Life, Love, and Other Inequalities

by Argentina Ryder

  “You’ll write me a reference?” Matt laughed, his mouth full.

  “Absolutely.” They both laughed, Matt stretching as he stood and reached for his keys and phone. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take them with me now?”

  “It’s okay,” Sawyer assured him. “We don’t need them sitting in your truck all night. I’ll get them there tomorrow by eleven.” He paused, wiping down the counter with a wet rag. “You’re gonna be there?”

  Matt pretended that question didn’t make him feel things. “I will be, yeah.” Matt chuckled. “I’ve got the first two-hour shift.”

  Sawyer grinned. “I will see you then. Be safe on your way home.” Opening the door, Sawyer made a little ‘oof’ sound, the air brisk and chilly. “Guess the ‘cold’ front hit.”

  Matt gave Sawyer a look, and they both laughed again. “Stay warm,” Sawyer told him.

  “You too,” Matt stepped off the trailer and headed to his truck. “Good night.”

  Matt got to school early the next morning, knowing there would be a lot of tables and chairs to set up in the parking lot for all the various student clubs. One by one, all the student volunteers were dropped off for their shifts and he enjoyed spending time with them like this, getting to see them in a different light as they helped set up the tables and booths for all the different clubs at school.

  True to his word, Sawyer dropped off the cupcakes before the event began, and stayed a few minutes to help set up their table. “Are you staying, Mr. Evans?” one of the seventh graders asked.

  “I can’t, Melia,” he told her. “I’m meeting up with some friends and we’re going to check out a barbecue restaurant in Luling.”

  No, that didn’t bother Matt at all.

  The school’s Food Fest always had a good turnout, the neighborhood families supportive of the fundraiser. It ran from eleven to three, though Matt only had to stay the first two hours. Having helped to make the cupcakes, it pleased him to see them selling quickly, everyone excited to try them. Every time someone bought one, he described the flavors as a professional would, speaking with authority on their flavors. The only thing that would’ve made it better would’ve been if Sawyer had been there as well. He snapped a picture when the last pumpkin cheesecake cupcake sold and sent it to Sawyer.

  “Mateo.”

  Matt looked up, eyes widening in surprise as his grandparents walked toward him. “Hey.” He stepped out from behind the table to greet them. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

  “Your grandpa was bored.” Elena Navarro leaned in and hugged him tight. “I had to get him out of the house before he started a new project,” she said, using air quotes on that last word. His grandmother was small in stature, but there was steel in her spine, Matt knew. “So I took him to the tractor supply store to look around.”

  “You took me?” Hector Navarro stepped up to Matt and gave him a one-armed hug. “How are you doing, Mijo?” he asked, looking at all the food booths. “Querida, do you want anything to eat?” Hector reached for her hand.

  “In a minute, Querido,” she replied, giving him a warm smile. “Let’s walk around first.”

  “The coaches are doing burgers, if you guys haven’t had lunch.” Matt waved at Deanna to let her know he was stepping away for a bit. “The Art department’s got Frito pies too. But before you leave, come back to my table. I made cupcakes.”

  They both looked at him, suspicious. “Okay, I decorated cupcakes. But they’re fantastic. I’ll save a couple for you two before they’re gone.”

  After his shift, Matt headed over to the Athletics department’s table and grabbed a burger and a bag of chips for himself. “Selling a lot?” Matt asked, handing a five-dollar bill to Bridget Hart, the girls’ head coach.

  “We’ll sell out in an hour,” Bridget answered. “I’ll admit, I worried about the weather. It’s damp and chilly but the crowds have been busy all day and everyone’s been stopping by for some lunch before they hit the desserts.”

  “Speaking of desserts.” Paul called out from behind the grill, waving Matt toward him. “I heard you and your friend were making cupcakes last night.”

  “It seems like everyone’s heard that.” Matt ignored the pointed look Paul was giving him, the way his voice inflected the word cupcakes. “They’re pretty tasty, too. You should come buy some.”

  Paul laughed. “My wife said she bought four of the chocolate ones. She ate two and took two home for me.”

  We’re a hit.

  I’m glad. I had a good time

  with you last night. Hope you

  weren’t too bored by it all.

  I learned a lot from you.

  If you ever need some help

  baking, let me know.

  Will do.

  November

  From: Delores Beck

  To: Steven Wong, Cynthia Quinn, Mateo Ruiz, Alicia Mund, Kristine Wood, Coraline Mann, Laverne Sheldon, Tamara Morales, Crystal Moss, Daniel Gotti, Eva Moody

  Date: Oct 30

  Subject: Potluck farewell

  We’re having a goodbye party for Sawyer on Friday to celebrate his last day subbing. Dorothy said she might drop by with the baby. Sign-up list on the fridge. Hope everyone can stop by!

  ———

  Daisy Beck

  Orchestra Director, Sarah Hays Middle School

  Autumn rolled by in the blink of an eye and before Matt knew it, the first week of November was upon him. He paused by C106 on his way to his classroom, seeing Sawyer setting up worksheets on the front table. “Last day, eh?” he asked. “Glad to be done with this?”

  Sawyer grinned, glancing up and catching Matt’s eyes. He gave a quiet laugh. “I don’t know. You know, I think I was just getting the hang of proportionality.”

  “Never know when you’ll need that.” Matt took a step closer into the room. “But for real, you did an outstanding job here. I admit I was kind of a jackass when you got here, and for that I’m sorry.”

  “Nah.” Sawyer shook his head. “You already had a hectic year scheduled and then got this-” Sawyer pointed at himself, “flung at you. I needed support and advice and you saved me.” A quiet moment passed, and Sawyer continued. “I appreciate it. You’re a great friend... and I’m glad we met.”

  Matt said nothing, but the silence wasn’t unpleasant. He punched the door frame lightly with his fist. “I’ll catch you at lunch.”

  “Will do,” Sawyer replied, turning back to the papers on his desk.

  Matt walked into the lunchroom at the same time as the early lunch group was taking off, but there was still plenty of food on the counter. Sawyer and the others were throwing away their paper plates and grabbing cookies and brownies for the road just as the bell rang. “Quite the shindig,” Matt said, admiring the spread. “Daisy made brownies. She only does that for special occasions.”

  “We just needed to make sure Sawyer knew we appreciated him,” Daisy told him, wrapping a napkin around a plate of snacks. “Also, I’m having dental surgery next month and I’ll be out for two days.” She smirked. “I want him to take up my sub job.”

  “Already got you penciled in the calendar,” Sawyer said with a wink, “so the bribe was appreciated but unnecessary.” He headed out the door with one last look back at Matt, who somehow was already looking forward to Sawyer coming back to campus and subbing for other teachers.

  This wasn’t goodbye, not really, and while that didn’t exactly make him happy, it lessened the sadness in an awkward and indescribable way.

  Monday morning. Matt waved at Terrence Mendez, their assistant principal, as he headed into the building. He jogged upstairs and turned into the C hallway and stopped.

  The light was on in C106.

  Matt poked his head in, half-expecting to see that now familiar lanky frame, the golden hair pulled into a ponytail. But no, it was another familiar woman standing at the white board, her back turned away from the door as she composed the day’s agenda. “Welcome back, Dorothy.” Matt
stepped into the room. “How are you doing?” he asked, sitting on top of a student desk.

  “You know, I am sort of glad to be back at work.” Dorothy leaned against the board, then shook her head with a laugh. “Who am I kidding, I wish I were back home.” She reached for her phone and showed Matt a few pictures of her newborn daughter, the spitting image of her mother with a pile of black hair and a wide smile. “Cora said that the sub did a remarkable job. Thanks for supporting him. I know you have a lot going on in your life right now.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Matt wasn’t surprised how much he meant it. “And after a couple weeks, he took on most of the work. Kids seemed to like him too.”

  “I hear they’re an interesting group this year,” she said, and they spent a few minutes getting caught up on the scope and sequence and light workplace gossip. “Thanks again for helping us out. I owe you one, Matt.”

  The next few weeks unsettled Matt, and he never felt like he was quite in the groove. Some days he expected to see Sawyer around every corner, disappointed when he wasn’t there. Other times, he’d be caught off guard when he’d spot Sawyer walking down a different hallway or see him on the other side of school. This indescribable spark of joy would quietly explode inside him, even if they didn’t speak.

  It was stupid, this crush of his, but it was harmless. Matt knew it wasn’t going anywhere, and yet somehow, just knowing Sawyer might be there was enough.

  The days before a major holiday always felt electrified, and the week of Thanksgiving was no exception. Students and staff had a two-day school week, with Wednesday through Friday off. Attendance was often poor that week, many students pulled out of school on Monday and Tuesday ahead of the holiday so families could get started on their travels. “Is it just me or are the kids even more off the wall today?” Cora asked, waiting behind Matt at the copy machine before school on Tuesday before the holiday break. She held up a copy of a word search in the shape of a turkey. “This is as much as I’m hoping for today. How are yours doing?”

  Matt shrugged. “Meh. I booked the computer lab, so they’re playing an online game to review and the kids are having fun. But there’s not much for me to do, so I’m catching up on emails and harassing kids for missing work if they’re here.”

  “I admire your dedication.” Cora leaned against the counter and exhaled. “I’m just ready to get out of here for a couple days. Do you have plans for the holiday?”

  “Just the ranch. Sabrina called on Sunday and asked if I could come tomorrow and help with some fence repair.” Finishing one print job for the algebra class, he changed the master copies and began running another set for his eighth graders, getting things ready for the following week. “Apparently a couple got loose last week and ended up on the highway.” That had been quite the phone call from his grandmother. “How ‘bout you?” he asked.

  “The plan is to go to Dallas. We’ll see how the weather holds. They’re forecasting storms up there.” Cora looked at Matt for a moment, then continued. “Have you talked to Sawyer recently?”

  “I haven’t,” Matt answered, hiding his disappointment about that. “I texted him the other day about basketball tryouts. He’d mentioned that he wanted to see a game when we started playing, but I haven’t heard back from him or anything.”

  Cora grinned. “He’s a great guy.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Matt anticipated where this conversation was heading. His print job couldn’t end fast enough, all he wanted to do was get out of this room.

  “Matt. He’s a great guy,” she repeated.

  He rubbed his forehead. “What are you doing,” he asked, turning and facing her.

  Cora’s face filled with a cheerful smile. “You two liked each other.” The look on Matt’s face made her smile falter. “And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I don’t have time for dating right now.” Matt gathered up all his copies. “You know that.”

  Then he felt an arm around him, Cora giving him a hug. “We all love you, Matt, and just want you to be happy. Seems a shame to let an opportunity just pass you by. And,” she added, setting her paper on top of the copy machine tray, “he’s away from his family right now. I’m thinking he might be a little lonely too.”

  Matt always looked forward to Thanksgiving break, but this year more than the past. He had put off writing an annotated bibliography for his Research Methods class and planned on spending a couple days focused on that while staying at the ranch, maybe even getting ahead in the readings in his other class. Thanksgiving itself he could take or leave. It had never been one of Matt’s favorite holidays; their family was small, and they seldom traveled because of the animals at the ranch. The situation with his mother sometimes made his grandma sad at the holidays, but he appreciated the time off from work.

  His grandmother’s side dishes weren’t bad, either.

  Wednesday morning Matt packed a bag with some clothes and his laptop, and headed out. Fog had rolled in early and the day threatened to be one of those damp, chilly days, but Matt knew the fence needed to be fixed, and the sooner the better. It was about forty-five minutes from Matt’s front door to the road turning off the highway toward the ranch. Half a mile down that paved road on the right was the entrance to Rancho Rio Riendo, three Rs emblazoned on the large metal gate. Matt stopped his truck, opening the gate and driving through, closing the gate behind him. He turned onto a dirt road, driving past a pasture with about thirty cows grazing lazily, pulling up to a one-story ranch-style house with several cars parked in the front of a wide fenced-in yard. Several giant oaks shaded the path to the front door. To the left of the house was an old barn, its broad wooden door open, and two black labs ran out, heading for Matt’s pickup as they spotted him parking.

  Pulling up next to the house, he saw his grandfather tending to his garden out back and waved. “Hi Grandpa,” he called out, hefting his bag over his shoulder, and strolling toward the older man. The dogs, Pancho and Lefty, danced around him, excited.

  Hector Navarro stood up and stretched when his grandson headed his way. “Mateo, good to see you. I thought you’d be here tomorrow.” He opened the back gate, holding it open. Glancing over at Matt’s old truck, he shook his head. “Mijo, when are you going to get rid of that and get something new? It’s almost as old as you are.” Hector snorted. “It wasn’t even a new truck when I bought it.”

  Matt shook his head adamantly. “I’m driving it until the wheels fall off.”

  “That won’t be long now,” Hector said as they headed into the back yard, the dogs following them. He picked up the basket of vegetables he’d collected that morning and led Matt through the backyard and back door of the house and into the kitchen. He set the basket on the counter as they walked into the living room. “Elena, look who’s here.”

  “I’m back here.” A female voice called out from the back of the house. “I’m coming.” Matt’s grandmother popped out of the guest room that doubled as her computer room and sewing room. “Hi Mijo,” she said, embracing him in a tight hug. “Sabrina said you were on your way. Thanks for helping her with the fence. I told her we could hire someone to come fix it, but…” Elena shook her head, exasperated. “She’s determined to take care of it herself. Well, with a little help from you and Grandpa.”

  “We’ll get it done.” Hector gave Matt a shoulder squeeze. “And your computer, Querida, ask him about that.”

  Elena turned back to Matt. “My printer isn’t working. Will you look at it?” she asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

  “Tech support has arrived.” Matt touched an invisible hat on his head and kissed her cheek. “I’ll look after we get done with the fence.”

  Matt unpacked the clothes that he brought with him and set his laptop on his desk. He enjoyed having a sizable room all to himself out here at the ranch. When his grandparents built this house, he suspected they must have anticipated a peaceful retirement, living out their days on the land they loved, working it until they couldn’t anymor
e and just spending time together after a life of raising not just their child, but their daughter’s children.

  Could they have imagined that neither of those grandchildren would ever move out? Or maybe they did, because all the bedrooms were spacious, accommodating their grown-up needs. He’d never lived here as a child, so there was no sentimental attachment, but just the same, the room was his and suited him perfectly.

  He changed into some old jeans and a sweatshirt and headed toward the barn to find his little sister. Sure enough, she was loading rolls of barbed wire onto a light utility trailer hitched to a four-wheeler. “What did they do back in the day when they rode horses out to fix the fences?” he grinned, leaning in for a hug.

  Sabrina snorted. She pulled her long black hair into a ponytail and tucked under a Texas A&M baseball cap. “I guess some poor schmuck got to carry all that out there.” She pointed at some metal T-posts leaning against an empty stable door. “Can you put those in the trailer?”

  Matt helped her gather all the tools they’d need and found a pair of work gloves in one of the tool chests. Soon they each climbed on an ATV, and Matt followed Sabrina out toward the property line.

  “So, how are things going, Sis?” he asked as they took down the temporary fencing she’d set up after the cows escaped. “You okay?”

  “Oh yeah. Everyone’s good. But there’s always something to fix.” She looked down the fence line, walking toward one of the wooden posts. “We should replace these soon. Not today,” she added, “but they didn’t update this stretch the last time they put in new fencing.”

  “That’ll be expensive.” Matt pounded into the T-posts into the ground wherever Sabrina pointed. “How are things going here? They doing okay?”