Out of Sight, Out of Mind

In the very beginning of my private tuition learning curve, I taught a family of 2 daughters and their mother for 4 hours a day, three times a week. This was very intense, especially as their home was a 2,5 hour trip away from mine.

In the end we got an old second hand car from a friend, who was tired of paying parking fees, and the commute was cut in half.

Still, it remained intense, as spending so much time with a family gets you very close to them. The girls started calling me "daddy" (something my wife did not appreciate), and the mother started arguing as if we were husband and wife.

It was then that I decided I would stop the tuition.

I went back to their home one more time, unannounced. I explained that I had a new job (which was true), and O wouldn't have time to continue tutoring them.

After listening to my monolog, the mother asked me why I came to their house...

I was thrown aback a bit, and answered that I wanted to tell her in personal, as we had spent so much time together.

She told me never to come to their house again, and that I was not to contact her or her children from then on.

I drove home, not understanding what just happened. I asked my wife later that night if she understood what this was about.

She explained many locals only want to interact with the people they need, or can use.

Now, about 16 years, and many such experiences later, I expect and anticipate this behavior. However, I still can't -and refuse to- understand the philosophy behind it...