by S. E. Akers
She was right. He looked quite dashing today in his tailored, dark taupe suit and blue shirt. Not rugged or outdoorsy like he did yesterday (though he was pretty fine then, too). Even the eyeglasses he was wearing gave him an intelligent and commanding appearance, but allured you in a naughty way. Extremely GQ.
“I don’t have anything prepared, so I thought I’d just open the floor up to any questions you might have about geology. Sound good?” Professor Grey asked.
Most all the gals in the class simultaneously replied, “Yes,” like they were in a trance, but the guys remained silent, almost pouty.
“Who has the first question? Don’t be shy,” Professor Grey replied flirtatiously as he sat down on the edge of Ms. Fitz’s desk.
Every girl in the class raised their hand. Well, every girl except me, that is. He acknowledged Anna Cooper’s first by saying, “The brunette in the green shirt.”
I moved in unison with her body to maintain my cover, knowing he was looking this way.
Most of the things they asked were very general — “How long he had been a geologist?”, “What did he do for Xcavare Enterprises?”, and “What was involved in his fieldwork?” A few of them were a little too personal (in my opinion) like, “How old are you?” He just acknowledged it with a smile, but never answered. My favorite was, “Are you single?” I was getting a little embarrassed by my peers’ interrogation. Funny, none of the guys asked a single question.
I stayed hunched down behind Anna, counting the minutes until the bell would ring. My neck and upper back were starting to ache, so I shifted slightly to my left. When I turned my head, I spotted Ty Smith — staring at me. It wasn’t a casual glance. By the way he was smiling, it was obvious he had been watching me “hide” for quite a while. Evidently, he’d found it amusing. I grinned back at him and quickly turned my head away. I didn’t want him to see me blushing either.
Uh, Awkward…
Then it was Katie’s turn. I grinned as I thought about what she was bound to ask. Katie was so predictable. She would undoubtedly try to impress him with her knowledge of gemstones, though limited as it was. Katie really didn’t bother to learn any science or history behind them. She only cared about how they looked placed in a dazzling setting.
“Professor Grey, I know Xcavare Enterprises also excavates gemstones. Is it possible they could find any in the mine around here? Like, maybe diamonds or something? Anything other than just…coal,” she added in a dismal, dry tone. Most of the class laughed at her remark. After all, they were sick of the dirty black stuff, too.
Professor Tanner Grey grasped both sides of the podium and grinned as he lowered his head. Then swiftly, he turned around to the blackboard and wrote:
Why can’t the coal found in the mines
around here become a diamond?
“Can anyone tell me why it’s impossible?” Professor Grey posed, waiting for a response.
Everyone remained silent. For this to be a “coalmining” community, no one seemed to know ANYTHING about how coal was formed from the earth.
Professor Grey remained at the blackboard with his back to our class and asked, “Anyone at all?”
From my vantage point, Ms. Fitzpatrick looked frustrated, to say the least (the very least). The embarrassment she must have been feeling because not one person in her “top” senior class was answering (or even attempting a guess) was written all over her face. I felt awful for her. I turned to get a glimpse of the clock. We only had a minute or two left of class, but I sat there wishing that the bell would ring — right now — to put Ms. Fitz out of her misery. Anxiously, I twisted my little gold locket back and forth vigorously as a wave of guilt started to overwhelm me. After all, I was a part of this class. Even Ms. Fitz must suspect that her “star student” had some inkling as to what the correct answer was. Ugh. That made me feel even worse.
What the heck. I collected my thoughts, summoned some courage, and cleared my throat.
“Even though the bituminous coal found in our local mine contains carbon atoms, there’s not currently, nor has ever been enough pressure or hot enough temperatures to allow such a transformation to occur. Even if the right geological processes were in place…considering the amount of impurities bituminous coal contains, it would turn into graphite way before it would ever become a diamond. That’s simply why it’s an impossibility.”
“Excellent answer!” Professor Tanner Grey exclaimed as the turned around from the board. He looked straight into my eyes as he slid his glasses down onto the tip of his perfect nose. “Ms. Shiloh Wallace,” he added with a sly grin while his eyes remained locked on mine.
I thought everyone was going to get a case of whiplash by the way their heads whirled around to look at me — all at once. I felt the surprise and envy of all the females in the room, including Ms. Fitz. My cheeks started to feel warm, flushing just like they did last night. All I could do was simply raise my eyebrows and flash an indifferent smile.
Thankfully, the dismissal bell rang. I attempted an evasive departure. I lowered my head and dashed towards the door to avoid any further contact with our “guest speaker”. I was more than relieved when I spied Kara and several other girls rushing towards him like helpless moths hovering around the edges of a flame. That was the first time Kara’s hormones had ever worked to my advantage. What a happy coincidence.
I felt a tug on my arm as I hurried down the hall. Katie.
“What was that?” Katie asked as her pace quickened, trying to catch up with me.
“A correct answer,” I replied irrefutably.
“No. Not that. How did he know your name — Ms. Shiloh Wallace?” Katie questioned, attempting to repeat my name in the same charming manner that Professor Grey had spoken it.
“I don’t know,” I replied casually.
“Did you meet him yesterday at the meeting?” Katie probed.
I had to tell her something. “Not exactly.”
Katie looked confused.
“I sort of ran into him out on Shiloh Ridge.” That was more literal than she knew. “But I never gave him my name.”
“That’s weird,” Katie speculated aloud.
I was amused by her choice of the word “weird”. If I told her about all the things that had happened yesterday, she would probably rethink the use of that word.
“No, I mean…REALLY WEIRD, Shi. What were YOU even doing out on the ridge? I thought ‘Shi’ with a ‘Y’ would never go out there again?” Katie knew all about my childhood experience and how neurotic I was about it.
“I thought I heard something and went to check it out,” I replied coolly. “No big deal.”
I wasn’t sure if she’d bought my blasé attitude. I didn’t. I thought to myself, No big deal? Yeah right!
“Nice to see you’re conquering those childhood fears of yours,” Katie teased and gave my back a playful pat. “Hey…Let’s run downtown and grab something to eat. I’ve got to help my dad inventory some new necklaces this afternoon, but he doesn’t know that school’s out for the day.” Katie placed her finger next to her mouth and let out a secretive “shush”.
It sounded like a good idea. I thought I might go into work a little early, but then I would inevitably have to grab something from the Sterling Drive-In. Their food was good, but I did get tired of eating it — all the time.
“Only if we go to Anthony’s,” I insisted. “I’m in the mood for Italian, and I’m craving a thick, cheesy stromboli.”
“Agreed,” Katie replied with a smile and locked her arm around mine. After a quick stop by our lockers, we strolled out of the school and made our way down to the lower lot.
The ride there took less than a minute. Luckily, I found an empty parking place on the street, right in front of the restaurant. The mouthwatering aroma of fresh marinara sauce aroused both our appetites as soon as we stepped inside. Anthony’s was a charming Italian eatery that served some of the best food around. The restaurant’s atmosphere was warm and folksy, with a touch of o
ld world flair. Even at lunchtime their tables looked impeccable, always covered in crisp white linens and all the candles wedged into their wicker-bottomed wine bottles were always lit. Anthony’s wasn’t crowded at all when we’d arrived, so we snagged a great spot by one of their front windows. However as we ordered our meal, the tables and booths began to fill up rather quickly.
I tried to steer the conversation away from anything remotely related to the mine or Lazarus Xcavare, but that’s all Katie wanted to chat about. She even touched on the subject of Professor Grey. Maybe lunch was a big mistake?
Katie tapped on the table lightly and motioned her eyes towards the counter. “Look who just came in,” she whispered. I started to turn my head when she kicked me under the table. “No — Don’t LOOK.”
“Do you want me to look or not?” I whispered back.
“You can look…but don’t be so obvious,” Katie scolded.
In a discreet fashion, I got up and walked over to grab a crushed red pepper shaker from the adjacent table. When I turned to head back, I nonchalantly glanced around the restaurant. As soon as I spotted “whom” Katie was referring to, I tripped on my own feet and practically fell back into our booth. It was Mr. Estell.
“You could’ve warned me. That man gives me the creeps.” I swiftly returned the kick she’d given me a moment ago.
This is the third time I’ve seen him in the past TWO DAYS.
“Sorry,” Katie giggled. “I should’ve known better…My mistake. I thought ‘Shi’ with a ‘Y’ had conquered all of her fears.”
It really wasn’t like me to think bad things about people, not without having a valid reason, but Mr. Estell had the potential to fit the bill.
“What do you think of him?” I whispered, desperate for an objective opinion.
“I don’t know. I think he lives over around Jolo.” Her eyes lit up. “Maybe he belongs to that snake-handling cult over there?” Katie watched him leave the restaurant with his to-go order. “He’s gone,” she announced in a much louder tone.
“I don’t think it’s a cult…It’s a church of some sort,” I replied. It seemed that I was going to end up being the “objective” one.
Katie shot me a crazy look. “A church? A church where they handle freakin’ snakes! I prefer to carry a bible when I go to church — not a garden hoe!”
I got tickled at the mental image of Katie whacking off snakeheads in the middle of Pastor Hubble’s Sunday service.
“Oh, I see…and you know this for sure because you’ve been there?” I countered with a playfully dubious twinkle in my eyes.
“NO. But I’ve heard people talk, and I’ve seen reports on TV about them. That’s how they show their faith — by lettin’ snakes bite all over them. Poisonous ones, too. I think they like rattlers mostly.” Katie’s body shook dramatically as she spoke about the slithery creatures.
With all the eerie things that had happened to me lately, I really didn’t want to spend any more of my lunchtime discussing venomous reptiles. Change of subject…
“There’s Mr. Anderson,” I remarked as I pointed to the bulky and bright cherry-red Dodge dually that had just pulled up in front of the restaurant. Mr. Anderson waved to us through the window as he hurried to the back of his truck. A few seconds later, he reappeared carrying a wooden basket full of vegetables.
“Looks like he’s been in his garden today,” Katie commented.
Mark Anderson was famous around these parts for his tomatoes. They had won first prize for the last three years at the state fair in Lewisburg. As soon as Mr. Anderson entered the restaurant, he smiled and sauntered over to our table.
“Hidey-ho, girls. What are you two doin’ in here and not up at the school?” Mr. Anderson asked.
“They let us out early because of Homecoming,” Katie replied with a courteous smile.
“That’s nice. Homecoming’s a big deal ’round here. Tonight’s game will be a good one — maybe the best of the season.” Whenever Mark Anderson spoke of football, his eyes lit up like firecrackers on the Fourth of July. Daddy informed me, on many occasions, that Mark Anderson was the best quarterback to ever play for Welch High School. He’d even earned a football scholarship from WVU. Unfortunately, he also received a horrible injury to his right shoulder when he played in the Gator Bowl during his junior year. Daddy said, and I quote, “That son-of-a-bitch from LSU nearly tore his arm off!” He never picked up a football again and dropped out of college. He returned home to Welch and got a job working in the mine for a while, but he preferred the sunshine. Mr. Anderson ended up going into the farming business. He grew vegetables throughout the year and hibernated like a bear during the winter. Considering his dream of playing professional football had been yanked out from under him, he seemed very happy with how his life had turned out.
“I’m here dropping off some of my tomatoes. Anthony likes the organic ones I’ve started growing. Ya know, ya gotta keep up with the times…It’s good to be green. These are the last ones from my garden, but I’ll still have some growin’ in my greenhouses. They should put out enough to keep him happy through the winter. But I’m glad I ran into you, Shiloh. I’ve been meanin’ to bring some stuff by your house — for your mother. She’s such a sweet lady. A real fine woman. She hasn’t been by the farm much lately, umm…to buy my vegetables,” Mr. Anderson quickly clarified. “I thought I’d bring her some…to remind her of what good stuff she’s been missin’.”
A sneaky suspicion crept over me as I stared up at him. Funny, I thought to myself, I never knew she bought vegetables from Mr. Anderson’s farm. I’m usually the one who goes to the grocery store for the majority of the food purchases. My pulse began to quicken.
“Sure, Mr. Anderson. I’ll give her the basket and make sure she knows what ‘she’s been missing’,” I assured him as I grabbed one of the ripe tomatoes out of the basket, sniffed it, and grinned.
“Great! Here you go,” Mr. Anderson announced appreciatively as he placed the basket on our table. “I’d better go see about my deliveries now. You ladies have a nice lunch.”
As he trotted off to find Anthony, I tossed the tomato back into the basket and looked over at Katie. She sat there quietly with the same suspicious look on her face. She started to say something when her phone rang. Katie glanced at her cell and flinched.
“Crap! It’s my dad.” Katie answered it quickly. “Hey, Dad…Yes, school was dismissed early today…I’m getting ready to eat lunch with Shi at Anthony’s…Ugh! Our food is going to be RIGHT OUT…Okay, okay…Fine! Bye.” She threw herself against the back of the leather booth.
“I have to get mine TO GO,” Katie pouted. “He’s pissed because I didn’t go straight to the shop after school. I’m sorry, Shi.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just eat real quick and then head over to the Drive-In.”
“But you’ll be sitting here…all alone,” Katie said sadly as she fiddled with her little diamond pendant.
Katie had “a thing” about being alone. Seeing people carrying on throughout their daily lives “alone” really bothered her for some reason. I never understood why. Maybe because she’s an only-child who is constantly with her parents and they shower her with attention? Who knows?
I looked around the crowded restaurant and laughed. “There’s not an empty seat in here. I’m hardly alone. I don’t mind.” I started to like the sound of some solitude while I ate. After all, I had plenty of thoughts rolling around in my head to keep me company.
“Okay. I’ll tell Shelia to wrap mine up and send yours over. Bye, Shi. Hey, I’ll try to swing by the Drive-In tonight after the game.” Katie scampered over to our waitress and filled her in on the plan. A minute later, my best friend was walking out the door with her brown bag in tow.
Shelia was beside me within seconds. She informed me that Katie had picked up my tab (out of guilt I assumed) and placed an oversized, white oval plate on my table. My steaming-hot stromboli smelled heavenly, so I dove right into it. Good thing I wore my
red shirt. As much care as I would always take when eating my favorite dish, it was notoriously messy. Any drippy sauce, which would inevitably land on me, wouldn’t be so conspicuous.
I was too busy enjoying my lunch to realize someone was now standing beside my table. I’d just taken a bite that was too large for my mouth, and the cheese had left a clingy trail down to the plate when I heard someone say, “This place is pretty packed. Do you mind if I sit with you?”
No visual confirmation was needed. I already knew who it was. Quickly, I placed my cheese-covered fork back down on my plate, hurried to wipe any lingering sauce off my mouth, and swallowed what remnants I could. I tilted my head up to see Professor Grey standing there, grinning.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Professor Grey replied as he brazenly slid into the side of the booth that had just been vacated by Katie. “No sense in talking with your mouth full. That’d be rude.” He picked up a menu and placed it in front him, hiding his entire face and upper body. “So, what’s good here?” he called out from behind it, clearly mocking my attempt to camouflage myself in Ms. Fitz’s class.
I lowered his menu and placed it back on the table. “What are you doing here?”
“The same thing you are…Getting lunch,” Professor Grey countered as he looked around the restaurant.
Evidently, the cheeky professor was going to try my patience. “No. What are you doing HERE?” I asked as I pointed down to the table.
Professor Grey’s brow arched as he pretended to be somewhat offended. “Well, I didn’t see any other empty seats, and anyway…I figured it was the least you could do, since I helped you find your way home last night. Don’t worry, Red…I’ll be back out there this evening, in case you get lost again…when you’re on your way to Grandma’s house,” he said as he pointed to me and then flicked the basket of vegetables on the table with his fingers.
I looked down at my red shirt and then over at the basket. I couldn’t help but crack a smile at his easy joke.