Page 3 of Tangled
I stand from my desk, put out the papers I’ll need for Monday, change the date on the board and erase the notes from today, grab my coffee mug and my lunch box, and head for the cafeteria where our principal has asked us to gather for a brief staff meeting at the end of the day.
Opening up the solid metal doors, I’m greeted with a gush of cool air and the faint scent of what the cafeteria served for lunch. My guess is pizza.
“Who schedules a staff meeting on a Friday?”
Mrs. Waterman sits down next to me on the bench of one of the cafeteria tables where I found a seat in the back, giving everyone the silent sign that says to leave me alone. However, I must have a beacon flashing above my head that says,“Here! Come vent to me about how the entire world pisses you off!”
“Mmmm,” I mumble back, learning that fewer words in response to her make the conversation end much faster. I contemplate moving my seat just as she continues on with her rant.
“We spend all week at this damn school, so when two-o’clock on a Friday hits, we’re done! The last thing we want to do is sit around and listen to an entire meeting that could have been summed up in an email.”
I chuckle at that last point. The woman isn’t wrong. I’ve lost count of how many meetings I’ve sat in that could have been communicated with a few sentences and the click of a button.
“Hey, Garrison.” Drew comes up beside me, taking the seat to my right, giving me the perfect reason to turn my back to Mrs. Waterman. All that woman does is bitch about anything and everything related to her job and education. She’s an emotional vampire and the type of teacher that gives good teachers a bad name. I can’t believe she’s married either. I feel terrible for her husband.
“Drew, how’s it going, man? I haven’t seen you much this week.”
Drew Phillips is one of the most respected English teachers at Emerson Falls High School, and one of my best friends and colleagues. After what happened with my former best friend, I hadn’t been too keen to extend olive branches of friendship. But Drew weaseled his way in during my first year of teaching, and the truth is, I wouldn’t have survived without him.
“Yeah, well, between football practice and Tammy ovulating, I haven’t had much of a life,” he sighs, running his hands through his blonde hair. The bags beneath his blue eyes only confirm his level of exhaustion.
“You guys trying again?”
“Yeah. After the miscarriage, I wasn’t sure she’d want to. But we both agreed to keep trying to move forward. At least we know she can get pregnant. I just hope it sticks this time,” he whispers, a hint of despair in his voice.
Drew’s words hit me hard in the chest. His wife, Tammy, is one of the science teachers here at the school, and they’ve been married for a few years now. They met here when she got hired and Drew fell hard. A few months ago, they found out they were expecting and were beyond thrilled until she miscarried ten weeks in. It was a long summer for them, nursing the heartache of losing the possibility of the family they want so desperately. But they’re both strong people and I have faith that things will work out for them.
But supporting Drew through his life challenges just reminds me that I should be in that same boat right now too—married, having children, being so disgustingly happy that nothing else matters in this world. Funny how things don’t always work out the way we plan. I declared I would move on and not look back—that’s what I vowed to myself to do three years ago. So why does it still feel like I’m hanging onto the pain like a grudge I refuse to drop?
“Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to, man,” I pat him on the shoulder. “You and Tammy are meant to be parents. I whole-heartedly believe that.”
“Thanks, Kane. I just don’t think I’ve needed sleep this badly in my life.”
“Oh, come on. There had to be one point in college where you stayed up too late drinking and partying and didn’t sleep until the next night?” I tease him, trying to distract him from the worry in his life, although I can’t relate to the feeling of nursing a hangover and still having to function. I worked on my degree while stationed in a desert with limited wi-fi and no parties in sight. Sometimes I feel regretful that I didn’t get the typical college experience, but I wouldn’t change my time in the Army for anything.
He smiles at the thought. “Yeah, but I’m not twenty anymore. I’m thirty-one, and I swear, the thirties are great except for the depletion in your energy. If I didn’t have to help coach a football game tonight, I’d be in bed at seven!”
“Just wait until you have a kid. I hear you really lose sleep then.”
Drew stares blankly at me as he processes my words then mutters, “Fuck.”
“Good afternoon, everyone!” Principal North addresses the room of disgruntled teachers, exhausted from another long week of work, effectively ending our conversation. “I’ll try to make this quick since I know you’re all eager to get your weekend started,” she beams, surveying the teachers who look more like students trying to stay awake during class right now.
“Damn right. Make this quick, woman,” Mrs. Waterman mumbles behind me, earning an eye roll from me that thankfully she can’t see.
“As you know, Mr. Kirk left us a few weeks ago, leaving a huge vacancy in our math department.”
“Yeah, well, if I’d won the lottery, I would have left too!” Another teacher shouts across the cafeteria, garnering murmurs of agreement and chuckles from the crowd of almost seventy of us.
“No judgment from me,” Principal North replies with a wink. “I think we can all understand Mr. Kirk’s choice. But I am happy to report we have found a replacement for him. Our new teacher will start on Monday, so please help her feel welcome. She has big shoes to fill, but she came highly recommended and knows her stuff.”
“A woman, huh?” Drew whispers in my ear, causing me to glare at him in wonder.
“Why does that matter?” I growl.
“Easy tiger. I wasn’t insinuating anything. It’s just not very often you hear of a woman teaching math. But maybe this one can end up being your Tammy.”
“My Tammy?”