I checked the time and finished up the lesson plan I was working on for the next semester before getting up from my chair. “Time’s up,” I announced to the class.
There were a few groans before the typical shuffling began. Students of my Greek Mythology class began to pack up, bringing me their final exams. I kept a stack, smiling and saying various platitudes to the students I had come to know over the last three months.
“It was a great class,” one young woman said. “I didn’t know I liked Greek Mythology, but the way you teach it with such enthusiasm is contagious. You have a real passion for it and it makes it exciting.”
“Ah, thank you Amber. I appreciate that. I’ve always had my head in the clouds, dreaming about gods and goddesses.”
“Do you actually believe in it?”
I grinned. “I think I believe a version of it, yes. I think we all need to have a little fantasy in our lives.”
“Good point. See you later. I wish you taught all my classes.”
I waved and took the next paper. I was always a little sad at the end of a semester. I felt like I spent three months getting to know my students just to say goodbye to them when I figured out I liked them. After collecting all the papers, I stuffed them into my briefcase beside my laptop and took one last look around the classroom.
I was going to enjoy the few days off I had, but it wouldn’t be real days off. I still had to grade the papers and finalize the mini-mester syllabus. “No rest for the wicked,” I mumbled, turning off the lights and walking into the hall.
“Hi,” a deep male voice said, startling me.
“You startled me,” I gasped, looking at the young man leaning up against the wall.
“Sorry.”
“What’s up, Derek?” I asked, recognizing him from class. “Did you forget something in class?”
“No, I thought I would hang out for a minute so I could speak with you alone.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, what’s going on?” I asked with concern.
“I’m just going to go out on a limb here. I’m officially no longer your student. That means, it’s not against any rules for us to date. I’d like to take you to dinner.”
I stared at him. He was an attractive young man, young being the key word. He was too young for me, and truthfully, I doubted we had anything in common. “That’s very nice, but you are still a student at U of H and I am still a professor with no tenure. I really couldn’t risk seeing a student. It just isn’t professional. I like my job and I respect my students.”
“Ah, come on, one date. If it’s good, I’ll drop out.”
I shook my head. “Now that seems a little extreme. Derek, you’re an attractive young man and I’m sure you have an entire student body you could pull from. I don’t date students.”
“Not date, dinner,” he countered. I wasn’t so old that I didn’t speak twenty-something. He was talking sex. He actually thought I was just going to agree to have a one-night stand with him. It was offensive.
“No thank you. I have to get to my office. Enjoy your break and good luck with your classes next semester.”
I quickly walked away, not daring to look back. It wasn’t the first time I had been asked out by a student, but it always felt awkward. I was at least a good ten years older than him. At thirty-three, I was one of the youngest professors on campus, but I was certainly not the prettiest or sexiest, at least in my opinion. One of the art teachers looked like a model. She was thin, I was curvy. She had perfect hair that looked like she paid a small fortune for on a regular basis. My long, bone-straight blonde hair was very old-school.
My look was not one that would typically draw the attention of college jocks. I was sure it was my tits. They all liked my ample breasts. They were one of my best features and I didn’t mind flaunting them just a little. My breasts balanced out my ass, in my opinion. If my ass wasn’t big and round, I would fall flat on my face.
At least that’s what I told myself when I gave up trying to shape my butt into something that would fit into a size four pair of jeans. It was never going to happen, just like my boobs weren’t ever going to be in a b-cup. I embraced my God-given curves.
I made it to my office without being asked out by any other students. I closed the door and sat down to work on the other stack of papers that was waiting for me. I liked the classic method of students actually writing down their answers. I knew it was dated and a lot of other professors made fun of me for doing so, but in my mind, pen to paper inspired thought.
I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Derek’s impromptu dinner invitation. It was flattering to be asked out, even if it wasn’t something I would ever do. Some days, I felt like I would die a lonely woman. Other days, I welcomed the idea of living out my life alone without having to bend to the whims of a husband. I could do what I wanted, go where I wanted, and just be me.
LeilaI was saving up for retirement. I planned on visiting Greece and spending a lot of time really exploring the ruins. I wanted to channel the gods and goddesses I had devoted a large portion of my life too. They fascinated me. Every one of them was interesting and had a story. I would never get tired of thinking about them.I was considering using my degree in mythology to move into the literature field. I wanted to write stories about the gods. I wanted to live in their turbulent world for a while. Anything to escape the mundane world I was bound to in my present life.With the bulk of my work done, the grades for the semester entered into the system, I closed up my office for the day—for the week. I had a few precious days off before I had to pick up and start all over again. I liked the mini-mesters. I liked shoving in a lot of information into a short amount of time. It just seemed more efficient and the students seemed to remember more at the end of the class.I parked my Toy
ChristopherI woke up early, excited to do a little unpacking and settle into the new house. I wanted to make it feel like home for Olin. I wanted the transition to be as easy as possible, if that were even a thing. Olin was dead set on making everything as difficult as he could.I reminded myself he’d been through a lot and I had to give him some time to accept the new life he’d been forced into. I was going to start that life by making him some bacon and eggs. Everybody loved bacon. Teenage boys especially loved bacon.I searched the cupboards, familiarizing myself with where the housekeeper I had hired put the dishes. It was a little strange to feel like a guest in my own house, but I reminded myself it would get better with time. It would be a home.I got busy making breakfast, my eyes continuously looking out the wall of windows that faced our massive backyard with the lake in the distance. It was spectacular. If I were the agent selling the home, I would have absolutely highligh
ChristopherI drove to the college campus and quickly found the office. I was directed down a hall and asked to wait. Being on campus took me back to my younger years when I had attended the University of Minnesota. My degree in business had paid off. Now it was time to pursue something just for the sake of having fun. I didn’t need any more money.“Mr. Evans?” a middle-aged man called my name.“That’s me,” I said, getting to my feet and following him into a tiny office.“Hi, I’m Gerald Enders, one of the advisors here. I understand you were interested in taking some classes?”I nodded. “I am. I’m just not entirely sure what.”“I see. You have a Bachelor’s in business, are you thinking about pursuing a masters?”“No, definitely not. I’ve mastered the business world.”He smiled, obviously not believing me. “Do you want to try another major?”“Yes, possibly. I’m not sure I’m interested in another four-year degree, but I do want to try my hand at something new.”“Are you interested in ta
LeilaI pulled my hair up into a bun, taking great care to make it look messy. It was ridiculous how much work the messy bun look actually took to be cute. I sat down in the chair in the corner of my room, which was older than I was. I loved vintage anything and when I had spotted the chair in a secondhand store, I had bought it without thinking about how I would get it home.I had managed, with the help of the old lady that owned the store and the gentleman passing by that took pity on us trying to squeeze the thing into my backseat. It had worked. Getting it out of the car had been another matter entirely.I pulled on my favorite boots with the chunky heels and rolled up the cuff of my jeans to show them off. The light black sweater I was wearing with the shoulder cutouts made me feel flirty and sexy. I put on my favorite dangly necklace, added a little more mascara to make my green eyes pop and headed out to meet Kami.I parked my car in the lot of the park where a fishing derby wa
Leila“You need to slow down. You’ve only been teaching a few years, but you have the look of a woman who has been teaching forever,” Kami said.“Thanks.”“Seriously, the whole idea of being a teacher is you get to take a couple of months off every year. I don’t think you’ve stopped working since you graduated college.”“Because I want to do things and as it turns out, I’m not independently wealthy and people won’t just give me whatever I want. I apparently have to earn money and to do that, I must work. Despite what I thought when I chose to become a teacher, I don’t make a lot of money.”“You don’t have any money because you save it all.”I laughed. “You make that sound like a bad thing!”“Not bad, but come on. What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow?”I scowled. “That’s not a very positive thought.”“I’m just saying. If you get hit by a bus tomorrow or even a year from now, what good is that fat savings account going to do you? Unless you plan on bequeathing it to me, then by all mea
ChristopherI stepped inside the walk-in closet and stared at the shelves filled with neatly folded jeans. I turned to look at the other side where my business suits were hanging. That was a definite no. I stepped in a little deeper and pulled out a couple of pairs of slacks and then a pair of jeans. I laid the outfits out on the bed and stood back.I was putting way too much effort into deciding what to wear. After finally getting dressed, I headed downstairs to start some coffee. It was a sunny morning, and I enjoyed the sunshine. It was a huge mood lifter. I grabbed my coffee and headed out to sit on the patio. It was a little cool outside, but not cold enough to send me back in.I sat down at the table and thought about my wife. I thought about her a lot. I missed her. I knew I hadn’t been a great husband. I took my role as provider very seriously. Too seriously. I had focused on making us comfortable and kind of let her take over the raising of our son while I spent my time worki
ChristopherWhen I looked back, he was still waving at me. He obviously thought he knew me. I walked to where he was gesturing for me to sit down. I took my seat in the front row to save us both any more embarrassment.“Hi,” he said with a bright smile.“I’m sorry, have we met?” I asked the guy that was barely holding onto his hair. He reminded me of a version of Bruce Willis with his round head, friendly smile and outgoing persona.“Not yet, but when I saw you come through the door, I knew we needed to stick together.”I laughed, looking around the room and seeing all the youthful faces. I didn’t think some of them were old enough to grow facial hair. A true testament to my age. “Thanks. I’m Christopher Evans.”“Alan Pierce,” he said extending his hand for me to shake.“Nice to meet you. Is this your first foray into higher learning?”He chuckled. “No. Third time. I’m hoping it’s the charm.”“Wow, you must really like school?”He laughed. “Not so much, but I just can’t figure out wha
LeilaI scanned the chairs, not really looking at the faces of the students I would have in class the next few weeks. I was focusing on the chairs themselves and the fact there were a lot of butts in the chairs with very few empty ones. It was damn near full. I wasn’t expecting that. I was actually thinking I would skate by with a light class roster which would mean there would be fewer papers to grade. That wasn’t the case at all.“I guess you all had Enders as an advisor?” I quipped. “He likes to stuff as many people into my class as he can. I suppose he gave each of you the speech about my class either being a great way to pick up a couple of fun credits or to determine whether you are really serious about whatever major you are going into.”There were some laughs, telling me that was exactly what had happened. I smiled, appreciating Gerald’s support. He was a nice man and was convinced that without him I would lose my job due to a lack of interest in the old Greek stuff as he call