When His Dreams Take Flight

by Andy Holloman

  The next day, another message, “Okay, sugar, it’s me again. Now you’re forcing me to do something drastic.” He called back immediately.

  “Hey, Joss, it’s Nick. How ya doing?” The word drastic had made the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

  “Well, it’s high time you called me back, sugar. Are you avoiding your lonely ex-wife?”

  “I am, Joss. I mean I’m glad you’re back in town and everything, but I’m involved with someone I love, and you know how poisonous it is for you and me to be around each other.”

  There was a long pause. “Involved with someone? Well, I’m just tickled to hear that, sugar. You deserve someone. Is she as sweet and fun as me?”

  “She’s wonderful. She’s a teacher too, and smart. She’s been good for me.”

  “And I guess she’s not poisonous?”

  “Oh god, I’m sorry. That came out a little harsh.” He switched the phone to his other ear. “Hey, didn’t I hear that you’re engaged?”

  “I was. But he was just too boring. And you know how much I hate boring. I thought at first that it was just that he was older, but then I started to see that it was just him. Boring, boring, boring. So I broke it off and moved back here.”

  “But why leave all the excitement of a big town like Charlotte to come back here? You can’t get any more boring than Mt. Rutgers.”

  She laughed, “Now, sugar, any town that has you could never be boring.” He put the phone on the couch and wiped his hand across his face. He didn’t want to have this kind of chat. Whenever she had an agenda, she could be very devious. He picked the phone back up.

  “It’s just as dull and dreary as ever.”

  “I’m just teasing you. I came back because of my mom. She’s not doing so well so I’m back in town to help her.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have to get you to promise me that you won’t say anything because she has sworn me to secrecy.”

  “Of course. You know how good I am at keeping secrets when you ask me to.”

  “Yes, you are good at that.” She sighed. “She has liver cancer.”

  Nick gasped, “Oh my god. How bad is it?”

  “We’re still kinda early in the process. She just found out a month ago.”

  “So is she going to have to go through chemo or something harsh like that?”

  “Don’t know yet. The doctor thinks it’s likely. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to help her through all this.”

  “That’s really nice of you, Joss. Is she feeling bad?”

  “A little. She has some stomach pain and the medicines they have her on now give her headaches.”

  “Well, she’s lucky to have you around to help out.”

  “Thank you, sugar. And remember, this is just between you and me, okay?”

  “I got it. God, your mom is such a great lady.”

  “I know, sugar. She feels the same way about you. In fact, that’s the main reason I’ve been calling you. She wanted me to invite you over to dinner. How’s Saturday night, around six?”

  “Tell her thanks for the invite, but I have plans that night. I’m taking my girlfriend out to Greensboro. We’re celebrating.”

  “What’s the special occasion?”

  “Just celebrating about work. Got mid-year testing results back and the numbers are up.”

  “Well, look at you! My superstar principal. I’m very proud of you, Nickie.”

  “Thanks. I’ll take a rain check on the dinner invite. Would be nice to chat with your mom.”

  “And me too, I hope. I promise I won’t be poisonous.”

  “Don’t hold that slip up against me, okay?”

  “Just teasin’, sugar. I’m gonna hold you to that rain check, so expect to hear back from me. And I know next time you’ll call me back right away, okay?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay, dearie. Good chatting with you. Give my best to that girlfriend of yours.”

  “Sure, Joss, sure. See you later.” He hung up and shook his head. He kicked over a stack of magazines beside his couch. Shit. This was a complication he did not need.

  ***

  “You’re telling me that your ex has been in town for a couple of weeks and you can’t even do me the courtesy of telling me? I just found out from some other teacher that she’s subbing for Jim this week?”

  He took her by the arm, “Allison, we need to talk about this in my office, not out here.”

  “I think you’ll talk and I’ll listen.”

  “Someone could walk in. Let’s do this in private.”

  She crossed her arms, “I’m listening.”

  He lowered his voice, “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you. She’s here because she’s taking care of her mom for a while. I didn’t tell you because I expected this kind of reaction. She’s been out of my life for seven years. She’s a teacher, so she’s starting out by subbing, just like you would if you moved to new place.”

  “Okay. Well that certainly makes sense. Just wish you would’ve told me.”

  He swung open his office door. “Please come in so we can do this in private.” She walked in. He closed the door and moved behind his desk. “You’re absolutely right. I should’ve told you when she called me last week. But you’ve heard me talk about how bad those times were with her. She pulled me down into an abyss that I finally got out of after we separated. It was the worst—” The door opened and Jocellynn stepped in.

  “Oh my, I’m sorry, Nickie. I didn’t know that you had someone in here,” said Jocellynn.

  Nick moved quickly to prevent her from coming all the way into the office. “Oh hey, Joss. This is my girlfriend Allison. Allison, this is Jocellynn.” He pointed at the door,“Joss, you need to step out. I’m talking with Allison. Private matter.”

  “So this is Allison.” She ignored his direction and took another step into the office. “I have heard a lot of great things about you, sugar. I’m so glad to finally meet you. My sister Jodie says you are her favorite teacher and Nickie says great things about you all the time, too.” They both looked at Nick. “But Nickie, how come you never told me how pretty she is? You are lovely, sugar.”

  “Thank you,” said Allison, “your sister is Jodie Hughes?”

  “That’s right, my baby sister. Didn’t Nickie tell you she’s my sister?”

  “I think maybe he did,” said Allison.

  “Sure I did, sweetie. I’ve told you that a couple of times.”

  “Guess I forgot.” Allison put her finger to her lip and looked at her. “But aren’t you a little old to have a sister as young as Jodie?” Jocellynn brushed her bangs out of her eyes and smiled.

  “Well, I’m not that old, sugar.” She pointed at Nick. “Same age as Nickie. It’s just that Jodie was a late surprise for our family. Mom and Dad didn’t plan on having another baby.”

  “That sounds familiar now. I think he did tell me that. And he has told me a few things about you.”

  Jocellynn smiled, “That Nickie, he’s such a sweetheart.”.

  “Okay Joss, look, you gotta step out and let us finish talking.” He moved forward and took her elbow, turning her towards the door. “I’ll talk with you later.”

  “Sure, sugar. I was just coming by to remind you that my mom still wants you to come over for dinner this Saturday night. She’s gonna cook all your favorites,” said Jocellynn.

  Nick glanced at Allison in time to see her brow furrow. “Joss, you know that’s not something I agreed to yet.

  “I understand, sugar. Just let me know, okay. Mom keeps bringing it up.” She stepped out the door but then turned back. “Goodbye. Allison. Glad we got a chance to meet. Drop by Mr. Adams’ classroom if you want to chat. I’m subbing for him for the next few days.” She waved at both of them and then left.

  Nick closed the door and turned back to Allison. “Hey, please listen for a second before you get turned all sideways on this.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I sho
uld’ve said something about her being back in town. I screwed up on that. Honestly, it caught me off guard, too. She called me a few times, and I just didn’t call her back. But I had to talk to her sometime, so we chatted, and she invited me over to her mom’s for dinner.” Allison softened. “You remember all those things Patty did to help me land this job, right?” She nodded. “She’s got deep connections with most of the folks on the school board. So it just makes sense for me to stay on good terms with her, and with Joss. But she means nothing to me.” He took her by the arms. “You’re my world. I would never mess up what you and I have.”

  She smiled up at him, “That’s a very sweet thing to say. Maybe I did overreact a bit. It’s just that, you know all the things you told me about her, about how manipulative she can be.”

  “She can be, but that doesn’t matter.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Allison Tucker.” He leaned in to kiss her. She gave him a quick kiss and then pulled free.

  “When did you find out she was subbing for Jim?”

  “Got the email early this morning. The district office makes those assignments so I don’t have any control. But I can still call and aske them to try to assign her to other schools. I’ll explain everything, maybe they can do something.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head, “Oh my god, what am I doing? Here I go acting like some jealous teenager. Please don’t do anything like that. I trust you, Nickie and I love you, too. Watching her just now, the way she brought up your dinner invitation in front of me. That was just mean. She was trying to provoke me. I’m crazy if I let that get to me.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t even pick up on that.”

  She smiled, “Oh, you men. You miss so much.”

  “So let’s agree that she’s just another sub. No big deal.”

  “Well, I don’t think I can go that far, but there’s no way I’m going to let her get under my skin.” She turned back to him, rose up on her toes, and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ve got to get back to class.” She turned and hurried out the door. He always found it pleasing to watch her walk away.

  VII - February 6

  Despite her sister Jocellynn’s advice, Jodie Hughes was determined to win the heart of Timmie Laskin. Thankfully, they both had Ms. Tucker for Social Studies and were paired together for a project that involved working together after school.

  “What did you tell your grandmother we were doing down here?” asked Jodie.

  “Huh?” He turned his attention from the TV back to her. “I told her we were working on a social studies project for Miss Tucker’s class ‘cause that’s what we’re doing.” On the large screen TV, across from the sofa they sat on, an overweight rapper swayed along with three women in leopard-skin bikinis. The sound was muted.

  She looked up at the steps, “So does she ever come down here?”

  “Never. The basement’s all mine. She only comes down here when I ask her to. Well, except she comes down here when I’m in school to clean and get my dirty clothes. She’s cool. Let’s me do what I want.”

  “That’s so awesome. Wish my mom was like that. She’s always in my business.”

  He turned back to the TV. “That sucks.”

  “Tell me about it. And now my sister’s living with us and she’s in my face about things, too.”

  “Your sister is a good lady. My mom really liked her.”

  “I remember. Your mom’s name was Joanne, right?”

  “Yep. That was my mom. Killed by the cops trying to protect her family.”

  “My sister still talks about that.”

  He looked over at her, then back at the TV. “It was long time ago. Let’s just skip it.” She stared down at her hands.

  He continued to watch the TV. “So what’s your sister doing living back home with you and your mom?”

  “My mom’s sick. She moved back to help out.”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Some kind of liver thing. She’s been doing okay but she’s going to need some treatments that will be hard. My sister wants to be around to help.”

  “It sucks to have to take care of someone who’s sick. My grandmother is losing her memory and needs my help a lot. What’s your sister doing while she’s here?”

  “She’s a teacher. Right now she’s subbing until she can get a full-time job. She took over Mr. Adam’s class for a few days last month.” She smiled.

  He slapped his knee, “I knew I recognized her! I forgot how hot she is.”

  “Well, I guess, I mean, maybe she is.”

  “No, she really is. Shane and I were talking about her. She looks just like that actress, the one that’s on the show with all the doctors and nurses.”

  “Yeah. I know. Honestly, I get a little sick of hearing about it.”

  “Sorry. But you should be proud to have a sister that’s as fine as her. That shitbag Principal Nick is a dumbass to have divorced her.”

  “Principal Nick is a really good guy. You just had that thing with him. Most of the kids at school really like him.”

  He snorted, “Yeah, mostly the girls.”

  “Maybe that’s true. Liza said that he looks just like a younger version of Alec Baldwin.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “An actor. He’s on TV a lot.”

  “Oh.”

  “She told me about this old movie with submarines and Russians and Alec Baldwin was the star. She said that he and Principal Nick could’ve been twins.”

  “Just because a couple of girls at school think he’s hot doesn’t make me like him.”

  “That’s cool.” She moved closer to him, their legs touched. “You know Brittney told me that she and Liza call Principal Nick a ‘PILF’.”

  “What the hell is a PILF?”

  “It means ‘Principal I’d Like To,’ you know, the f-word.”

  “Holy shit. She really said that? Does that skank ever think about anything else?” He inched away from her.

  “Now that you mention it, she does talk about sex a lot. But, I mean, that’s just what most of us think about. It’s just that, well, Brittney says it out loud, you know? I mean, I think about it too, I just don’t talk about it.” She lowered her voice and touched his leg. “Don’t you think about it?”

  He slid away and looked at the TV. “Um, why sure, yeah. You know, sure I think about it, too. It’s just that I, um; I just don’t go around talking about it all the time like some folks do.”

  “Well then, what kind of things do you think about?” She slid closer to him, closing the gap he had created.

  “You know, well, sex. Like doing it with a hot babe.”

  “Do you think about anyone in particular?”

  “Well, I don’t know, I mean, I guess so.”

  “Do you ever think about me?”

  “What? I mean, well, no, um, you’re nice and everything, it’s just that I don’t think about you in that way. You know, we’re friends and things.”

  “We could be more.”

  “It’s just that, well, your sister is like my older sister, so it’s kinda like we’re family or something. I just, well, I want us to be friends.”

  She looked down at the floor. “I was just asking. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot or anything.”

  “Hey, listen. It’s cool. Look, I like you and everything and you’re cute, too. It’s just that, well, I just want us to be friends.” He turned towards the TV. “Hey look, how did we get on this, anyway? I’ll be right back with some Cokes and then we better get started on this project.” He stood up and jogged up the steps.

  “Sure. That’s fine,” she whispered. When he reached the top of the stairs, she wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye.

  VIII – Staff Meeting

  From: Ntownsend@mrss.net

  Date: February 12, 2013

  To: JThomasStaff@mrss.net

  Subject: Staff Meeting – 2/19, 3:30p SHARP!

  Dear Staff,

  Just a reminder that ou
r monthly meeting is one week from today, 2/19 at 3:30 p.m. Please be sure to arrive on time. Last month there were several people who showed up late. When that happens, it simply makes the meeting longer and this is unfair to those staff members who make it a point to arrive at the scheduled time. This month, our meeting should be shorter than usual and we will be meeting in Jim Adam’s room.

  Agenda - End of Grade Testing, Staff Cellphone Use, Attendance Reports

  Also, we may have a guest or two. I have asked two prospective staff members to join us so they can get an idea of how things work. Thank you for welcoming them and introducing yourself. Please note that these are only prospective staff members as we won’t be announcing any changes and/or additions to our staff until after we have recessed for the year in early June.

  Thanks!! Nick

  ***

  “Okay, people; please have a seat so we can get going. I think everyone is here and it looks like we’re getting started just a few minutes after our scheduled time, so good job.” He sat down on the front of the teacher’s desk. “So look. I want to get this on everyone’s mind and yes, I will keep harassing you about it. The End of Grade Tests are now about sixty days away.”

  There was collective groan in the room.

  “Okay, I know you hate ‘em, but it is what it is. I need each and every one of you really focusing on the test material and hammering it into the heads of your students. You’ve heard it before; the future success of our school depends on the results we get on these tests. Make all your students dig deep. Lift up those kids that are behind. We have to do this, so we all might as well roll up our sleeves and really knock it out of the park. Got it?”

  There were some muttered assents and someone said, “Got it.”

  “So, let’s get the bad stuff out of the way here. You folks have heard me go on and on about cellphone usage. I’ve tried to be patient about it, but I keep seeing it. I see staff staring at their phones instead of watching the hallways or monitoring the cafeteria. A week ago I watched a staff member almost get knocked over by a fight in the hall because they were typing something on their phone. So I’ve got to put an end to this.”