Metropolitan Experiment

Chapter 17 (cont'd)
Simmy was humming a tune as she washed the pancake syrup off her hands in the..."very chic bathroom," she mused. "And aren't these little flowers just the perfect voile for their granite foundation. Mmm, appears good things grow on a solid foundation."
"Hmm Hmm, La la la, la la la la, hmmm...
As she left the bathroom, Simmy was feeling sunshiny happy. She noticed that the Barn had really emptied out and Sam was,...Oh,... Sam was talking to the Jewish Producer!" Simmy took a moment to digest this, then she walked to the table to join them.
Sam looked up as she neared the table and held out his hand to mime an introduction. "J.P., this is my wife, Simmy. Simmy, meet J.P. With a swift movement, J.P. got up in old-fashioned form, creating a sensation of stepping back in time to a more genteel age.
Simmy reached for the hand proffered by J.P. and a 'measure of the man' imprint followed.
"Wonderful to meet you, Simmy. Sam and I are discussing the differences between education and learning. He says you wrote about this in an essay for London Metropolitan University?"
"Well, I don't remember if I wrote some of the concepts into an essay or if I just journaled all the information."
J.P., Simmy and Sam all sit down.
J.P. continued, "We're discussing a book called 'Beyond Education.' Sam said you've read the book and found it to be a good depiction of the course you took through London Metropolitan. Can you give me a synopsis?"
Sam and Simmy both burst into laughter. J.P. looks confused,"Did I say something funny?"
Sam quickly responds, "A synopsis may take a couple of hours for Simmy. Do you have the time?" There was a warning twinkle in Sam's eyes.
J.P. was quick to catch the single raised eyebrow inference. "Would you two be willing to help me with the kitchen clean-up? I think I've been abandoned!" There was a hopeful and unabashed tactic of ambush in J.P.'s swift reply.
This time Simmy laughed, "Is this how you meet your budget and deadlines? You see the opportunity to get two things accomplished in one time frame!"
J.P. tried to blush but the shrug of his shoulders and a lifetime of getting what he wanted made the attempt clownish at best. "Well, I am Jewish!"
"Sam, do we help this poor man clean up the kitchen?" Simmy queried.
"That's the sideline," J.P. tossed his hook. "We get to have a conversation, a sharing of ideas that we all get to use in our spheres of influence to develop a better plot leading to a better scene leading to..."
"Hey, hold that thought, J.P. That is exactly what this book is about. The kitchen will be the environment of learning for all of us today. Ooh, this is exciting! I've usually been the one who's been abandoned in there. Finally, I have two students and a classroom," Simmy started toward the kitchen as Sam and J.P. trailed along. Suddenly she stopped and swept her hand out in royal fashion, "After you, teachers!"
"Teachers? Sam and J.P. looked confused. I thought you were the teacher and we the students."
"Oh ho, we shall all be switching roles in a natural rhythm of teacher to student, student to teacher. You two are just unaware of how it is always happening in life, in every sphere of social learning leading to educated possibilities," Simmy trilled.
"I think she knows too much," suggested J.P.
"Try living with her," grumbled Sam.