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Mara pushes me towards the classroom door and calls over her shoulder, “We will meet you there.”
At his questioning glance, she adds, “So you can find someone to make sure class gets started. That way, the students don’t just leave.”
Damien hesitates.
I can see the conflict swirling in his eyes.
He wants to come with Mara and me to his office and find out what is going on, but he knows he has a responsibility to his yoga class and his students.
After a few moments, he nods his head slightly and says, “Okay, give me five minutes.”
Mara and I slowly walk down the hallway through the athletic building towards Damien’s office in silence. We pass several students from our class in the hallway who don’t even give us a second glance.
I guess it’s a good thing Mara and I typically stay to ourselves. That way, I don’t have to make up a lie or explain to anyone else what is going on and why Mara and I are skipping class.
Mara clears her throat loudly, alerting me she wants to say something. Or maybe she wants to ask me something.
“Yes?” I ask, turning my head in her direction.
She’s never been one for subtlety, so I’m on edge and anxious to hear what she wants to say.
She doesn’t hesitate to let her thoughts flow into words as they tumble out of her mouth.
“So, how about you tell me what’s going on while we wait for Damien to show up? I’m great at researching things and investigating. I will be able to help you, Shae. No matter what it is, you aren’t in this alone.”
Of course, Mara wants the details before Damien.
She is nosy, after all, but that is just one thing I love about her. Her nosiness has helped us a lot through life, especially me.
Rolling my eyes, I say, “I can’t tell you before I tell Damien. Besides, there isn’t anything to investigate or research. Maybe the three of us, together, can figure out how to make things right.”
We stop walking as we get outside of the darkened office. I try twisting the door handle to open the door, but it is locked.
Leaning closer to the office window to look through the open blinds, I can see a small desk with a desktop computer, phone, and giant desk calendar.
It’s a pretty standard and boring office, but it’s smaller than I would expect a university to provide a professor. I guess they see it as athletic professors don’t need huge offices because they don’t have any papers to grade.
A student’s grade is based on participation and athleticism, not written tests and essays.
As far as personalization in the office, there’s nothing here to say this one belongs to Damien. There are no pictures, knick-knacks, or clothing on the walls, desk, or chairs.
I’m not sure what I was expecting to see, but it wasn’t bare walls and minimalistic vibes.
Mara interrupts my snooping to do a little snooping of her own. “Is someone else involved with whatever is going on?”
Of course, someone else is involved.
Does she think I wanted to break up with Damien? Does she think I wanted to wallow in self-pity and sob until I have no voice for an entire week? Does she think I made this up on my own?
Should I tell her the truth now or should I try to stall until Damien is here? This answer to this particular question doesn’t really give any information away, so it should be harmless to tell her.
However, knowing Mara, she is just going to keep prying until I give in and tell her everything.
I give her the answer she already knows. “Yes, someone else is involved.”
To no one’s surprise, she immediately fires off another question. “And do I know this person?”
I hesitate, knowing this is a sticky road I am going down without Damien here. Will Damien be upset if I keep answering Mara’s questions?
