The Final Exam Brownies

“The… the…” she explained as she first tilted, “… the…”

When I began teaching in San Francisco in the late 1960s, the university required each class to meet at the scheduled final exam, whether having an exam or not.

Students in my modern poetry class had written term papers, so we did not have a final exam. But as a young professor, I was determined to follow the rules.

I announced that I would not take attendance at the required meeting, and people were invited to bring food and sweets and passages of poetry they liked, and we would have a party. I humorously announced that I had never been known to flunk anyone who brought a chocolate cake to the final. (Actually, the course was designed around short assignments and frequent feedback, so it was almost impossible to flunk.)

At exam time, we had a pleasant, low-key party and enjoyed the snacks, cookies, cake, and company. This was a comfortable, friendly group. Several were public school teachers, older than I was.

When I helped clean up, among the leftovers was a cardboard tray of homemade brownies no one had touched. Nobody else wanted them, so I wandered the building looking for someone to give them to.

As I passed the department office, the flirty young secretary made eyes at me, so I wheeled in and presented her with the tray of brownies. She was delighted, and I was pleased to make her smile.