Chapter 9 #2
It pained me a little that she had chosen Maplecrest of all places instead of finally getting out of that godforsaken hole of a town.
But would I ever be able to let her go? I knew I would have to someday, but time had passed too quickly, and I regretted every hour I had chosen to work at the law firm in D.C.
instead of watching her pass milestone over milestone.
Ten years ago, I had made the best decision of my life and followed Joseph back to Maplecrest to work as a professor and spend more hours with her.
“Don't remind me how fast time flies by,” I sighed, thinking of Lara's smile and all the moments I had barely managed to catch up on over the past ten years. “I'm glad she hasn't moved out and run away from her father yet.”
Monica laughed. “She's attached to you. You're one of the best fathers I've ever known, even though your life has been so rocky.”
I raised both eyebrows.
“Do you think Lara sees it that way?”
“You're a role model for her, Davian,” Monica reminded me with a critical sideways glance. She didn't like it when I allowed self-doubt to creep in. “Look at the woman she's grown into.”
Thanks to Monica's help. I was sure that if it hadn't been for her, Lara would have ended up like that unfortunate girl she had befriended. Unsupervised and on her own. She might not have graduated from high school either, and who knows what that would have done to her...
I would never have forgiven myself. Would have done anything for my little girl.
Giving up writing for her weighed heavily on me, but all good things came at a price. Life demanded balance. One couldn't have it all.
“At least I didn't repeat my parents' mistake.”
Monica was silent, took a big gulp then a deep breath, and I knew I was good at broaching complicated topics, especially in her presence. She was an attentive listener, made me more transparent than I should have been, was almost as good at it as... Quill.
Before my thoughts could wander and that yearning could take hold of me again, I took another sip and decided to change the subject.
I was aware of how little time Monica had since joining the university's ethics committee and, like me, taking on two professorships.
“You never run into me by coincidence.” I inspected her closely from the side. She was wearing her usual garnet-red lipstick. “Spit it out, Monica. How can I help you?”
She took another deep breath, but it sounded less heavy than frustrated.
“Anthony told me an hour ago what Arnold is planning.” My alarm bells started ringing. “That's a step backward we can't afford if we want people with more than just a thirst for power to end up in the front ranks of this society. You have to stop him.”
And I had already been wondering when Tony would pull Monica onto his battleship. The two of them were an inseparable front when it came to reforming this university.
“I have no influence over Arnold. You know that.” A truth that no one but me seemed to accept.
They all thought I was their key to change, when I didn't even fit properly into Joseph's lock.
“And Joseph won't stop him this time. He's already gotten himself worked up and wants me to throw Troy out of the race for him.”
I still couldn't believe I had agreed to this request. Then again, what harm could it do? Troy deserved a good kick in the pants. And if I could help a decent student with potential learn to defend himself verbally and legally against the snakes of this society, all the better.
“God,” Monica snorted, as if she were about to throw her serious persona overboard, which I couldn't blame her for, as the only female professor in the law faculty. “This university lacks a quota for women. Not just among the professors.”
“You know you have my support on this issue.”
The fact that almost only men taught here and that women only taught in the political and journalism departments was due to faculty directors like Arnold, who stubbornly refused to hire women.
Joseph had put in a good word for Monica, unaware at the time that it would cause problems with his mentor.
Monica was determined to completely overhaul the teaching methods here.
“And I also know that you advise me to wait until Arnold retires and Joseph takes over this place,” she continued with a strained expression, stopping and turning to me.
“Are you aware of how old I am, Davian?” She lowered her voice, obviously trying to calm herself down, but she didn’t have to hide her frustration from me.
“I've been fighting this battle for ten years now.”
A group of students passed us, probably from the political science department, since the law students were all attending a mandatory lecture at the moment and students from the other two departments rarely strayed into this small park on their way to the debate building.
“And you should let time take its course.” Something I often said to her to appease her, and I felt miserable every time I did. “I’d hate to see the Fitzeks kick you and Anthony out of here and this university go completely down the drain.”
Monica looked at me thoughtfully, wanting to say something, but her cell phone rang. She pulled it out and held it up, waving it.
“I have another meeting with two fifth-semester students. See you later?”
I nodded and we said goodbye before our ways parted.
Living A Lie
Carlos Rafael Rivera
Since my first lecture for the semester wasn't starting for another two hours and there weren't any papers piling up on my desk that needed grading, I tried to enjoy the last rays of summer sun on my face.
But my mind was already burning.
The semester had barely begun and my colleagues were already jumping on me, ready to use this campus as a battlefield for their political interests.
Why couldn't I just join one of these sides? Why did I always end up in the middle when trying to live my life in peace and quiet?
The conservatives among us perhaps ruled this place, but the liberal professors weren't satisfied with Arnold's dusty rules and were pushing for change. And when nothing else worked, Davian came into play.
How did I end up caught between the two fronts?
Joseph had taken pity on me, financed a scholarship for me at Maplecrest almost twenty years ago, and then trained me as a lawyer in D.C.
We had defended cases together in court that had earned us a lot of money.
Then, out of the blue, he had had to give up his job for reasons he still wouldn't talk to me about.
Something private he had struggled with, and ultimately that struggle had cost him his license to practice law.
We had both ended up here at Maplecrest, and I had hoped my life would become calmer.
A delusion.
My life would never be calmer unless I chose a side at some point, unless I made another sacrifice.
But how many more sacrifices would I have to make before I finally found inner peace? Or would I break down first, because something like inner peace was just another hopeless fantasy?
Authors bleed ink.
It’s the first language they speak fluently.
– Leaking Batteries Diary