AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He unlocked his office door and pushed it open, then waited for his student to walk in before following him inside.
“I’m okay,” the man said as he settled into the chair. “Promise. This happens sometimes.” He dipped his chin. “I saw you walking into the building from across the plaza and I wanted to catch you, but the pollen count’s probably high and I should’ve known better. I’m sorry about that.”
“Stop apologizing. It wasn’t a big deal.” Spencer set the backpack down next to the student’s feet, then walked behind his desk, put his briefcase on it, and sat down. “I believe you’re in my complex variables class. What can I do for you?”
That pale skin hid nothing, and at that moment a red haze was climbing up the flushed neck, making Spencer worry that maybe his student wasn’t as fine as he claimed.
“Yeah, that’s right. My name’s Abraham Green. Abe. And, uh, my question isn’t about class exactly.”
“Oh?”
Abe gulped. “You’re gay, right? That’s what I heard.”
The question was completely unexpected and left Spencer momentarily stunned. Once he snapped out of it, he immediately darted his gaze to his door and relaxed when he saw it was open. The last thing he needed was to deal with false accusations.
When Spencer didn’t respond to his question, Abe’s eyes widened and he started stammering. “Oh, God. That came out all wrong. It’s none of my business, but I want to go into teaching and I’m gay, so I was worried about job prospects. I was talking about it to my friend who had you last year. She’s the one who recommended your class. She said you’re one of the few profs in the department who actually makes sense.” His words were coming out faster and faster, and his breathing quickened. “Anyway, she said you were gay and you teach so you might know, and I didn’t have anybody else to talk to and—”
“Abe,” Spencer said, cutting off the young man off before he started wheezing again. “It’s fine. Keep calm, okay?”
He smiled, hoping it came across as comforting. Understanding the reason for the question quelled his discomfort. Though he didn’t know how he felt about the fact that his personal life was something being discussed by his students, he had never hidden being gay, having brought boyfriends to the department functions he occasionally had to attend. Helping students talk through career choices was a fairly common part of his job, even if the reason for this particular question was out of the ordinary.
“All right,” he said when Abe seemed less panicky. “Let’s try this again. You want to teach?”
“Yes.” Abe nodded. “High school or maybe middle school. Math, obviously, ’cause it’s my major. Dual major, actually. Math and education.”
“Right.” Spencer leaned forward, propped his arms on his desk, and clasped his hands together. “Teaching kids is different than teaching at the college level. But I know people who are out, and they work in town at all different grade levels, from second grade to high school. You might have to deal with the occasional jerk, and you’ll need to be more careful than the female teachers to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, but from what I know, there are several districts where being gay isn’t going to keep you out of the classroom.”
Abe sighed in relief. “Thank you, Dr. Derdinger. That’s what I thought, but when I came out this summer, all I heard from my father was that he had wasted money on three years of school because I’d never be able to get a job working with children.” He paused and blinked rapidly. “I figured it wouldn’t be like that, but my stepmother is a teacher in Utah, so I thought maybe he was right.”
Fifteen years crumpled into nothing, and Spencer remembered exactly how he’d felt when he had come out to his family and faced a wall of rejection. “Oh, Abe. I’m sorry.” He pushed his chair back, got up, and walked toward his student. “Your father is wrong. I’m sure you’ll make a great teacher.”
He hadn’t quite turned the corner around his desk when Abe leaped out of his chair and up against Spencer, wrapping scrawny arms around him and burying his face in Spencer’s shoulder. Abe’s body shook for a couple of minutes, but eventually he got himself under control. He lifted his face and looked at Spencer with wet, red-rimmed eyes. “I, uh, thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“No more apologies. And you’re welcome. I’ve been where you are and I know it’s hard.” Always practical, Spencer moved on to the nuts and bolts of Abe’s situation. “Are you going to be okay with school? Is your father cutting you off?”
“Ha!” Abe barked a satisfied little laugh. “He wanted to, but when I told my mom about it, she called him and reminded him about their divorce decree. Turns out he’s legally obligated to pay for college.” He waggled his thin, light eyebrows. “My mom married her divorce lawyer, so trying to get out of it would cost my dad a bunch of money. He paid for the whole year, but I haven’t heard from him since.”
