Love

Talk to the teachers

-14

About twenty minutes after they left I made my trip downstairs to talk to Patches and Fay about everything. I swear I haven't been this nervous to talk to someone since I met Shelby.

"I'll be back, just got to talk to Patches and Fay about all this but if anyone comes to clinic come find me, I told Shelby I would cover it today."

"I can manage that, you're going to overwhelm yourself. Go talk to the teachers then go home Arice, it's covered up here."

"Last I checked I was the boss here," I said jokingly.

"Yah, but sometimes you have to let others step in."

"We will just have to see Grace, be right back."

"Better not."

I chuckled at her softly and walked down the stairs feeling like I might puke or maybe pass out as I got closer and closer to the classroom halls. I made it to Patches room first, it was practically all windows and was supposed to be a quiet place in the original planning. But she fought so hard to get it as her classroom when she started here. Saying that it would be much better for classrooms to look just like this so students don't feel as if they're in a prison but in an open welcome space. Then she refused to use the blinds in there, took them all off actually. It saves energy so I can't argue. I walked up to her classroom door which was being propped open with a stack of math books. She had all the windows opened a slight breeze blow through them. The class was all reading this weeks class book. Patches was leaning back in her chair, feet on the desk and seemed to be using her dreads as a pillow as her eyes glanced over a book.

"You do know that the school pays for air conditioning, lighting too. And you coulda came and grabbed a door stop we have a hole box or them in the office."

"We all put in our votes on which class was the worst and the majority said math so we made it our door stop. There both made from trees anyway. And yah now Arice if all the classrooms where like this then the schools would save a heck of a lot of money."

"Keep preaching maybe you'll get through someday, can we have a word."

"Isn't that what we're doing right now."

"A private one please."

"Coming, coming. Right when the plot begins to thicken."

She walked out of the room using her foot to move the books back and waited to hear the door click shut.

"If this is about my hair or my clothes-"

"It's not Patches I told you I don't care, you're a good teacher and the kids like you ok. And it's not my place to criticize how you look nor is it anybody's. Common we have one more person then I'll fill you guys in."

She didn't comment just followed as I turned the corners and went down this way and that. I remember when I first started here it took me months to find my way through, now though it's like there's a compass in my head. We got to Fay's classroom, she was standing in front of her class talking in an elevated tone and making hand gestures while she hopped around the room. Her and her reenactments.

"Mis. Gate a word please."

"Ah I am sorry good sir but Mis. Gate isn't in today, Alexander Hamilton's the name sir," she said with a broad smile, "another name for me is the founding father without a father. You know I joined the revolution and met George Washington himself and was his assistant. After the war when Washington was president I was in the state treasury where I had many arguments against Thomas Jefferson. I was a big law man and though many said I shouldn't have, including as we know from my earlier statement Thomas Jefferson disagreed I fought to change the U.S. constitution. I married and had two children, one of which who died trying to defend my honor after I had an affair. And that children is where I leave you, go on and get ready for your next class. And it would be an honor for all of you to read more about myself, chapter 11 and 12 later tonight. Mis. Gate may have all of you write essays on it."

The children quietly groaned and grailed, some rolled their eyes.

"You all know that Mis.Gate doesn't have to do this. The way she teaches all of you is nothing that I've seen, that's why she's here. But I wouldn't blame her if she made all of you read straight from the textbooks to find the information for these essays. I suggest thinking about what she does for all of you," I said.

"Yes sir," the majority of them said.

"You all can go."

They all left and I shut the door once the last of them got out.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi ya, mind filling in now?" Patches said.

"Yah sure why not. Both of you got one new student in your class today Jone and Willow."

"I've met Willow yes, not Jone yet," Fay said.

"I'm the opposite of that, anyway?"

"I just want the work for them for the next couple days. They won't be back for a while,"
"Their parents call? Everything ok?"

"Their me and Shelby's new kids, we adopted them yesterday. Today before lunch some students decided to attack them on the groups that me and Shelby are homosexuals. So their not okay, but they will be."

After that there was an awkward silence between the three of us. I couldn't tell if it was because of what I said about the kids, or that both of them just found out I'm gay.

"Well can I?" I finally asked.

"Yah, yah of course Arice. Ok so there ok, I mean one of their dads is a doctor so we know they'll be ok. But are you and Shelby? Ok I mean?" Patches asked.

"Yah, being a parent myself I couldn't imagine my kid being beat up. And for having two dads, that's terrible," Fay added.

"Thank you both, we're all ok promise."

"Alright," Fay said hesitantly.

Then they both went to gather their things. I stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, luckily it was Fay's off period so at least it isn't standing awkwardly plus being stared at by a room of kids.

"And you're sure you're ok?"

"Yes Fay I'm positive. Thank you."

"Your welcome, and if you need anything I'm just down here."

"I know, when I signed up for this job I didn't know I would gain a hole family of people. It's a good surprise though."

"I think that's how everybody feels."

"Yah, me too."

And I left the room before anything more could be asked or said.