Asking the devil for more heat.

Teachers voted today in my Italian true love’s school to start the school year three days early. My true love dissented. To no avail, of course. She’s for postponing the start as late as possible. Hoping that as summer wanes, the weather will make for better classroom conditions. There’s no air-conditioning. And it’s hot and humid in Italy. Anyway, in Italy the individual schools have flexibility.  Teachers can choose when to start. Within certain parameters. For instance, they can choose to start earlier than usual, thereby allowing for longer vacation periods. At Christmas or Easter. Anyway, I’d hate to teach in a hot and muggy classroom. With no air-conditioning.  My true love has adjusted. She’s cultivated an amazing tolerance to uncomfortable temperatures. She doesn’t mind sweating. And fanning herself by hand. On the hottest nights, she doesn’t even want to sleep with air-conditioning or a ceiling fan. Actually, she has a built-in intolerance to air-conditioning. Claiming that it causes throat congestion and body aches. She’d have an easy time surviving in hell. Wouldn’t surprise me if she asked the devil to turn up the thermostat. –Jim Broede