LeilaThere was a silence in the room. A good silence. They were hanging on every word. I had learned to speak their language in a way that they could understand and relate to. It helped make the stories come alive so the students were able to relate to the trials and tribulations of the poor misunderstood gods.“He killed her?” someone offered.I looked at Christopher and smiled. “Dear Heph, did you kill me?” I asked in a high-pitched voice.He slowly shook his head. “Death would have been a kindness.”I raised an eyebrow. “You think so?”“Yes.”“Is this the scarlet letter story?” one of the guys asked.I groaned. “No, wrong century.”I heard Christopher mutter something under his breath. I looked at him and had to fight not to laugh.“Hephaestus wasn’t interested in killing his wife or the man she’d lain with,” I started. “He wanted to embarrass her. Humiliate her. He probably thought no one would believe him. He needed proof. How would he get proof?”“We’re assuming they didn’t hav
ChristopherI arrived to class about ten minutes early, confident I had finally gotten the routine down. I saw Leila, Professor Bell, sitting at her desk. I smiled, looking forward to another interesting class. I figured I would make a little small talk with the class relatively empty.I stepped inside, walking towards her desk. “Good morning,” I greeted.“Hi,” she said with a bright smile. “You’re early.”“I am. I think I have the route down.”“Good. How was your drive?”“Easy. The traffic isn’t too bad.”“Where do you drive in from?” she asked.“Lake Conroe,” I told her.Her expression changed. “That’s a very nice area to live.”I was about to answer her when my phone started to ring. “Sorry,” I mumbled and rushed into the hall to silence my phone. Then I saw the number. “Shit,” I muttered, a feeling of dread filling me as I answered the damn call.“Mr. Evans, this is Mr. Hollister at the high school, we need to talk.”I inwardly groaned. The words I hoped I would never have to hear
ChristopherI nodded. “You could say that. She was killed in a car accident on her way to pick him up from basketball practice. He feels guilty. He’s been assured over and over it wasn’t his fault. It was a difficult time.”The man looked truly saddened. “I see.”“Olin isn’t a bad kid. I’m not a great father. I’m struggling a bit and I think Olin is suffering the consequences of my inadequate parenting. My wife did the parenting, which is no excuse, but we’re trying to start over. Coming here was supposed to be a fresh start for him.”“I understand. You’re doing the best you can, and I can see he’s a good boy.”“So, what happened?”He smiled. “I honestly don’t know. I guess you can say that’s a good thing. The boys have adopted a code of silence. Neither will tell me who started the fight. They won’t tell me what it was about. I’ve sent the other kid home for the day and I am going to do the same for Olin. This is their one free pass. I know boys can get heated. I do not condone viole
LeilaIt was another successful class and the end of a great week. I had one more class for the day and then I was free for the weekend. I was enjoying the students in the class. At least half of them seem interested in the material. That was always my goal—half.“Does anybody have any questions?” I asked the class.There was a lot of head shaking followed by murmurs of nos.“Have a great weekend and please read the material. It makes class better for all of us.”Everyone seemed to rise at once, suddenly in a hurry to get out of the room as if they were afraid I would give them a horrible homework assignment. What they failed to realize was the fact I wasn’t exactly keen on the extra work it took to grade heavy assignments. I was not a glutton for punishment.Christopher was in his usual front seat and gathering his things. I had tried hard not to focus my lecture on him alone, but it was hard not to. He always looked so involved. It felt like only me and him in the room and he was gi
Leila“Exactly like a used car salesman,” he said with a small laugh. “What about you? Why Greek mythology? That seems like a very specific course of study.”I shrugged. “I suppose it is. I can’t say specifically what brought me to the Greeks, but I was also interested in the idea. I read some Shakespeare and his stories intrigued me. I loved the idea of this world of gods and goddesses doing things that normal people do.”He smiled, nodding his head. “Do you like fantasy?”“Like dragons and Lord of the Rings stuff? No. I don’t think of the Greek gods as fantasy. I think of them as history.”He looked surprised. “So, you believe in it all?”I shrugged. “I don’t know that I don’t believe in it. I think you have to wonder where the stories came from. Every myth stems from something. What sparked the stories? And it is so elaborate. It would have taken a mastermind to just make up this whole world of people and give them each a story.”He looked thoughtful. “Isn’t that what fiction is ma
ChristopherI woke up feeling refreshed, like I had a second shot at making things right with Olin. In reality, it was more like a tenth or twentieth shot. It didn’t matter. I was going to try again. Fishing had to be the key. When he was younger, he had enjoyed fishing. Maybe there was a chance he still did. I hoped so.I felt desperate. I was starved for his attention and acceptance. I had a good idea of what it felt like to be a child starving for attention from his parents. I was almost willing to buy him a car just to get him to like me a little bit. I knew I couldn’t. He’d only like me for five minutes and he sure as hell wouldn’t respect me. I had to stay strong. I couldn’t let him win in this battle for what I perceived to be his future.Everything I said and did in these crucial developmental years mattered. I wanted him to be a good man one day. He needed guidance from a father, not advice from a pal. I hated having to be the bad guy. I hated having to tell him to get his sh
Christopher“Done?” I asked Olin“Fishing. This was supposed to be us bonding, right? We bonded. I’d like to go home and eat.”“Olin, we’ve been out here for thirty minutes and haven’t even gotten a bite.”He groaned. “This is stupid.”“Olin, listen, we need to talk. I know things haven’t been great between us. I know that, and I take full responsibility for it, but it’s time to make a change. We’re all we have in this world. Wouldn’t you rather have me to depend on then no one at all?”He scoffed. “You make it sound like we’re the last two people on earth.”“We are in some ways. You lost your mother. I can’t imagine what that must be like for a teenage boy, but I also need you to understand that I lost my wife. My best friend.”“Dave was your best friend,” he retorted.I could tell he was trying to be tough, but I could hear the pain in his voice. “Dave was my best guy friend, but your mom was my partner in all things. She was my other half.”“You guys hardly talked. You were always
LeilaI hung the picture I had picked up at the store the day before and took a step back to make sure it was even. I felt like I was constantly changing the house. It was never quite good enough. I’d get it all put together and then I was ready for a change. Truthfully, I felt a little unsettled, like I was still looking for the right fit.I hadn’t found it yet.I heard a knock on the door and assumed it would be Kami. I didn’t have a lot of company just dropping by for a visit on a Sunday afternoon.She took one look at the hammer in my hand and shook her head. “I’m afraid to ask.”“Just a new picture,” I assured her.“Mom’s cooking a big dinner tonight and asked me to invite you,” she said, flopping into one of my chairs.“Hell yeah. I could use some good home cooking.”“She’s always cooking, and her door is always open, you know that,” she said.I sighed. “I know, but I don’t want to appear like a stray dog, scratching on the door for some scraps.”She laughed. “My mom would happi