Chapter 2 #2
“Oh.” Forrest knew that voice. He opened his eyes as Conrad took a place about as far away from him as possible.
He seemed to be trying to disappear into the wall.
Okay, so he wasn’t an idiot and knew Conrad was at the very least nervous around him, though the truth be told, if he pressed against the wall any harder, something was going to break.
He took a deep breath, not sure what he should do, if anything.
Forrest was aware that he was a big guy—always had been.
He also knew that his bald head didn’t help, but there was nothing he could do about that.
As a teenager he had developed alopecia, which meant that his body couldn’t grow hair of any type.
He had long ago accepted that reality, but it often meant that others saw him in a way that he wasn’t exactly happy with.
He had also realized that the best way for him to get past all that was to be himself.
“How’s Lizzie?” he asked, because she was the one commonality between them.
Conrad shifted and sat a little straighter. “She’s good. At home with my mom at the moment.” He was slim with sleek muscles and not much definition, but still as handsome as ever. “Mom messaged to tell me that she was singing this song over and over about a platypus.”
“Yeah. We had music today, and we learned a song about Gus the Duckbilled Platypus. It’s a cute song, and I like the kids to learn about animals that you don’t usually hear about. So if it becomes an earworm, I’m sorry.”
Conrad chuckled. “Nope. Don’t be sorry. It’s Mom who has to live with it.
Tonight is my one evening a week that she watches her so I get a night off.
The rest of the week, I get Lizzie as soon as I get home, but Mondays are the one day where she will feed her dinner and get her ready for bed.
That way I can do something for myself. I like to come here, unwind, and eventually eat a dinner that isn’t kid food.
But usually I find a place for beer and just take it easy.
I have to be back by nine, though, because I need to say good night to Lizzie before she goes to sleep. ”
Forrest understood. “So she lost her mother a little while ago,” he prompted.
“My sister. Yeah. Lizzie’s father isn’t in the picture.
He took off before Lizzie was born and hasn’t ever made a reappearance.
Unfortunately I can’t find him to get him to sign away his parental rights, but I have permanent custody of her, and that’s enough.
Lizzie was very clear about what she wanted.
Thank goodness.” They both grew quiet as the door opened and another guy joined them.
Forrest figured he had been in the sauna long enough, so he left and sat on the bench outside for a few minutes to cool off. Then he hit the steam room.
He inhaled the moist air as his body sweated to beat the band. He drank from his water bottle and let the steam pull the toxins out of his body. Forrest lifted his gaze as Conrad joined him, sitting on the bench at the far end.
“I’m sorry about your sister,” Forrest said softly.
“Yeah. Me too. Lizzie still asks about her, and I just say she’s an angel watching over her because I don’t know what else to tell her. I mean, she’s gone and she isn’t coming back.”
Forrest nodded. “I never had brothers or sisters. But I can try to imagine what it must be like.” He still had both his parents.
They lived in Mt. Holly Springs, about ten minutes south of town.
Forrest stretched, and out of the corner of his eyes saw Conrad watching him without appearing to watch him.
That told him something about Conrad, not that Forrest minded at all.
“My mother wasn’t able to have more children after me. ”
“After me, since I was so perfect, Mom and Dad decided not to press their luck.” Conrad smirked and then laughed a little nervously. “Can I ask why you became a teacher?”
“Because I’m huge and look like Mr. Clean?
” Forrest asked, and Conrad paled. “It’s all right.
I know I’m not what people think of when you mention ‘kindergarten teacher.’ It was hell getting the job, I can tell you that.
But the truth is that I found I had a knack for it.
And kids, they don’t care what you look like.
They instinctively know if you’re a good person or not.
So what I look like isn’t so important to them.
That’s part of why I love teaching the kids that I do, but it’s more than that.
” He leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees.
“I found that I was good at it, and I can tell when a kid is understanding what I’m saying or when it’s not sinking in.
They show it in subtle ways sometimes. And there is nothing more satisfying or amazing than when they just understand it.
They smile and they get all excited because it’s new and fun. ”
Conrad nodded as he stared at the door. “I know that feeling. During the summer, I took Lizzie to the pool and taught her how to swim. I used to be a lifeguard when I was in college, and I really want her to enjoy the water. So I brought her to the pool her once a week all summer long, and she struggled for weeks. At first she didn’t want to put her face in the water, and then she just didn’t want to take her feet off the bottom.
I helped her and stuck with it, and then all of a sudden, she took off as I was teaching her and that was it.
Everything clicked and she was swimming.
I will never forget that look on her face or that feeling. ”
“Now imagine having that almost every single day. At this age, those revelation happen all the time. These kids are soaking things in like a sponge. Do you know what I’d love to do more than anything?
Teach the class and just switch to French all the time.
Within a month, these kids would be speaking it right along with me.
That’s how fast they learn, especially when you make it fun.
” He was so excited he’d almost forgotten where he was.
After swallowing hard and drinking some more water, he figured it was time to get out.
Forrest left the steam room after saying good-bye to Conrad and went back to his locker, where he got his shower stuff and then headed for an empty stall.
After he pulled the curtain closed, he heard the steam room door open and close, and he couldn’t help peering out to watch Conrad pad toward his locker.
He let the curtain drop back into place as soon as Conrad was out of sight and stepped under the hot water.
His mind wandered to Conrad and the way he drew Forrest’s attention every time he saw him.
There was something about the man that pulled at him.
This needed to stop somehow. He was the parent of one of the kids in his class.
It was hard enough being a male kindergarten teacher, but being attracted to one of his kid’s parents, and another man, well, that was a recipe for trouble, and he had to make it stop.
But he wasn’t sure how to make that happen.