Teacher

by R. L. Merrill

  Jinx hadn’t stopped shaking his hand and I was surprised at how gracious Danny was being. Sam and Johnny did their share of geeking out, too, shaking his hand and asking for autographs. I hurried to unlock my door and as I turned to say goodnight to Danny, I saw he was laughing with the guys and pointing to his throat, shaking his head.

  “No shit! Well, take care of that, man. World won’t be right without Blackened. Hey! Maybe sometime you can come check out our band! We usually play the Roxy on Saturdays,” Jinx was telling him.

  He nodded and waved as he stepped into my apartment. I caught an ugly look from Cosmo before I shut the door.

  “I’m sorry, Danny. I did warn you.”

  He held up his hands and shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m glad you at least have some guys who obviously watch out for you,” he whispered with a smile.

  “You caught that? Yeah. Cosmo is the manager here. We’ve been friends since I moved in five years ago and he watches out for me. He’s probably pissed because I’ve never brought a guy home and when I do, well, it’s you.”

  Danny’s eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in understanding. “He’s sweet on you, I can tell. Can’t blame him.”

  The look he was giving me was hungry but reserved. I cleared my throat. “Um, thanks for rescuing me. I hated it very much.”

  He laughed in that soundless way I was getting so used to. “Yeah, I could tell. Listen, I had Alex meet me here. I’m leaving you my car.” He held up his hand when I started to shake my head. “Don’t argue with me, Jesse,” he whispered harshly. “What are you going to do, take the fucking bus? It doesn’t even come out to my place and I’m not having you riding the bus at night on your way home from the dance studio.”

  “Danny,” I started in a warning voice, but he shook his head.

  “Either you take my fucking car or I’m going to be your goddamn personal chauffeur until you get another one, got me?”

  I crossed my arms and shook my head. “Why are you doing this?” My voice came out weaker than I wanted it to.

  His look softened, he took his hands off his hips. “I just want you to be safe. I,” he paused, swallowing hard. I just didn’t know if it was his throat or what he was saying that was uncomfortable. “I need you, right? I need to protect my investment?” He was smiling, trying to be funny.

  “Conciliatory doesn’t suit you, Danny.”

  He stepped towards me and put his hand under my chin to force me to look at him. “I have to know you’re ok. It’s bad enough you live here. Thinking of you taking the bus would fucking kill me. Do this for me? Please? I won’t be able to concentrate on my studies if I’m worried about you.” He gave me that damn look he used on Nora and I knew I was toast.

  “That look gets you whatever you want, doesn’t it?” He tried for innocent and that was even worse. I shook my head, laughing. “Fine! I’ll take your ridiculously expensive luxury vehicle for the week, but Saturday I’m going to buy a new car. Well, not new, but newer than the Pinto. Ok? Does that satisfy you, bossypants?”

  He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me into an embrace. After the night I’d just had, I needed it. He rubbed his hands along my lower back and held me close before whispering, “That’s Mr. Bossypants to you.” He kissed my forehead and rubbed his lips across my hair.

  I took in a shaky breath and pressed my face against his shoulder.

  A loud honk interrupted our little interlude and he laughed. “That must be Alex. No way he’s leaving his Tesla unattended in this neighborhood.” I rolled my eyes at him and pinched his side. He jumped and whispered, “Hey, watch out! I’m ticklish.” He winked at me and stepped to the door. He turned to look back at me and my breath caught.

  “Thank you, Danny. I really can’t thank you enough.”

  “You don’t need to, Jesse. You are giving me a huge gift. I’ll email you tomorrow. Good night. Rest.” He opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him.

  I watched him wave to the guys and jog down the steps through my window. A minute later Cosmo banged on the door so I figured I’d get this over with.

  “Hey,” I said.

  He frowned at me. “That’s who you’re working with? Why is he bringing you home? Where’s your car?”

  I sighed. “The Pinto met her demise, my friend. I was on the way home from his place and he was following me because his housekeeper clued him in on what a death trap I was driving. He gave me a ride and left his car for me to use.”

  Cosmo’s frown deepened. “I would have given you a ride, Jesse. You don’t need to take handouts from him.”

  It was my turn to frown. “I’m not taking handouts, Cosmo. It’s only for the week until I go buy a car on Saturday. I have some money saved.”

  “What are you going to buy? You might not even have a job next year!” He realized he’d crossed a line. “I’m sorry. I just... Danny Black?”

  “Cosmo, he’s my student, ok? That’s it. I need this summer job. He’s just helping me out this week.”

  He looked down at his feet. “But Jesse, what if I want to take care of you?” He looked up and the intensity in his eyes burned me. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” he whispered.

  “I’m fine. And you do take care of me. Now I need to get to sleep, ok?”

  He nodded and as I went to close the door, he stopped it and reached to cup my face in his hand. “We’re not going to happen, are we?” His thumb caressed my cheek and it was sweet how tender he was.

  I put my hand in his hand and squeezed, gently pulling it away. “I’m sorry. I wish I felt that way about us, but I don’t. You’re my best friend, Cosmo. Can that be enough for you?”

  He smiled sadly and nodded. “I guess I should have figured. It’s been five years. Maybe I should have made my move before now, huh?”

  I laughed. “Would have had the same result, I’m afraid. Hey, you’ve got dozens of girls in and out of your place, Cosmo. I see how they look at you. You’re a handsome dude. Lead singer of a band! There’s a woman out there for you!”

  He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say there weren’t women out there for me. But so far none of them compare to you.” He smiled sadly.

  I stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “You are too good to me. Now let me go to sleep, ok? Good night.”

  “Good night, Jesse Baby.”

  I shut the door and locked it, hoping he would recover. I hadn’t realized he carried such a torch for me. I really thought it was just his way of teasing me for so long. My heart dropped as I thought of my latest dilemma. How the hell was I going to afford a new car? I couldn’t worry about it tonight. My body was exhausted and I really needed rest before I wore myself down. I stripped and put on a tank and boxers. I put in my headphones to drown out the party noise next door and smiled when I heard Danny singing to me.

  Chapter Five

  Work went by slowly the next morning. Luckily my paycheck was waiting for me. After I paid bills, set aside money for gas and food, and sent a check to the folks I’d have exactly $53.00 left over. I sighed. I had about five thousand in the bank. Hopefully that would get me a decent car. Gloria came in around 11:30, though, and handed me a second envelope.

  “For summer school,” she said with a wink.

  I frowned, tearing it open. Inside was a check for $10,000!!! “Gloria! What the hell is this?”

  She turned around, trying unsuccessfully to look innocent. “I don’t know! Patricia Gordon came by this morning and brought that, said they wanted to pay you in advance for the work you were doing.”

  I sunk down in my seat and put my head in my hands. It was almost lunch so my students had cleared out.

  Gloria came over and patted my back. “Hey, what’s the matter, Jesse?”

  I barked out a laugh. “Oh, nothing. Just can’t believe they’d be this generous.”

  She laughed. “I’ve seen this happen a couple of times. Slade is usually really generous with what they pay when it comes to their clients.”<
br />
  I looked up at her in surprise. “You’ve seen this before?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, every once in a while, some big timer decides they want to go back in time, fix their past mistakes, so they want to earn a diploma. It hasn’t happened recently, but yes, I’ve seen this before. They don’t always pay up front, though. You must have made quite an impression.”

  “Oh, I made an impression, alright. My car died on the way home from the guy’s house and he was following me because he was worried I wasn’t going to make it. He made me borrow his car this week, threatening to chauffeur me around if I didn't take it.”

  She laughed. “I wondered who was visiting when I saw the Range Rover this morning.” She stood to leave.

  “Gloria, it went really well this weekend. He’s working really hard.”

  She turned to me and smiled. “Of course he is. He’s got an excellent teacher.” She waved and stepped out of my classroom.

  My email dinged so I looked to find a new one from blackone@gmail.com. I laughed as I clicked it open.

  Good Morning Ms. Martin

  I finished reading Fahrenheit 451 last night. Good book. Montag is a genius. Wonder what happened next? I am attaching the outline I started, but I’m stuck. I feel like all I’m doing is summarizing. What should I read next?

  Also am ready to take the tests for history tomorrow. I even started the work for semester two. Today I plan to write my short story. I’ll send it later so you can tell me what I need to fix.

  I miss you. It’s weird working without you here. I think I’m getting too distracted without you to keep me focused. I hope the car worked out ok this morning. You can use it for as long as you need. I have a motorcycle and another car so I’m fine.

  Thanks for trusting me last night. I just wanted to take care of you. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

  Danny.

  aka Mr. Bossypants

  I was smiling so wide my face hurt. Why did he have to be so cute? And how could he go from being cute to being domineering so easily? He really stepped in last night and took over. I was grateful for his help, but I didn’t want him thinking he needed to take care of me. I’d manage on my own. I always had. I spent the rest of my thirty-minute lunch snacking on an apple and crafting my response.

  Dear Mr. Black

  It sounds like you’ve had a productive day so far. You are correct. Your essay is more of a summary. I think we should talk about it more before you try to write. Let’s plan on starting with that tomorrow and then you can take your tests. I’m so glad you are doing well with the history. I looked online and saw your scores. Well done!

  As for what to read next, how about either To Kill A Mockingbird or Of Mice and Men? Both are great and I’m pretty sure I saw both of them on your shelf. You really have a great collection! I could spend days lost in there!

  I’m sorry you are distracted. Perhaps we should enlist Nora to help you stay on track? I could give her instruction on how to ignore your boyish charms and “gimme me what I want” looks. Did you not go to the studio? It’s ok to take time off to do that. I know you are worried. School will be there and we will get a lot done when I finish work on June 16th. Until then, we’ll make it work.

  Make sure you are being quiet. Oh, are you going to the doctor? I hope everything is healing ok. I know how difficult it is to not be able to do the things you love. I don’t want you to lose it.

  I’ll see you tomorrow at 4:00.

  Ms. Martin

  p.s. The car was horribly uncomfortable. I had a hell of a time getting the heated seats to the perfect temperature, and not having to pray it would start really put me in a foul mood. I suppose I’ll last until Saturday with it. Since its owner won’t let me give it back, I’ll survive, somehow.

  Students started to filter in after 1:00 for my afternoon groups and I greeted them with an uncharacteristically dopey smile. A few looked at me strangely, like I was a pod person. I might have even been a little easier with my grading, also bringing suspicious looks from the kids. What the hell was happening to me? I was losing my touch.

  At 2:58 a new email appeared.

  Dear Ms. Martin,

  I am terribly sorry your ride was uncomfortable this morning. However, if you continue to complain, I will be forced to send a limo complete with a masseuse for your use. Since I’m sure you would hate that equally, how about we stick to the current vehicle on loan?

  I’m already on the third chapter in Of Mice and Men. I love Steinbeck. I read Grapes of Wrath a long time ago. But all I can hear when I’m reading is that Looney Tunes cartoon with the Abominable Snowman guy saying “tell me about the rabbits, George.” Weird.

  Nora is unavailable to keep me from distraction. She is unable to refuse my requests, my charms are too much for her. Ow! Ok, I need an ice pack now. She read that and smacked me in the head. Perhaps she can resist me after all.

  Were you able to schedule our field trip? Let me know if you need Patricia to call. She is almost as persuasive as I am.

  Doctor and studio time tomorrow. You at 4:00. Can’t wait.

  Danny

  I was blushing. I could feel it. Damn him. I picked up the phone and dialed the Museum of Tolerance. They were able to fit us in for an early Sunday morning tour as there were two spots left. I was nervous at the idea of going somewhere in public with Danny, but I supposed the paparazzi wouldn’t be hanging around a Holocaust museum. I sent him a quick response.

  Mr. Bossypants

  Glad Nora isn’t afraid of corporal punishment.

  Museum of Tolerance Sunday at 9:00. Hope that works. Last two spots open on the weekend for the next month.

  Not familiar with cartoon. Must be a generational thing.

  Off to dance studio. Get to work. See you tomorrow at 4:00

  Ms. Martin

  p.s. Please send me a note after you see the doctor. I’m worried.

  I probably shouldn’t have added that last part, but I was worried. I couldn’t imagine how hard he would take it if he could no longer sing. Not to mention how it would affect countless others. I didn’t want him to lose his gift.

  I went straight to the dance studio from school and took a half hour to change and warm myself up. I started dancing when I was 3 years old, and by the time I was 8, I was dancing in competitions all over the state. As a teen I auditioned and made several local shows. I was even given a full ride to UC Irvine on a dance and academic scholarship. When I got sick the end of my senior year, I watched my dreams and hopes for the future go down the drain. The doctors said if I kept dancing professionally I would be crippled before I was thirty. A regular dose of NSAIDs kept the inflammation mostly at bay. I had so far avoided taking heavier medications with the exception of steroids when I was having a flare-up, and watching my diet helped some, too. Stretching daily aided my mobility and the little bit of dancing I did in the studio hurt, but wasn’t too bad. The doctors I saw said my condition was stabilized for now and that I needed to boost my immune system, make sure I watched my diet, and got plenty of rest in order to continue to live a normal life. I did the best I could to follow their orders.

  My parents had been supportive of my decision to still attend college in Irvine, even though I lost the dance scholarships. They helped me apply for loans. Unfortunately, Mom suffered from the same condition and hadn’t been able to work for years. Dad did the best he could, but as an uneducated man the best he could do was custodial work for the school district. I sent them a little money each month to help pay the bills, but I knew they weren’t doing great. I hadn’t been home to visit them since Christmas and didn’t plan to go until summer, and even then I wasn’t sure when I’d make it since I was working with Danny.

  I had a shiver thinking of full-time Danny this summer. This weekend had been intense. How the hell were we going to keep our hands off each other long enough for him to earn his diploma? There was an undeniable chemistry between us. How I could be so attracted to such an obstinate, ornery, obn
oxiously spoiled man…

  My first class arrived. Twelve adorable little girls lined up in front of the mirror, ready to do some classic Broadway-style jazz. Tuesdays I had four classes of varying ages and abilities eager to learn this nearly lost art. Thursdays I taught tap, another dinosaur art form that was beginning to make a comeback. I loved my kids and I loved the classes. It wasn’t a performing career, but at least my body was holding up enough for me to be able to dance a little.

  Before I knew it, 9:00 had rolled around. I went out to the parking lot and the sight of Danny’s Range Rover had me grinning. Even though it irked me that he was taking care of me, he was so generous. I felt honored that he cared enough about me to do this. Then again, I got the sense he would do it for any damsel in distress.

  The drive home was nice because I wasn’t constantly worried about the Range Rover dying. The car even smelled like him. I parked in front of the apartment complex, worried about leaving the car here. Jinx was just pulling up in his van.

  “Jesse! Nice ride, baby. When did you get that?”

  I walked up the steps with him. “It’s on loan until I can go buy something this weekend.”

  Cosmo was out front and playing guitar. “Yeah, it’s on loan from the Bank of Black.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Hi Cosmo. What’s going on?”

  He shrugged, banging out a bluesy tune. “Not much, Jesse Baby. Hey, we got gigs Friday and Saturday this weekend. Will you come to one of them?”

  “I will if I can. Maybe Friday? I have to be up early Sunday. Where are you playing Friday?”