Just Before Recess

Love was never meant for me. I refused to be loved and have denied the emotion successfully since I was eight years old. I took a full recess. When my grandma died, I discovered how hypocritical my family was. How they hated her, dragging her to the laundry every day. But the day she died, they all cried. I did not believe their crocodile tears. No, it died there and then.

There was that one time when my headmaster fell off his horse. Tons of my friends rushed to see him, helping him up. I enjoyed the rest of my ice cream. He was getting what he deserved for making our lives impossible. My rule was simple – no affection out, no affection in.

After eighteen years of high school, everyone here knew that the most beautiful teacher was a single, unloving rose of rock. Yet today, this Billy stopped me at the entrance of his class and handed me a note. It just said, “I am Billy, hug me when you are ready.”

I tried to scold him, but he disappeared down the hall to his seventh-grade bunker. I hope he stays there. His grade was not on my roster today. He was a lucky dreamer.

I am not new to childish infatuations or misread emotional dingles that would make a new student fall head over heels for a math teacher. But I can’t remember even smiling once at this kid or even calling him by name except for the roster at the start of each class.

If he just as much as repeated it or moved a finger at me, I will send him to the director’s office for uncomfortable gestures towards a professional.

Love at First Sight Ruffles the Recess

Last year, there was Anthony, one of the biggest hunks on campus, but also the slowest thinker in the world. After winning the local collegiate football championship, the quarterback invited me to the reception ceremony.

Not to be a poor sport, I went along since it was right here on campus.  I did not dress differently, used no makeup as usual, and did not go with him. I arrived late, long after they were all seated on stage.

To my surprise, the kid took the microphone and announced that his evening date had arrived. Overwhelmed by roaring applause, I left without even looking behind. What a nerve of this senile senor.

The next day, I could not wait to make things clear and dampen whatever aspirations that I might have sowed. After all, I did show up, so I did not lay all the blame on the poor kid. He understood and disappeared into the sea of forgetfulness as soon as he had emerged.

So no, this is not my first confrontation.

As I entered my eighth-grade math session, the ever-gossip-loving guidance teacher floated over to me. Flirting with her eyes, batting her overly painted brows, she weaseled up to my door. Warning to self –  rolling calf ahead.

“Elaine, the gods are in your favor. My, I had the weirdest dream last night, a mean, weird you know, ‘cause you were in it. Anyway, this missile was on its way here and all the other teachers started to scream. When suddenly Eros appeared and – he’s really cute. He said tell my Elaine to hug Billy, and save the day.”

The blood rushed up my veins and my tongue boiled hot. This indecent swindler plotted with the little brat just to mock me. Mock me two days before my birthday. I turned on my heels and left her standing there. She must have thought me mad.

I wanted to so badly display my rude finger, laugh her to scorn, or just shoot her with my BB gun. But today was her lucky day, I was almost in my class and the students were already standing.

Two months ago, I left her a gift on her birthday. No one knew that I did but, Tina is smart and I often think she suspects me. We all grew up in this abandoned town in the middle of nowhere, so everyone knew everything about everybody.

The poor devil or fallen angel is completely afraid of frogs. To make matters worse, she avoids ponds and streams for the same reason. So, on the eve of her birthday, I placed a basket of chocolates on her desk.

It was lined with flowers and balloons, and as you can guess, there was a frog hidden in the middle. But not just any frogs. It was a true-to-life copy that would stick to the hands of whoever dared to touch it.

Her screams made me extremely happy, but what topped the scene was a fanatical Tina running down the hallway in her spikes. Even weeks later, I still chuckle when I think of it.

Finally, two sessions of math rolled to an abrupt end. An announcement came over the intercom inviting my presence at the director’s office. I was long due a promotion and salary increase; it better be about that. Or else, all hell is about to break loose as I am at the end of my patience.

However, last week he hinted at the upcoming possibility of handing over the Math and Physics Department to me. He said, “Good ol’ Brian is leaving for Canada, and we have no one else to replace him. Madam, you are up.”

Somehow, I have a good feeling about this one. It is promotion time and a higher earnings day.

The good old man was having a fiery discussion on his cell phone, and as soon as he saw me, he put it on voice call.

“..look, Jimmy, tell her to do it before recess or else we are goners. You hear me.”

Everyone is Crazy About Hugging This Kid

I turned on my heels again, but the kid was already entering the office. The phone call got more frantic. “Turn on the TV Jimmy. There is a missile…oh my gosh, go get her, go get…”

The morning news anchor is usually calm and charismatic, but today she was rambling like a cornered rabbit. “Run for your life, ….get in a bunker..aw… bomb shelter….I mean, tornado shelter…people bring food and your mother and …oh my gosh its happening…”

The only thing that made sense was the image on the left corner of the screen. What seemed like an elongated balloon was slowly drifting its way towards us. It did not seem a threat just yet as it was not pointing downward. It was not falling at all, it looked more like an investigative science satellite.

I have seen a lot of rockets take to the skis and even saw one re-entered on TV. It was free-falling faster than a meteorite, ablaze and shedding debris on every side. That news anchor is only scaring the town. They better calm down get their wits together.

I teach physics and math, but even the dumbest person would note that thi was no missile. Just a small hot air balloon. The city will soon discover the prankster behind this science project.

It suddenly dawned on me what this was all about. This was a well-worked-out plan by Tina to take revenge. My word, she really did a good job. Got to hand it to her. How many people was she able to convince?

There was Billy, the note dispatcher. The Director, the person on the other side of the phone, and the raving news anchor. Well done Tina. But I am not falling for this one.

“Director Jimmy, did Tina put you all up to a cruel joke? How could you let her convince you and involve a minor in all this prankster gig?  How could you…?”

“Miss Elaine, you do not believe any of this, do you? You think I have time to play games or drag one of my best students into idle gestures?”

“Then how do you explain all this, the note h handed me, the fake dream that Tina shared with me shortly after, and now you and Dorothy…”

‘’Oh, I see, you and Dorothy no longer get along, right. So, you think we are playing a prank? How I wished it was so. That this was all a nightmare.

‘’But no ma’am. Lily shared her dream with me in the morning before I left home. She told me that you needed to hug Billy before recess or this entire town would be blown sky high. As you know, I am a scientist and do not share the dream thing with her, so I did not tell you.

“She just called me again…..”

“Director, that was Lily on the phone! I am so sorry, I know she would not do something like this.”

This could not be happening. Eros is an old Greek myth and he does not control missiles or anything else. There has to be an explanation. What if they were bribed by Tina? Where would she get all that money? Or did they all want to see me fall so badly?

There was that one case where a New York magician decided to rob the church blind. He arrived for the Sunday Mass and donned the frock f the priest. He took the podium and explained the sad news that God died last night and there was a need to bury Him.

The church responded positively and donated over two million dollars to bury their god. He would have escaped if the police did not arrive on time.

Who would rescue me now. I would be he laughing stock of the high school and the town for years. And  I would have to ditch my home. I badly needed a way out.

Billy took the remote control and started switching the TV channels. One by one, news anchor by news anchor, all reporting the same thing. The impending missile strike.

Cautiously, he turned and faced me. His eyes locked into mine. “Miss Elaine,  am I so hard to hug?”

I was eight years old the last time I hugged someone.  Somehow I was not sure how to do it, but Billy was an expert. I can’t remember crying before, but you know, I will be doing this more often. How long we hugged, I had no idea, but after a while the bell pealed the morning break.

Was there really a missile? Billy believed, and that was good enough.