Scandalized | umop-epis-dn
“I do not believe it me who is not getting the point.” Is he being completely serious? Does he not see the severity of the situation at all? Jareth is a brilliant man, for certain he must know what he is doing.
And that made the realization all the worse.
Children today are not required to mature fully so quickly as they once were and some of the youths Didymus had interacted with made this point more evident. In their day, fifteen was considered a legal adult. Fifteen is the very same age as his son, Maron. Looking at the lad’s innocent face and Didymus can clearly see how archaic that way of thinking is. His son, as so many his age and not much older, still has that look of childlike innocence about him. Don’t even get started on the way of thinking. Walking through the halls of the university, Didymus had heard snippets of many conversations that paralleled conversations shared upon the playground. ‘Do you think she likes me?’ ‘Omigawd! He liked my status! What do you think that means?’ ‘Ahhh! He said “’Sup.’” to me in chem lab! I can’t even!’ True, women in their day had similar discussions, but when a man was interested, he called upon the young woman. He made his intentions more clear than a “‘sup.”
“You cannot possibly compare what equated maturity in our day to today. Maturity was decided upon based on mortality rates. People were lucky to live until fifty, let alone forty, in our day! Children were forced to mature so that they can contribute the most in dire times and continue the circle of life. Today, people have been known to live past one hundred years of age. That is about double the life expectancy rate in our day. In addition, life is far easier than it was all those years ago. Medical care is better and starvation and drought are not as dire in most parts of the world. As a result, children are not required to mature as quickly as they once were. In our day, it was not uncommon for mere scraps of children to become parents at age twelve. Twelve! And in wedlock, no less! Do you still wish to measure your actions next to standards of a bygone time?”
He kept a level gaze upon the other, hands sternly placed upon his hips and eyebrows raised as if daring him to argue further.
Brows lowered and his jaw took on that edge that preceded either battle or childish rage. And in extreme cases, both. Jareth had never taken well to chastisement, not from anyone. Neither rank nor power nor leverage changed that, as well Didymus knew. By the end of the older man’s speech, his patience had long since given out. Slamming a palm irritably upon the dark grained wood of his desk, Jareth scowled up at the other, barking a short, “Enough of this!” Rising, he took on that posture that students and peasants and deans and kings alike had always found unsettling. Even from feet away, he loomed, casting an invisible shadow of aggression malice over the other.
“REGARDLESS of what standard we are going by, these students are considered adults in their own right, capable of living, working, and existing as individuals. They have a right to their own choices, just as anyone else. I’d hope, even by your account, that twenty-somethings would suffice as actual independents. AND, Didymus, I’m not measuring anything, but if I were, it’d be by my own opinions, not any specific time or ideal.” His eyes narrowed further. “I will not suffer this lecturing! You’re not my superior, and you still haven’t said what I’m even being attacked for. Unless you plan to in the next thirty seconds, I suggest you take your implications and chastisements somewhere else!”
The room seemed to take on a slight shadow, despite the bright weather outside. Didymus knew this stance and environmental effect all too well, but it bothered him not. He remained still as stone and just as set in his stance as in his convictions.
“Actual independents that still remain depended upon their parents! Does that truly count as independent?” Indeed, these students lived on their own in some degree and in some cases and others worked for their living, but, at the end of the day, when times became challenging it was a phone call to a parent that solved the situation once more.
His visage reddened as his jaw clenched at the prospect of having to blurt out such immoral actions! Such talk was only acceptable in the barracks of young soldiers! And, then, only barely!
Lips pursed, the redness not fading, and eyebrows lowered, Didymus exhaled a short burst of a sigh through his nose.
“Your meetings with students leave much to be desired.” A slight pause before brown eyes widened at his own word choice. “Lack in morality!” He exclaimed, a sharp edge of nervous discomfort edging his words. “Gods! Not ‘desired,’ ‘lack morality’!”
