Chapter 46 - Lila
Lila
Professors didn’t get to choose when their final exams were held; they were scheduled by the department in order to space things out as best as possible for the students.
But that didn’t always work out conveniently for the professors.
I tried to find ways to fill the time. I drove thirty minutes to the mountains and went on a long hike. I binged episodes of West Wing. I even went to the gym.
But deep down, all I wanted to do was text three specific students of mine.
Somehow, I managed to keep my distance. I gave my exams on Friday, smiling to each student as they turned them in and left my class for good.
Jace was one of the first ones to finish. Brock was one of the last. I hoped that it was because he wanted to be thorough, and not because he was unprepared for the exam.
The nature of our relationship would change if I had to give him anything less than an A. That was not a conversation I wanted to have with someone I was sleeping with.
I stayed late on Friday grading exams, but barely made a dent.
Then I spent all day Saturday in my office before realizing I would need to come back on Sunday to finish up.
It was my own fault for assigning written-word essays as part of my exam, but I firmly believed that was a better way to gauge a student’s proficiency than by multiple choice questions alone.
On Sunday afternoon, I left my office to get another cup of coffee.
The building was practically deserted by this point; all the offices were empty, and the classrooms were locked up until the summer semester began in two weeks.
In the future, I wondered if there was a way to get my exams scheduled earlier in the week so I wouldn’t be the last professor to leave for the semester.
On the way back to my office, I bumped into a familiar face. “Professor Galloway! I thought I was the only one still here grading papers.”
“I’m afraid you still are,” he said with a polite smile. “I only popped in to retrieve my favorite coffee mug.” He held up a mug that said: I <3 Criminology.
“Got any plans this summer?” I asked. Any excuse to delay going back to the remainder of my exams.
“My wife is taking me to Cancun for a week,” Galloway bragged. “She says that I desperately need to sit on a beach with a fruity drink and a good book. And, like with most things, she’s correct!”
“Got any good books in mind? I saw that Professor Chisolm recently published a new study on suburban misdemeanors.”
“Oh God, no!” Galloway laughed. “Nothing work related. I have an exciting political thriller I’m planning on using as an escape until the summer semester begins. You really must find a way to balance your personal and professional life, Lila.”
I smiled at him. “Truer words were never spoken. Maybe I’ll find a nice mystery novel to read this summer.”
“I hope that you do.” Galloway’s smile tightened. “And I do hope your relationship with that handsome Army veteran deepens during the summer.”
The hallway seemed to spin, and I grabbed a nearby doorknob to steady myself. “I… what… how…”
“Relax,” Galloway said, lowering his voice to a whisper.
“I don’t think anyone else has noticed, but I have a keen eye for these sorts of things.
In fact, I had a semester-long affair when I first began teaching back in the nineties.
He was a beautiful boy named Travis. Oh, it was so much fun, even though it fizzled out when the semester ended. ”
It felt like my eyes were trying to bulge out of my head. “You had an affair… Travis? But…”
“But I’m married to a woman?” Galloway gave me a patient smile. “This was before I met Beth. College experimenting isn’t only for students!”
“Oh. Okay.” I still felt dizzy. It wasn’t comforting to know that my extra-curricular activities this semester had been noticed by one of my colleagues.
“I didn’t bring it up to scare you,” Galloway told me. “I merely wanted to impress upon you an important lesson.”
“That I shouldn’t be taking risks like that?” I asked.
“What? Of course not. I was going to say that life is short, Lila! It’s so very short and precious. The most important thing you can do is try to find any measure of happiness wherever you can, and worry about the details later.”
“Even if it breaks the rules for faculty?”
“Especially then! But don’t tell anyone I said that.” He tapped the side of his nose to emphasize the secret we were now sharing. “Enjoy your summer, Professor Carrington.”
He walked away humming Kokomo by the Beach Boys, leaving me simultaneously confused and relieved.