of them. It was the only logical conclusion to draw after she'd fallen out of love with him and in love with someone altogether more dark and sullen.
But even if his shambles of a personal life might have left him with a bitter enough taste in his mouth that he was beginning to see the appeal of pessimism, that viewpoint had yet to pollute his work life. If anything it had had the opposite effect, with him pouring the entirety of his heart and soul into his lessons in the search for some kind of win. Usually his effort into his class was much more altruistic, more interested in inspiring young minds than forcing them into some kind of mold. But the acrimonious ending of his engagement was threatening to make him believe that it was all pointless, dimming his faith in both himself and his skills in the rest of his life. That maybe, just maybe, all those years of looking on the brightside had been for nothing. In an effort to keep himself from being entirely disheartened, Devon had himself convinced that even if he had to call himself a failure as a fiancé, the same didn't have to be true in all other aspects of his life.
He'd been warned about Aoife McCullough's behaviour before she'd even arrived in his class but even then he had underestimated how much of a disruption she could be. There'd been some misplaced confidence in how well she would respond to him but after a particularly tough lesson he had read through her file to see if he could find a breakthrough. An idea had sparked and a phonecall had been made, hoping that a joint approach of school and home might bring the girl what she needed. Meetings with parents still brought a small hint of anxiety with him, it was never easy telling someone their child could be challenging, but he nonetheless found himself hoping it went well. Maybe he was feeling more like his old self after all. Warm smile was settled onto his features as he opened the door after hearing a knock. "Mrs McCullough, thanks so much for coming in." Door was held open to her before he gestured to the seat he'd moved in front of his desk. Once they were both over there he held out his hand. "I'm Mr Persaud, Aoife's teacher." The temptation was resisted to tell her she could just call him Devon, never quite knowing how parents would respond to informality. "I'm hoping to talk to you about her, get us all on the same page."