Gaze Quote by Melissa Jensen
““When Sebastian, cearly delighted to be treated like one of the guys, didn't move, Alex bared his teeth. " Depeche-toi! " Sebastian depeched. Alex turned back, all Cheshire cat smile. "No," I said. "No what?" "No,you are not going to teach me all the cool words so I can go to Chamonix and be conversational." "Good." He leaned in so I could see the faint dusting of freckles on his nose and smell spearmint gum. "Chamonix is so 1990s. Everyone who is anyone goes to Courchevel these days." I turned on my heel and started to walk off. "Jeez. Ella." He loped after me. "What if your problem? Conversational, my ass. Talking to you is like dancing around a fire in paper shoes." I stopped. "What is that supposed to mean?" "It's an expression my Ukranian babushka likes. I'll explain it at our first turtoring session." I scowled at his shirt. This one had what looked like a guy riding a dolphin instead of the ubiquitos alligator or polo player. "There isn't going to be a tutoring session." "Winslow seems to think otherwise." "Wouldn't be the first thing she's wrong about," I muttered. He gave an impressive sigh. The dolphin lurched, but the little guy on it held tight. "You don't want to fail French , do you? That would be a serious admission of weakness from an Italian girl." I almost smiled. Instead, I announced. "Fuhgeddaboudit. I'll buy a 'Teach Your Poodle French in Ten Easy Lessons' online. Problem solved, and Winslow will never be the wiser." "Yeah. Good luck with that. So how's this Friday? I don't have practice." When I shook my head, he demanded, " What is it? I'm a good tutor. Ask Sebastian. I was just teaching him how to tell the obnoxious French dudes on the slopes that they suck.””
About This Quote
A sarcastic dialogue about language tutoring, cultural snobbery, and the pressure to appear sophisticated while confronting personal insecurities.
In simple terms: Mocking pretentiousness in language learning and social status.
Language learning can be a façade for social validation.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- seeking language tutoring
- navigating social hierarchies
- responding to condescension
Key Concepts
Practical Applications
- satirical storytelling
- character development
Questions to Reflect On
- How does humor reveal underlying insecurities?
- What does the dialogue say about authenticity in self‑presentation?