28
Niall wasn’t able to get Hughie into his new school until Wednesday, due to administrative obstacles, so the new plan is Hughie tagging along with me to Trinity.
I’m not sure what he was more astonished with, being on the campus for the first time or that I picked him up with a Fruity Pebbles donut in hand.
I have him set up with a book and his music for my first class, which is Modern LGBT Voices.
The books often tackle a lot more discussion around the representation of LGBT sex scenes, some in graphic detail, because of how society frowns upon them in comparison to straight sex scenes.
Not something a ten-year-old should be actively participating in, nor do I think Niall would be a fan of it.
I initially handed him one of the Goosebumps books off his bookshelf, but he asked for one of the books covered in my YA lit class. I ultimately give him In the Wild Light by Zentner, because it’s just a beautiful book and I think it will require the least amount of explaining certain topics.
He sits right next to me in the YA lit class, reading his book while the rest of the class files in. I see some of them commenting amongst each other, while looking over at Hughie.
“Good afternoon class. I see you’ve noticed we have a special guest today.”
“You didn’t tell us you had a kid Daniel.”
Hughie puts the book down. “That’s because he’s not my dad.”
“Right. So, Hughie will be joining us as my unofficial TA the rest of the semester. I’m helping out a friend of mine.”
“His maybe boyfriend,” Hughie says, wiggling his eyebrows. This gets a few laughs from the students.
Lily, who sits two seats down from me, raises her hand. “You told us you didn’t have a boyfriend.”
Hughie leans forward. “It’s new.”
“Okay. Hughie. We JUST had a conversation about boundaries on Sunday. And, despite what Hughie says, he shouldn’t be speculating on what goes on between his uncle and I.”
“But,” Samuel says, directly across the circle, “how does he even know you are a maybe boyfriend?” I put my head down on my desk. “Ahh, Daniel! Hughie here caught you staying over! You dog.”
I lift my head to find Hughie subtly nodding his head.
“Alright, let’s get back on topic or you all fail this class.
I am changing the syllabus effective today.
” I stand up and start passing out the new Nic Stone books that arrived last night.
“I am switching out Irene McAllister’s books with these three from Nic Stone, the cost of the books on me.
I remember what it was like being at university, so I’m not indebting you any further than I already have. ”
Lily raises her hand again. “Have to ask. Why the switch?”
I point to Hughie. “It actually was inadvertently his decision, based on some feedback.”
Hughie looks at me and I nod. “She’s my Grandmom and I told Danny her books aren’t that great.”
“And,” I put a stack in front of Lily, “if her own grandson can’t vouch for the quality, how can I? Bonus is that the Nic Stone books are significantly shorter reads than McAllister’s so you technically have less work to do. You can thank me later.”
I circle back to my seat, holding up today’s discussion book. “Let’s talk Zentner. I toyed with us reading his books in order of publication, but instead you’re enjoying them the same way I did. What do we think with Goodbye Days as your introduction to one of my favorite authors?”
“It’s jarring going from reading something like Hemingway to this.
” Delilah says, flipping through the pages of the book.
“There’s something about the raw emotion that hits in this book.
Which I find is something typical in the young adult novels, at least the good ones.
The characters are so relatable. Well, not relatable in that I’ve had a best friend die, but I could see myself in how Carver deals with his grief. ”
“My best friend died just after Christmas last year.” Noah says quietly.
“My condolences Noah,” I say, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
“How’d they die?” Hughie asks. I temporarily forgot a child was also part of this discussion. Shit.
“Noah, you don’t—”
“It’s okay Daniel.” Noah sniffles, facing Hughie with tears in his eyes. “He, erm…died of cancer. It was something he battled over and over as we grew up. It was surprising and not surprising all at the same time. We just…we just thought he had finally beat it for good.”
Hughie gets up from his chair and walks over to Noah. After reaching into his pocket, Hughie produces a tissue for Noah.
“Thanks lil’ dude.” Noah blots his eyes while Hughie returns to his seat.
“But the reason I bring it up, is that it inspired me to do my own little goodbye day with his parents. Last night we went to what was his favorite pub and ordered his favorite meal, drank his go-to cider. Multiple of his ciders. Then went back to their place and watched his favorite film. It wasn’t a big thing, but reading this reminded me I haven’t reached out to them since he died. ”
“They must have appreciated that a lot,” Lily says.
Noah smiles. “They did. They actually want me to come over for dinner this weekend. I think people get kinda lost in their own grief that they lose sight on what others are going through. I saw his parents more than my own, and I got the impression that they also had missed me too.”
Like what I did to everyone around me, including Niall.
Now Hughie is standing at my desk, tissue hovering in front of my face. I notice the sadness on his face when he hands it to me. I take the tissue and frantically wipe my face. Emotions torn between the thoughtfulness of this kid and how unprofessional it is to lose it in front of my students.
I look around and most students are looking at me, some avoiding awkward eye contact. “I…I lost my best friend not too long before coming to Dublin. In May, actually. He had been my best friend my whole life, and had been my roommate for over ten years. He was struck by a drunk driver.”
“Michael,” Hughie says, still hovering by my side. “Uncle Niall was sad too after. He told me about him.”
I try to smile for him. “That’s right. Michael was also Uncle Niall’s friend.”
Hughie comes around the desk and gives me a hug, his hand rubbing circles on the back of my shirt. A tactic learned from his uncle.
I break away from Hughie. “So, while this has gone a bit off the rails, I think the important thing I wanted to start the Zentner lesson with is that he is great at bringing out feelings.”
“Feeling things sucks,” Lily says, her eyes also a bit red.
“But if a book can make you feel this way, then I would argue it’s a successful piece of literature. So, show of hands, who enjoyed the book?” Every hand goes up.
“Excellent. So, I think given the mood of this session, how about we end class a bit early by going on a little field trip? I know a great bookstore that also serves beer and has delicious baked goods.”
* * *
Niall looks up from behind the counter as Hughie and I enter Books and Brews.
“Doesn’t your class go for another like hour or so?”
“Yeah, about that.” I’m interrupted by the door opening behind me, as the students from class fill into the building.
“Hey Hughie! Is that Daniel’s maybe boyfriend?”
Niall’s face scrunches up. “What…”
Lily sidles up next to me, looking at Hughie. “Is this Uncle Niall?”
Hughie beams. “Sure is!”
“Can we get a round of Guinness for the class?” Niall goes to say something but I put my hand up. “Rough class today.”
I help Niall disperse the beers, all the students happy to get a free beer from their teacher. I also tell everyone to get a baked treat on me as well.
“Are we going to talk about it?”
“No. Maybe. But your nephew is to blame.” I look over at Hughie, who is sitting with Lily and Samuel at a table. The three of them are flipping through copies of Heartstopper, which is a couple lessons after Zentner.
“Is he now?”
I take a sip of my pint. “You are the ‘maybe boyfriend’ he introduced to the class.”
Niall slumps on the counter. “We should probably have a talk with him.”
The light catches the green of his eyes, heightened by the matching green sweater he’s wearing today. I think of how he looked when his clothes were on the floor, the way his thighs had strained against the hem of his boxer briefs.
It is the middle of the day, in the middle of class, and this is inappropriate.
But I also think about how gentle his kisses were. The way he held me when we fell asleep. How incredibly there he’s been for me since I’ve arrived here in Dublin.
“I would, you know.”
“Would what?”
I take another sip. “Be your ‘maybe boyfriend’, maybe without the maybe. Or, just see where it goes, I know it hasn’t been that long—”
“I’d like that very much,” Niall says.
My heart flutters, surprised by the first bit of positive news in what seems like a long time.
The class has settled into various corners of the book pub. Noah’s spirits seem to have been lifted a bit, seeing him laugh at something Delilah said.
“Why was class rough today?”
I swirl the dregs of beer in my glass. “The book we read for class this week involves grief and loss. Specifically…of best friends.”
“Ahh,” Niall grabs my beer and tops it off.
“One of the students recently lost their best friend and explained how the book had helped him. I kinda got emotional because, you know, everything. Hughie knew it was Michael, by the way.”
Niall places the beer in front of me. “Yeah. It was probably not great to burden a ten-year-old with my emotions but he kept asking what was wrong. It just seemed better than lying to him. And let’s not kid ourselves. He’s been through enough that my emotions probably didn’t even phase him.”
I look over and he’s waving his hands up and down, making Lily laugh. “You’re right. I just hope it hasn’t been too much for him. Like, in total.”
Niall slides half of his cookie, a snickerdoodle, over to me. “It’s my one job going forward, to make sure things get better for him.”
“I’ll help in any way I can.”
Literature for Young Adults - Michaelmas Term Session
Lecturer - Daniel Pierce
T TH 3:30-4:45
REVISED Syllabus
Block One - Jennifer Niven
All the Bright Places
Breathless
Holding Up the Universe
Block Two - Jeff Zentner
Goodbye Days
In the Wild Light
The Serpent King
Sunrise Nights (co-written with Brittany Cavallaro)
Block Three - Irene McAllister Nic Stone
The Light of the Hour Dear Martin
Silence in the Night Dear Justyce
The Others Before You Dear Manny
Block Four - Alice Oseman
Heartstopper: Volume One
Heartstopper: Volume Two
Heartstopper: Volume Three
Heartstopper: Volume Four
Heartstopper: Volume Five