by D. M. Cupp
Ken Winters had been the principal of Nasworthy High for the past ten years and I had met him five years ago when I had completed my student teaching at Nasworthy. He was a short man that was in his early forties with salt and pepper hair and was average in stature. He wasn’t scrawny or overweight but simply average.
I always felt comfortable talking with him on a personal and professional level. He was a very tolerant man and when I needed a few days to get everything situated after Charles had broken up I was able to explain everything to him fully and he never once referred to Charles as my “roommate” or “friend.”
Ken always believed in getting the faculty together weekly to communicate and talk about any concerns. He used the philosophy of the faculty that eats together stays together. So at our weekly faculty meetings he provided breakfast for the teachers out of his own pocket.
I sat there going through my phone checking my schedule as my co-workers walked in five minutes ‘til seven. “Good morning friends,” Ken said speaking into the microphone. “I know we have a few minutes before we begin but make sure you get a donut or two and some coffee or juice. We’ve all been working hard this semester and you all deserve a treat.”
I got up and grabbed a cup of coffee just for the caffeine. I wasn’t a big coffee drinker but I hadn’t been sleeping well because I would lie in bed thinking about Javier and when I did finally sleep I would dream about him too; thus I would wake up every few hours. I wanted this week to be over so I could see Javier on Friday for our date.
There was nothing exciting about the meeting. It mostly was just the regular information about upcoming testing and different school events. All the information covered was stuff that we already knew as long as you read emails or the district newsletter.
“On a different note,” Ken continued. I looked up trying to refocus on the meeting now that the mundane information had concluded. “As we all know Cynthia Rodriguez left for maternity leave after giving birth to little Rachel. The two are continuing to do fine and little Rachel is growing like a weed. We’ve posted the photo of Rachel in the lounge. She has informed me a few weeks ago that she will not be returning next year and asked us to fill her position. I am pleased to introduce Javier Fuentes as the newest faculty member for the Spanish department. Javier will you please stand so everyone can see you,” Ken requested looking in Javier’s direction.
I looked over and was shocked to see Javier, my Javier from Friday and Saturday night, standing in the front corner of the cafeteria. He was wearing the maroon and white striped shirt that we had bought together on Saturday after he had modeled his ugliest clothes. I was shocked that he was standing there. In all our time together and all our random topics of conversation we never once spoke about work.
I didn’t know what to do. Did I go up and say hi, but what if he called me Papí? No he wouldn’t call me papí. I said arguing with myself. I gathered my things and walked up to the front where a crowd of teachers had gathered around Javier greeting him.
After one of the teachers from the science department had finished speaking up to him I found my moment, “Welcome to Nasworthy Javier.” I greeted with a smile on my face.
Javier turned to greet me and his smile broke into an ear to ear smile and his face was filled with shock. I imagine he was reliving our weekend conversations and the fact that we hadn’t discussed our careers.
“Hey!” he said reaching to give me a hug, but remembered his surroundings and extended his hand for a handshake. “Sorry not sure if you are out or much for public affection at work.” He said speaking softly.
I thought that it was sweet that he was thinking about me even though he must be so nervous. It was his first day of teaching in the middle of the semester and all he wanted to do was give me this huge hug when he saw me.
“Want to walk me to class?” Javier asked with his wicked grin that I was beginning to become accustom.
I looked at my watch and saw that I had fifteen minutes before I had to be at my next meeting, “I would love to walk you to class, Mr. Fuentes.”
He smiled grabbed his things and we walked side by side down the hall.
“So we never talked about careers,” he said.
“You would have thought that we would have found time sometime this weekend, but then again I don’t like to think about work until Sundays.” I said smiling at him.
“Well now you don’t have to wait until Friday to see me at least.”
“Wow, you’re already making fun of me and we’ve only worked together for the past five minutes.” I said nudging his left shoulder with my right shoulder.
The halls were still empty as many students didn’t arrive until eight-thirty. “I would never make fun of you papí,” he said in a lower voice than we had previously been speaking.
We arrived in the foreign language wing of the school and to his classroom. The room was still decorated the way Cynthia had had it. “So these are the new digs.” I said trying to play it cool and remain calm with him calling me papí. His voice had a way of getting me excited and I could not get excited at school.
“Well pretty soon you’ll make it your own.” I said looking at Cynthia’s name plaque outside the room.”
“Yeah maybe you can come and help me this weekend; maybe helping with a fresh coat of paint or something?”
“Any excuse spending time with you then yes I will.” I said with an evil grin of my own.
Javier pulled the door close and pulled me around the corner out of sight of passing teachers and students. He leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. When he pulled back he looked at me, “I’m sorry but I had to kiss those lips. This is going to be very bad working so close to you and not able to take you in my arms papí.”
He was absolutely right. This was going to be very difficult, “but at least we work in different departments and on opposite sides of the building.” I said looking on the positive side.
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” He said smiling.
I looked down at my watch and saw that I was about to be late to the department chair meeting that was about to start in five minutes, “I have to go. I have a department chair meeting.” I said leaning in and giving one final kiss on the lips. “Have a good day at school.” I said pulling back to adjusting his tie and turning towards the door.
Chapter Six
Donna’s reaction was priceless and I honestly thought that I could have knocked her off her chair if I would have pushed her. This weekend was a blur and I hadn’t had much time to spend with her since Friday night.
“Your boyfriend is working at the same high school as us!” She exclaimed with a gasp covering her mouth with her hands. “Man I’m mad I had a dentist appointment this morning. I would have loved to see your reaction when Ken introduced your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I corrected.
“Yet, it’s only a matter of time. You love him and are going to have gay babies with him.” She said laughing.
“You’ve said that about every guy I’ve ever dated.”
“Yes, and one time I will be correct.”
I rolled my eyes amazed that I was actually at a loss for words.
“Well tell me everything. Did you just want to walk up to him and kiss him again?”
I didn’t answer her and took a bite of my salad.
“You kissed him!” She exclaimed again.
This was going to be a very long night if she continued to have this reaction after every statement.
“No…he kissed me in his classroom, and then I kissed him before I went to my meeting.”
“You little slut!” she said laughing. “Can’t even keep your hands off him at work? How are you going to get through the rest of this semester?”
“I don’t know how I’m going to do this.” I said grinning.
“So is he making you reconsider your move?” She asked switching to a more serious topic.
“Well not exactly Javier,
but I love the way I feel about him, and my move was mainly more of a way to escape from seeing Charles. The past few days I have smiled and laughed more than I have in a long time, and it did get me to thinking that maybe I can have a life in San Angelo after Charles. So yes in a way Javier does have me reconsidering my move.”
“Well I definitely need to spend time with the man that is encouraging my best friend to stay.”
“Possible,” I interjected.
“Yeah sure…you’re staying.” She said laughing.
****
I was right about one thing…I didn’t know how I was going to survive working so close to Javier. The week went by in semi-quickly. The time that we spent apart was long and depressing and the time we did get to spend together during lunches flew.
My only saving grace was that Javier and I worked in two different wings of the building and would rarely see each other during the day. This allowed me to keep my cool and stay focused on my students and meetings.
This was a new uncharted area for me because I have never worked with someone that I was…I still don’t know what you would call it…I guess it could be said that Javier and I were seeing each other romantically, but nothing was declared and for the time being that worked for me because I was in no condition to give my heart to someone fully.
I had spoken to Javier Monday evening and we had decided that making out at school was not the most intelligent decision and so the events that happened this morning could not be repeated.
In the morning I had seen Javier in the main offices as we would check our teacher mailboxes and made last minute copies for classes. We would greet each other with a ‘hey’ and engage in normal chitchat…how was he settling in to his classes and was how he was enjoying his week, but other than that we kept it simple because any more than that would lead to me taking him in my arms and kissing him.
Thursday we had figured that we had built enough ground work that I asked Javier to join me for lunch and it wouldn’t seem suspicious by any of the other teachers. San Angelo was a town of about one hundred thousand residents and our school was very close-knit. Everyone had been aware that I’ve been with Charles for the past five years and I didn’t want the rumor mill to begin so quickly and all the questions start asking me about my possible new relationship.
“So this is nice.” Javier said sitting his lunch down on one of the tables in the lounge as I took a seat in the chair across from him.
“What do you mean?” I asked pulling my homemade chicken salad sandwich from its little baggie.
“I mean finally getting to sit and eat lunch with you here and not feel like we’re doing undercover work.”
I looked at him and for the first time this week and saw those deep brown eyes that had captured my attention what had been less than six days ago, but the sincerity in his statement, “Yeah it is nice. I’m sorry we have to act so undercover but Nasworthy is such a small school and I don’t want people to talk.” We hadn’t spoken about past relationships or anything and now that I was beginning to think about it Javier and I were building a relationship from friendship, common interest, and making each other laugh.
“I know what you mean. I grew up here and everyone knew everything about everything before you could hang up the phone. The faculty…they know about you?”
I knew exactly what he was referring to, and when it came to working in education it was a sensitive subject for and out gay man or woman to work with children. “Yeah everyone knows about me and Ken is really supportive of me, but I keep my professional life separate from my personal life.”
“I know what you mean.”
“It’s a slow process. I don’t hide it if teachers ask me but Ken has worked hard to promote diversity in this school and among the students. Every June right before summer starts Ken host an informal social where the teachers and their spouses are invited to come and relax after a hard year. So one year I brought this guy that I had been dating for the past two years and everyone was really supportive and Ken made him feel really welcome too.”
“Well maybe we can go together this year,” He said grinning at me before taking a bite of his sandwich.
“You mean you’re gonna stay a prince until then and not turn back into a frog?” I countered feeling giddy and butterflies thinking about a possible future with this man, and amazed that he was already thinking into the future.
“I can always be your Latin prince papí,” he said in a whisper.
I felt my face redden in embarrassment, “Well maybe we can go together this year guess we’ll have to play it by ear.” I said trying to calm my nerves and hide my embarrassment.
“Hey you two,” Marcy Thompson exclaimed walking up to the table. “Mind if I join y’all.” Marcy asked sitting down her lunch tote and taking a seat before we gave an answer.
Marcy Thompson was short woman with blond hair that reached just past her shoulders and had green eyes. Marcy and I had gone to college together and had completed our student teaching at the same time, and I could not stand her. She was the type of person that was friendly just to gain the information that she wanted to use for later gossip.
I can tell Marcy hadn’t changed much from high school and was proud to have the title of gossip queen growing up. Lucky for me she worked in the mathematics department and so my brief interaction with her was in the office in the mornings, school functions, and the unfortunate moments like this when she would invite herself to sit with me during lunch. I tolerated Marcy because we had gone to college together, but it was well-known that she was not well liked among the students or her fellow co-workers.
“So Javier, how do you like our little school so far?” She asked turning her attention away from me and solely focusing her attention on Javier.
It was obvious that her sole intention was not the limited seating in the lounge, but getting her claws into Javier.
Javier looked towards me with a nervous look in his eye, and what was that look…disappointment? I was still learning his facial expressions and looks, and I could not wait to learn everything about him, but at this particular moment there was nothing that I could do. Anything that I could think to do would only bring unneeded attention to Javier and mine’s more than just working relationship.
Javier looked back towards Marcy, “I really like the school. The students and faculty are really nice, and it gives me a chance to be close to my family again.”
“That is wonderful. So does your wife like being so close to your family or is she from here as well?”
He looked in my direction knowing that he had made a mistake in mentioning his family because it had allowed to this line of questions. “I am not married.” He said simply.
“Well that’s okay. You will find Mrs. Right one day.” She said batting her eyelashes.
I rolled my eyes at her lack of subtlety and I caught Javier muffle a small laugh that almost escaped. Marcy looked back in my direction with slight annoyance and turned her attention back to Javier.
“You know that you should be careful with the people you keep company with here Javier. This is a small school and you know how rumors start in a small town since you are from here. I do not want people to get the wrong idea of you if they see you eating lunch with Danny here. I bet that he did not even tell you that he’s gay and on the rebound because he just broke up with his boyfriend.” Marcy calmly stated as if she was telling someone the daily weather forecast.
“Marcy that is none of your busy,” I said finding Marcy’s motives sinking to an all-time low. Marcy had never agreed with my lifestyle choice as she would always say it with finger air quotation marks. She came from an uber-conservative and religious family, but as far as I was concerned I could give two licks what she or anyone else thought of me or my lifestyle choice.
“Danny there is no need to get sensitive. Your kind is so emotional over every little thing. Don’t you think so, Javier?”
“No, I don’t think he is being over emotional
over anything you just spouted out of that hatred filled mouth of yours. Second, his name is Daniel not Danny. Third, being gay is not a lifestyle choice but a way a person is born and nothing that can be changed no matter what religious fanatics seem to believe. Forth, it does not matter if he just got out of a three week relationship or a ten year relationship simply because he is sitting with me does not mean that he is on the rebound, or tying to hook up. When he is ready to move on then that decision is up to him and no one else’s. Fifth, I would be so lucky to date someone as kind as Daniel. Finally, I don’t eat lunch or even socialize with hatful bigots.”
Marcy just sat there mouth agape clearly unable to think of anything to respond to Javier. “Well I never in all my life.” She said finally gaining her composure. “I was just trying to save you from the rumor mill.”
“I’m sorry I thought you were an educated woman. I said I don’t eat with hatful bigots. So why are you still sitting here?”
With that she took her lunch and walked out of the lounge, but I knew that Marcy was not one to back down and that she would soon be busy at the rumor mill.
Chapter Seven
Friday morning my alarm went off at five and I bounced out of bed with a new sense of energy. There was only fourteen hours until I would be able to see Javier for our date; well actually see Javier and not have to contain myself from kissing him. I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and relieved myself before deciding that I was going to start the day by going to the gym.
Fifteen minutes later I was parked outside the twenty-four hour gym that Charles and I had joined a few years ago. I promised myself thirty minutes on the elliptical and then I would head home to get ready for the rest of my day.