16. Art Appreciation #2
He says to Charley, “Is it okay if I turn off the light? So we can see the details of the painting better?”
“Yes,” Charley says. “Of course.”
Of course, Mav thinks. He flips the switch off and would like to close the door to block the light flooding in from the hall, but he remembers the rule about not being alone with a student in a room with the door closed. He makes eye contact with Olivia H-T.
“Sure you don’t want to join us?” Mav asks her. At this point, he’s willing to bribe her—twenty bucks? An extra call to the admissions officer at UMiami on Olivia’s behalf?
“I’m sure,” Olivia says.
At that second, Taylor Wilson comes barreling around the corner. She’s out of breath. “Is this the art class?” she asks.
“It is!” Mav exclaims with a dizzying relief. “Welcome!” He ushers Taylor inside and closes the door.
Audre receives a text from Coop: Would you have any interest in joining me for a holiday concert by the Harvard Krokodiloes at Edith Wharton’s estate, the Mount, on Wednesday, December 16? I was a bit presumptuous and bought two tickets.
Audre drops her phone onto her desk blotter and thinks: It’s happened. He’s officially asking her out on a date.
Until that moment, she could have claimed circumstance.
So he walked her home from the Sink one night, who cares?
So he walked her home from the Halloween dance, and they kissed outside her front door like a couple of horny teenagers, an event she wrote off the next day as “not real” because they were both in costumes.
So they both grin now when they see each other, and Coop touches her casually when they sit together in the Paddock.
All of this Audre has been able to justify.
But to leave campus with Coop to see a holiday concert at the Mount (a place Audre has been meaning to visit for years)?
That can only be construed one way. It’s a date between a teacher and the Head of School.
Audre responds: I’d love to!
Will this be her undoing? she wonders. She doesn’t care! If Audre says no, Coop might ask someone else, someone like Cordelia. Besides, the concert is more than a month away; she has plenty of time to change her mind.
Coop writes: It’s a date, then.
Putting a point on it.
Before Audre can second-guess her decision or run it past Cordelia (should she run it past Cordelia or keep it completely secret?), there’s a knock on her office door.
“Come in!” Audre calls out.
It’s Coach Bosworth. This is a surprise.
“Hey there, Pete. Is everything okay?” This might be the first time in her seven-year tenure that Coach has come to her office, and for this, Audre supposes she should be glad.
Pete Bosworth is not only the football and basketball coach, he’s Tiffin’s athletic director.
Are Tiffin athletics something to be proud of?
Not really. Losing seasons are the norm—but there have been no scandals and no issues that have required Audre’s input.
Pete’s philosophy is that sports are about a lot more than winning and losing.
He stresses the importance of exercise, teamwork, discipline, good sportsmanship, and a healthy competitive spirit.
“Do you have a second?” Pete asks. His naturally rah-rah demeanor is subdued this morning.
Uh-oh, Audre thinks, and she braces herself.
“Please,” she says. “Have a seat.”
Pete, who is wearing a shirt and tie under a green Tiffin windbreaker, sinks into the chair opposite Audre’s desk and tents his fingers.
“Northmeadow has forfeited Friday night’s game,” he says.
“Forfeited? Why?”
“Their coach, Murph, told me his boys don’t feel comfortable playing us, so they voted to take the loss.”
“Don’t feel comfortable?” Audre says. She wonders if this is due to her vendetta with Northmeadow’s Head of School, Douglas Worth (aka “Worthless”). She absolutely abhors the man, and she suspects the feeling is mutual. But would that filter down to their athletic contests?
“I assume he meant because of Dub,” Pete says. “Word has gotten out.”
Ah, Audre thinks. She has been distracted, yes, but the part of her that has been paying attention to campus life has been extremely pleased with how Dub’s announcement during his senior speech has been respected by the entire Tiffin community.
Audre never imagined Dub’s sexual preferences would matter to students at other schools.
Naturally, it would be Northmeadow that has an issue.
What else would Audre expect from a school that has a douche-waffle like Worthless as its Head?
“At least we get the win,” Audre says. “That’s good, right?”
“As you know, I don’t concern myself with wins and losses,” Coach says. “These kids are at Tiffin. They’ve already won.”
“Agreed,” Audre says.
“I hate to see Dub punished for his authenticity,” Coach says.
“He and Hakeem have had some real problems on the field since Dub came out. I’ve tried to address this with Hakeem, who respectfully reminds me his friendship with Dub is none of my business.
” Pete clears his throat. “What is my business is finding a good Div three college that needs a quarterback. Last spring, I had five or six schools clamoring for Dub with full financial aid. This fall suddenly, nearly every school has backed off…”
“You think that’s because Dub is gay?” Audre feels a wave of indignation. “It’s 2026, for heaven’s sake. Who cares?”
“Openly gay collegiate football players are few and far between,” Pete says. “Quarterback is a leadership position. These schools aren’t admitting this is the reason they’re no longer interested, but I get the feeling…”
“Have you had this conversation with Dub yet?” Audre asks.
“Not yet,” Pete says. “I still have one school that’s a possibility. They have a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy in place, but Dub might be too proud to keep quiet.”
“He shouldn’t need to keep quiet!” Audre exclaims.
Coach Bosworth raises his palms. “I’m as surprised by all of this as you are. Love is love—who can disagree with that?” He pushes himself to his feet. “I just wanted to let you know Friday night’s game is canceled.”
As Pete leaves her office, Audre reminds herself that, unlike the rest of the world, Tiffin is a tolerant, supportive, nurturing place where students can live their truth.
She brings up the operating budget on her laptop—she has begun limiting herself to one peek per day—and is dismayed to see the account is down thirty thousand from the day before.
Soon she’ll receive the real estate tax bill, which is always a doozy, and all the expenses for the end of the year.
She has already said no to new holiday decorations, which breaks her heart.
Audre closes her eyes. She has to find a way to keep this ship afloat.
For the second week of Art Appreciation, Mav chooses Rubens and Rembrandt.
“Both were painters from the Netherlands,” Mav tells Charley and Taylor. “Though they couldn’t be more different.”
Only when the slide of Rubens’s The Three Graces appears on the screen does Mav wonder if he should have chosen a different painting.
The girls seem unbothered by the three nude women frolicking in the countryside, and really, Mav thinks, the abundance of curvy, sensuous flesh defines Rubens, the greatest of Baroque painters.
“Rubens was known for rendering the female figure in all its splendor,” Mav says. He definitely should have chosen a landscape. “Have you ever heard the term ‘Rubenesque’ to describe someone?”
The girls shake their heads.
“Well, it’s very much a compliment,” Mav says.
“It indicates a voluptuousness…” Mav stops.
Isn’t this painting a textbook example of the male gaze?
“Some critics have postulated that Rubens intentionally sexualized his female subjects because his patrons were men.” Back when Mav’s professor was sharing this same insight in his Art of the Renaissance class, it was Carol Passmore—Charley’s father’s girlfriend!
—who had raised her hand and asked if paintings like this served the same purpose as pornography.
If Rubens were alive today, he might very well be canceled.
Suddenly, Taylor stands up, hoists her backpack over her shoulder.
“Have I offended you?” Mav asks. He clicks out of the Rubens and into Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
“No, no,” Taylor says, checking her phone. “It’s just that I agreed to tutor one of the third-form Avas in bio.”