Day One

by Lauren Runow

  Me: If you know a lot of people, then how come I’m just meeting you?

  Drew: Like I said, I’ve been gone for a while. But I’m back, hopefully for good now.

  Drew: Am I going to have to play detective or …

  I giggle at the notion of him searching for who I am and then pause when I think about how he’ll tell said people how we met. I don’t really want fellow teachers or my principal knowing I’m on Tinder, so I give in.

  Me: Fine. Here.

  I send him the link and close my eyes in horror of what he’s about to see. The video is ten minutes long, and when five minutes go by, my heart starts to race. There is zero reason for him to watch the entire thing. I rap in the first two minutes, and then go over lesson plans and how the next week will work.

  Seven minutes go by.

  Ten minutes.

  Twelve minutes!

  I inhale, too embarrassed to say anything. He probably saw that and said, Yeah, this girl is crazy, before shutting off his phone. Like I said, I’m just barely above my students’ maturity level, and that video proves it. I even went as far as getting dressed up in an Egyptian toga.

  Many students have told me that I’m their favorite teacher, but they’re eleven years old. I’m sure some adults think I never grew up.

  After twenty minutes, I give up. I throw my phone across the cushion and get up to pour myself a big glass of wine.

  Before I make it to the couch, I hear the distinctive ding of my Tinder account. Almost spilling my wine, I rush over to the phone and swipe it on. To my surprise, it’s a video.

  I click it and instantly laugh out loud at the sight of Drew wrapped in a sheet, singing his own rap. From what I can tell, it was shot with his phone resting on a dresser that’s about waist high. He has his shirt off, and his arms shine through the cream-colored fabric wrapped around him. They’re lean and tone with defined muscles, and his chest is … flawless.

  His rap is only six lines long, but I’m dying, laughing the entire time. He’s playing the role really well, and when he leans down to turn off the camera, he makes a little face, playfully sticking his tongue out before clicking the video off.

  I watch it over and over again, loving it more and more each time.

  Me: I’m SO showing this to my students.

  Drew: Don’t you dare. That was fun though.

  Me. That was awesome. I give you an A!

  Drew: Wow! Thanks, Teach.

  Drew: That video was pretty cool though. I wish I’d had a teacher like you. School was never really my thing. I only had good grades so I could play sports.

  Me: Hey, whatever motivates you, take it! I have a few students like you in my class. Doing stuff like this makes them realize that learning can be fun.

  Drew: I would have had such a crush on you in elementary school.

  Me: Ha! Don’t even talk like that. I can’t, just … no …

  Drew: LOL! I said ME, not your students.

  Me: Let’s talk about now instead. Would you say you have a crush on me now?

  Drew: Absolutely. And after that video … <3

  My face blushes when I send him a GIF of a girl seductively raising her eyebrows.

  A few minutes pass, and I’m wondering if our conversation is over until he comes back with:

  Drew: So, yeah, I just had to explain to one of my roommates why I was wearing my sheet as a toga. Thanks a lot for that one.

  I laugh out loud.

  Me: Sorry! What did they say?

  Drew: That I must be pretty smitten with a girl to do that.

  Me: Smitten?

  Drew: Yeah, smitten. Do people even use that word anymore?

  Me: Obviously, your roommate does.

  Drew: OK, well, now that I’m fully embarrassed in my own home, I’ll let you go. How about I give you an actual call tomorrow?

  Me: Sure. Call 867-5309.

  Drew: Does that mean for a good-time call, or are you telling me, after that video, you’ll never give me your real number and you’d rather never talk to me again?

  Me: Just playing with you.

  I give him my real number, smiling so big that my cheeks hurt.

  Drew: I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Sharee.

  Me: OK, Drew.

  I close my app and let out a little squeal. This could definitely be something!

  3

  Day 3

  March 29

  My phone rings with a 718 area code and New York displayed underneath it. Normally, I don’t answer these types of calls, but boredom has officially taken over, and maybe I can mess with a salesperson enough to get them to talk to me. At this point, I just want human interaction, and I’ll take it anywhere I can get it.

  “Hello?” I say.

  “Hey, it’s Drew.” A breathy male voice comes across my line, making my body tingle.

  “Hey,” I say, a little too excited. I try to bring it down a notch as I curl my body on my couch. “How come your number says New York?”

  “Yeah, I lived there a while back, just never changed it. What are you up to?”

  “Livin’ the dream, watching the rain outside and contemplating my next move in life.”

  “Are you thinking big things are to come?”

  “ ‘Big mistake! Big! HUGE,’ ” I drawl out. “ ‘I have to go shopping now…’ ” I let my voice trail off.

  “So, you’re an eighties movie buff too? Do you know anything from our generation?” he says with a slight laugh.

  I return the sound. “Yeah, I just watched the Behind the Scenes show from Pretty Woman, so it’s on my mind. Next is The Breakfast Club, and they even have one for the show The Facts of Life, so I have my lineup for tonight all planned out. I know you’re jealous.”

  “You do know I have cable, so I can watch it too, right?”

  “Yeah, but I’m sure you have way better things to do with your time.”

  “Not really, but you’ll have to fill me in on what The Facts of Life is. I don’t remember that one.”

  I sigh. “It was a television show from the eighties. I have an older sister; that’s the only way I know about it. So, how about you? What’s your day been like?”

  “First, I went for a run in the rain. That was fun. Came home soaked and took a hot shower.”

  “Okay, hold that thought. Getting visual …” I pause. “Yep, got it. Go on.”

  His laugh is deep and throaty. I close my eyes and let it soak in, especially with that visual still running through my head.

  “Since then, I’ve been trying to stay busy. I had old boxes to go through that had been sitting in my room for the past few years, so I figured it was time.”

  “Ah, trip down memory lane. Did you find anything good?”

  “Besides old trophies, yearbooks, and my graduation cap, not really.”

  “Let me guess. You were voted Best Smile in high school.”

  His laugh graces me again. “Thank you, but no. I was voted Most Athletic though.”

  I yawn loudly into the phone, teasing him.

  “That bores you?” he asks with a chuckle.

  “Athlete schmathlete. I’m a science nerd, remember?”

  “If I say I was also a 4.0 student, too, would that turn you on?”

  “Oh, talk dirty to me, baby. How many AP classes did you take?” Thankfully, he knows I’m kidding. “So, how much stuff did you actually throw away?”

  “None of it.” He laughs. “It was pretty cool to see what my mom had kept over the years for me. She had every jersey and every hat from the different Little League teams I played on, as well as all the tryouts performance charts I did over the years.”

  “Did you play in college too?”

  He pauses for a brief moment and then says, “Um, yeah.”

  “Where’d you go?”

  “Vanderbilt,” he says with a nonchalance that makes my eyes bulge.

  “Seriously?” I ask, shocked. “How come you left that out?”

  A sharp laugh escapes his l
ips. “Is that how you date nowadays? Hi, I’m Drew. I have a degree from Vanderbilt, so I’m not a schlep. Do you want to get to know me?”

  I giggle into the phone. “Well, yeah. It wouldn’t hurt. You’d be surprised how many losers are out there.”

  “Is that why you’re still single? Nothing but losers?”

  “You have no idea how many guys still live with their parents.” There’s an awkward pause, so I continue, “Did you know most relationships start at work? When you’re surrounded by eleven-year-olds and ninety percent of your coworkers are women, it makes it kind of difficult to meet people.”

  “So, that’s why you’re on Tinder?” he asks.

  “To be honest, my sister created my account. She’s dying for nieces or nephews. Since she’s older, she’s out of the baby stage and says it’s my turn. Oh my God”—I panic—“I’m sorry. I know that’s like dating 101—to not talk about wanting babies.” I smack my forehead. “I swear I’m not like Marisa Tomei, stomping my foot while whining, ‘My biological clock is ticking like this,’ ” I say in my best accent to match hers from the movie My Cousin Vinny.

  “Hey, I think that’s from the nineties, right? Look at you, moving up in the decades,” he teases.

  “Pretty Woman was actually released in 1990, so give me a little credit on that one, but challenge accepted. I’ll try to think of one from the 2000s now.”

  “Can’t wait to hear what you come up with,” he says just as I hear a knock in the background.

  “Sweetheart, would you mind running out to get the food we ordered?” an older female voice says.

  My eyes open wide as I sit up on my couch. Sweetheart? Who is that asking him to go get something?

  I can tell he’s muffled the phone by the loud swooshing sound coming through on my end. He’s responding, but I can’t hear what he says. When he comes back, the line is silent, and I give him all the time he needs to explain who that was.

  “So …” He laughs nervously. “Why do I feel like I’m back in high school and I was just caught talking to a girl?”

  “Um, because it sounds like you were. Do you live with your parents still?”

  “No. Yes. I mean—”

  “You mean?” I pause. “Please tell me it’s not what I think.”

  “It isn’t, I promise.”

  I can hear the panic in his voice, and it’s almost cute. He’s nervous, and I take that as a good sign.

  He continues, “Yes, I’m staying with my parents right now but only because my place isn’t ready yet. I’ve only been here for a few weeks. I was supposed to move on April first, but with everything going on, that date’s been pushed back.”

  “Hmm,” I tease him. “Are you sure you’re not like the other losers I’ve met?” Hopefully, he can hear the playfulness in my voice.

  He sighs. “Okay, you caught me. I’m the biggest loser out there, and really, I’m in my parents’ basement right now, buried in old comic books and covered in Cheetos cheese dust.”

  Now, it’s my turn to laugh out loud. “I knew it!”

  He lets out a breathy laugh and then says, “It actually couldn’t have been better timing. My mom’s a cancer survivor, but it’s only been a few years since she’s been in remission, so my parents are staying home. I’ve been running all of their errands for them, so my dad doesn’t have to worry about possibly infecting her. I do my best to not touch things while I’m out, and then I keep my distance from them—well, as much as I can while living in their house.”

  “That’s pretty cool. So, where did you move from?”

  “Chicago.”

  “You have a New York number but used to live in Chicago?”

  “Yeah, I told you, I travel a lot, but I’ll call here home now—at least for a little while.”

  “If you lived in Chicago, how did I swipe right on you a few months ago?”

  “I was home for a while over the holidays. It was probably then. I might or might not have opened the app a few times when I was here.”

  “Hmm, the truth comes out.” I chuckle.

  “Guilty as charged. Nothing came from it though.”

  “What, no late-night hook-ups that you snuck into your parents’ home after they went to bed?”

  He laughs. “Um, yeah, that’s a big no.”

  “Wait, so the roommate you mentioned yesterday, who walked in on you when you were dressed in a toga, was your mom?”

  “Yes!” he says, his voice raising an octave. “That took some explaining, thanks to you.”

  “Makes sense now. Of course a mom would say smitten.”

  “Yes, she did. Look, I hate to cut this short, but as you heard, I have to go fetch them some food.”

  My eyes light up in excitement. “ ‘That is so fetch!’ ” I say with a Valley Girl tone. “ ‘Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It’s not going to happen!’ ”

  “You did it!” He laughs. “And don’t ask me how I know that movie.”

  “Oh, I’m going to ask; don’t you worry.” I giggle.

  “Talk to you tomorrow?”

  “You got it. Night, Drew.”

  “Bye, Sharee.”

  The way he says my name is so sexy that I swear I feel my heart swoon. I love having this little time in my day to look forward to, and he’s not disappointing me at all.

  4

  Day 4

  March 30

  I finally did it! I actually did my hair today and put on makeup. I had been afraid my hair would be permanently kinked with how long I’d been throwing it up in a messy bun right out of the shower.

  I wish I could say it’s because I have something special to do or somewhere to go, but no. I’m having a Zoom meeting with my students, and though I might have their same maturity level, I always try to look as professional as possible when I teach my class.

  I sent out the link to the Zoom meeting this morning, and I’m praying some students show up. Most of my class have their own cell phones, so I made sure to give instructions on how to download the app, so they can talk to me on their devices.

  As I sit at my kitchen counter, after making sure everything in the background is appropriate for my class to see, I log on.

  My face fills the entire screen, and I flinch at the size of my head, quickly covering my face. With a laugh, I peek behind my hands to ease myself into the view of the camera, which is pointed up at me in an unflattering way.

  Next time, I for sure need to work on the angle of this thing as well as the lighting.

  One after another, multiple boxes pop up on my screen, showing the students I miss so much. Everyone talks over one another, and the expressions on their faces are priceless when they see their friends they haven’t been around for almost two weeks.

  I let them all take it in and enjoy the moment. After all, this is probably the most exciting thing that’s happened to them as well. It’s obvious that multiple conversations are going at once, and I try to figure out who is actually talking to who.

  After a few minutes, I speak up and try to get their attention, “Hey, everyone.”

  They all quiet down.

  “How are you all doing?”

  I see some shrugs and some nods, and a few kids actually answer by saying, “All right.”

  “How about you, Ms. Witzel?” Timmy asks.

  I give the same response, “I’m all right. Staying inside, like I hope you all are doing as well.” I see a few kids nod before I continue, “But to be totally honest … I’m so bored!”

  The kids all laugh and agree. “Yes!” I hear a collective response.

  We discuss the distance-learning assignments I assigned through Google Classroom and what this week should look like.

  The whole thing amazes me. Thanks to technology, we’re making this work. If this had happened when I was their age, none of this would have been possible. Shoot, I didn’t even know Zoom existed until last week, and now, it’s all over the place! I’ve had to talk to a few parents just to walk them th
rough how to log on to Google Classroom, as even that is over their heads.

  “I saw something online today that I really want you guys to consider,” I say. “And no, it’s not an assignment, nor will you actually be turning this in. I want you to do this because you want to and nothing more.”

  A few kids roll their eyes, and I can tell they’ve checked out, so I try to bring them back in.

  “How many of you have grandparents who fought in the Vietnam War?”

  A few raise their hands.

  “Okay, what about September 11? Do you know anyone who was personally affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center?”

  Only one raises her hand. Since we’re in California, I’m not too surprised on this one.

  “Then, let’s think about your great-grandparents. Did anyone fight in World War II or the Korean War?”

  A few more raise their hands.

  “Now, imagine if you could read their journal from back then. My dad fought in the Vietnam War, and I’ve had the opportunity to read every letter he sent home to my grandparents during that time. By just reading his letters, I learned way more about that period in history than I ever could have in any textbook. It was fascinating because he was actually living in the fields of an unknown area during a very uncertain time in our history.”

  “But what does that have to do with what’s going on now? We’re not at war,” Nick asks.

  “No, we aren’t, but I absolutely guarantee you that your grandchildren will be reading about today, the pandemic of 2020, in their history books. This is affecting the entire world! I hope you realize that we haven’t dealt with anything like this since 1918 with the Spanish flu. So, how cool would it be if they got to read your journal during this time?”

  Some shrug as others take it seriously.

  “That would be pretty cool,” Angeline says.

  “If you’re interested, I encourage you to write down what your day is like. What your thoughts and fears are. Just remember, your grandchildren might want to read it someday, so watch what you say,” I tease.