Her office must be nearby, because I’ve barely taken a seat in the waiting area when I hear an electronic beep, followed by a door opening.
A woman who looks maybe two decades older than me with black hair slicked down smoothly on the top and sides, leading to a curly puff ponytail at the back of her head, comes through the open door. Her lightweight dress flows behind her in a brilliant pattern of yellows and oranges.
She offers me a bright smile and extends her hand. “Hi, I’m Carolina Brown.”
I shake her outstretched hand. “Olivia Delaney. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. Do you go by Olivia?”
I pause and make a split-second decision that’s been all summer in the making. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
She smiles at me again and ushers me through the door. I walk through it, feeling like the movement is too routine for the extraordinary thing I’ve done. I reclaimed my name. I reclaimed my identity.
I smile to myself and walk taller as we make our way down a hallway and into a small conference room.
The interview goes well. I feel like I have good answers to all the questions, and after a while, the interaction feels more like a conversation than an interview. By the time we get near the end of her questions, we’re on a first-name basis.
Carolina sets her pen on the table and closes the notebook she’s been using for notes. “What questions do you have about the position or the school?”
I’m ready for this question. My sisters coached me ahead of time, and we brainstormed some questions I could ask that would help me learn more about the position but also help the interviewer see my interest.
“In your ideal scenario, how does the new PE teacher change Brightline for the better?” I ask.
Carolina smiles. “What a beautiful question.” She thinks for a moment, and then her words come out hesitantly. “One of the challenges we’re facing as a school is getting the kids excited about physical education. Students come here to concentrate on their studies, especially science. Many of them are very focused on their classroom pursuits and struggle to see the benefits of gym class,” she admits.
I frown. “My brother-in-law is a scientist, and he loves to swim and play basketball. An interest in science isn’t at odds with loving sports.”
Carolina smiles. “Agreed. It’s not at all antithetical. However, I would say the majority of our students have trouble seeing that.”
“Okay,” I say as a way to pause the conversation while I gather my thoughts. “What if we emphasized the science involved in exercise? The body systems and how regular movement enhances their effectiveness? We could even turn PE class into experiments with physics and biology, using their own bodies as the test subjects.” I realize how that sounds and backtrack. “I mean not in any way that’s dangerous, of course.”
“No, I love that! I think the students will too.” She’s quiet for a moment, studying me. Finally, she says, “Olivia, I’ll be frank. Our school year starts on Monday. We need a PE teacher, and I think we’d be extremely fortunate to have you.”
I suck in a breath. The thought of having only a few days to prepare to teach has my heart thumping.
“You’re going to be my hiring recommendation to the board of directors,” she continues. “They need to approve the decision, but I don’t think they’ll have any issues.”
My mouth drops open, and I scramble to close it before Carolina realizes how shocked I am. “Well, this is … thank you. I’d love that,” I manage to splutter.
“I’m certain the board will add a condition requiring you to work on your teacher certification, but that doesn’t need to be in place before you start working.”
I nod. State teacher certification in physical education was something I planned to work toward either way. But now I can do it while working a steady, full-time job.
“We’ll talk about an official offer letter and discuss salary after the board approves. They have a meeting tonight to discuss these last few position vacancies, so I hope to be in touch by the end of the week.”
She stands, and I follow suit. I reach out to shake her hand. “Thank you, Carolina. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”
Chapter thirty-five
Olivia
It’stheendofAugust—two weeks after my interview and a week and a half into my new job as the PE teacher at the Brightline School—before I feel ready to approach Gage.
Not only was I working on myself to make sure I can be a partner he can trust, I wanted to give him some time, too. He started school a week ago, and I don’t want to distract him while he orients to his new classes and professors.
But I’ve waited long enough. I can’t go another day wondering what will happen. Even if he doesn’t want to give me another chance, I’d rather know so I can move forward than stay in this endless Schrödinger’s situation. I need to know for sure if the cat is dead or alive.
Despite Annie’s warning that she wouldn’t act as a middleman, she relents enough to give me a rough idea of her brother’s class schedule. I know that on Thursdays, he has some sort of lab class until five, and it’s his last class of the day.
