A Fighting Chance

by T. L. Hayes

  Did I say that? I just meant, have fun and don’t overthink it. Now, go to sleep!

  Yes, sir!

  You’re not hairy enough to call me that.

  Giggling, Lou put her phone back on the nightstand. “I don’t think I want to know.”

  Despite Bill’s admonition to sleep, she had no intention of doing so. She also couldn’t read any longer. Bill knew her well enough to know that overthinking was exactly what she was going to lie there and do, but she couldn’t help herself. In spite of the good feelings coursing through her just from texting Steve, her old doubts about dating someone in the military came back to her. It didn’t matter that Steve was retired. She had still been in for about ten years, and that much time in could change a person. She knew Steve had seen combat, though it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, and Lou understood that. But it still gave her pause.

  She closed her book and put it next to her glass, then took off her glasses and put them on top of the book. Finally she turned off the lamp and settled into the covers. She still didn’t sleep but she was in a more comfortable position to overthink things.

  Chapter Six

  “I feel like a rejected Jackson Pollock painting,” Lou said with laughter, as she surveyed her clothing and felt her face after their paintball match.

  “Why rejected?” Steve asked.

  “I don’t know about you, but Day-Glo orange and yellow spotted sweats are not something I’d want hanging on my wall.” Lou was pulling off pads as she spoke.

  “I don’t know, I think you look cute.” Steve smiled at her and brushed a strand of hair off Lou’s face before she kissed her softly.

  Lou smiled back. “You have weird taste.”

  “Not going to argue with that.”

  “Not even a little?” Lou’s smile turned into a grin and it made Steve laugh.

  Steve’s laughter died down and she caressed the side of Lou’s throat and looked at her with concern. “Does it hurt still?”

  “Some. Bloody cheap shot.” Lou tried to laugh off the pain as she self-consciously rubbed the spot where Steve’s hand was. A stray shot from the opposing team had found its way under her gear and hit her on the side of her throat, bringing her to her knees and marking the end of the game for her. Steve had stood in front of her and taken out the shooter while Lou had left the field with her gun raised.

  “I never expected the stream of curses that came out of your mouth, though.” Steve laughed. “Were some of those Shakespearean insults?”

  “Monty Python.”

  “You are a nerd, aren’t you?”

  “Geek.”

  “You bite the heads off chickens?” Steve asked, amused.

  “Oh, shut up.” Lou put her arms around Steve’s neck and kissed her.

  “All in all, though, you did very well for someone who doesn’t shoot guns for a living.”

  Lou pulled away and distracted herself with taking off the rest of her gear. “My father taught me.”

  Steve began to remove her gear as well. “He was into guns?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Oh, that’s right, you told me he was in the service.”

  “Yep.”

  “So he taught you about guns?”

  “And knives and bows and arrows and fighting. He taught me to protect myself.” Lou pushed the serious mood she felt coming on aside and forced a smile. “But he didn’t teach me how to dodge a bullet, apparently.”

  Steve grinned again. “Are you talking about me?”

  “Only time will tell, soldier, time will tell.”

  * * *

  After Steve dropped Lou off at home, she was left feeling almost as if she had inflicted the wound on Lou’s neck herself. What had she been thinking, playing paintball on a date? She had had fun right up until the moment she saw Lou drop to her knees. Her first thought was to go to her, but then her soldier side kicked in and she responded accordingly. Besides, she’d had the idea that if she had gone to her side, Lou would have been more upset about that than about the Day-Glo projectile that hit her in the neck. She could already tell that Lou was a determined woman who was more than willing to fight her own battles. The only reason she didn’t fire back at her attacker was respect for the rules of the field.

  Even so, guilt aside, Steve had been impressed with Lou’s ability to just walk it off. She hated to admit it, but she had found Lou’s perseverance kind of sexy. She had always liked a woman who could hold her own in any situation. It was a quality Cairyn had lacked, though it was uncharitable to think that way. That didn’t make it any less true. Cairyn’s mother had depended on her husband for everything and had taught her daughter to expect the same. Cairyn could cook and clean and manage the house, but she found it hard to follow a budget or hold down a job. She had finally admitted to Steve one night, after she had lost yet another job, that her mother hadn’t raised her to work for a living. She was expected to marry well and live off her spouse’s income. When Cairyn had come out to her family, her mother’s major concern had been Cairyn’s financial state, and she worried Cairyn wouldn’t find anyone to take care of her.

  When they became a couple, Steve told Cairyn that that would have to change. As an enlisted soldier, she didn’t make much and wasn’t likely to unless she rose in the ranks to officer. But instead of trying to hold down a job, Cairyn pushed Steve to raise in rank instead, not realizing that would mean Steve would be away from home more.

  Steve pushed aside thoughts of Cairyn after she gave the necklace a quick, perfunctory kiss before she reached her house. Lou was different than Cairyn, much different. Lou didn’t need anyone, and Steve admired her strength.

  * * *

  “Who plays paintball on a date? That’s like a messy game of tag for grownups.” Bill sounded scandalized as Lou sat on their couch telling them about her date with Steve the night before.

  “Julia Stiles did with Heath Ledger. It looked like fun.” Dix smiled at Lou and she laughed.

  “It was fun.”

  “Don’t encourage his pop culture references—you’ll make him insufferable.”

  Dix tapped Bill on the shoulder and asked, “Why don’t we ever do fun things like that when we go out?”

  Bill turned to look at his husband. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “You mean it doesn’t appeal to your theatrical side?” Dix asked.

  “Need I remind you, I’m in costume design? All that reminds me of is dirty costumes. And those things aren’t cheap.”

  “It usually washes out,” Lou said between giggles.

  Bill rolled his eyes. “And what about the chance for injury? I can’t believe she took you someplace where you got hurt.” Bill gently rubbed his thumb over the bruise that had formed on Lou’s neck and clucked his tongue in disgust.

  Lou turned her head slightly so that he could see the bruise and tried not to wince as his thumb found the sorest spot. She turned back around and forced a smile. “It was a lucky shot! It wasn’t Steve’s fault. Plus, she slaughtered the bastard who got me. Never piss off a soldier when she’s holding a gun.”

  Dix sniggered and Bill finally smiled. “Well, at least you found your very own knight in shining armor.”

  Lou looked affronted. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor. I can take care of myself. I would have done the same for her.”

  “Oh, love, it is okay to let someone take care of you from time to time. You don’t always have to walk it off.” Bill’s eyes were full of concern now, as he took her hand.

  Lou leveled her gaze at him. “Bill, I love you dearly, but I have to tell you, you look nothing like Oprah and I am not about to break down. But I appreciate your concern.” She removed her hand from his and patted him on the cheek, then placed a small kiss where her hand had been.

  “Of course I’m not Oprah—I’m a broke college professor who can barely afford my favorite things, let alone hers. And I don’t want you to cry, love, not unless you need to.”

&
nbsp; “It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s just a bruise—I’ve had worse.” Lou shrugged.

  “So you say.”

  “I do say.” Lou quickly stood up from the couch and declared, “Weren’t we going out to Homer’s for dinner? Or did you lure me over here under false pretenses?”

  Dix stood and held out his arm, and Lou put her hand on his arm and smiled. “A gentleman never disappoints a lady.” Dix looked behind him to Bill and asked, “Are you coming?”

  Bill stood and took Dix’s other arm. “Of course, but I have to ask…how are you planning to skip down that yellow brick road when we can’t fit through the door like this?”

  Dix smiled at Bill and placed a small kiss on his lips. “Magic, my dear, magic.”

  “Well, will one of you click your heels together? I’m starving.”

  Dix did so and said, “There’s no place like Homer’s, there’s no place like Homer’s.”

  Lou laughed and Bill said, “That didn’t work. Let’s try the door this time.”

  Dix turned to Lou and said, “Some people just don’t believe in the power of magic.”

  Lou smiled. “But some of us do.”

  Chapter Seven

  The only thing Lou hated about the bruise was that she had to work the next day. By Tuesday morning, the bruise had turned a nice dark purple and there was a knot in the center of it that was still tender. Several of her students looked at her in shock, and she chuckled and said, “You should see the other guy.”

  Melissa, a small redhead in the front row, looked the most alarmed. “Did you really get into a fight, Dr. Silver?”

  Lou smiled at her. “Yes and no. I played paintball yesterday and a lucky shot found its way under my helmet. Let that be a lessen to you…never let yourself be so complacent that you think you’re not going to get hurt if you are fighting, in any type of fighting. Odds say you will get hurt, but it doesn’t have to be a blow that takes you out of the fight, not if you know how to protect yourself.” She went on from there, using the incident as a teachable moment. Learning how to fight safely was key to all combat-related activities, and that especially included stage combat. She had always taught the two main rules of stage combat: make it look real and don’t get hurt. She usually excelled at both of those things, in and out of combat situations.

  When class was over, she deflected more questions about the paintball incident, but she was touched at their concern.

  As she was leaving her classroom, Charles walked up to her with a look of concern that turned into a mild expression of shock, and he stopped in his tracks a few feet from her. “Wow, when Judy said you had a large bruise, she wasn’t kidding. Are you all right?”

  Lou smiled to reassure him and walked closer. “I’m fine. It was just a stray paint ball.”

  “Looks rather nasty. Does it hurt?”

  “Not anymore,” she lied. “It looks worse than it is.”

  “Well, I’m surprised you came into the classroom like that.”

  Lou wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard a bit of reproach in his voice, an unspoken admonishment. She shrugged it off. “What was I going to do? Stay home because of a bruise? Besides, in my line of work, bruises are common.”

  “Yes, well, there are often prospective student tours walking through the building…” He trailed off but he didn’t have to finish.

  “I will go hide in my office, Charles, lest a parent or donor sees me and wonders just what kind of school we’re running here.” She chuffed him on the shoulder with a smile and it made her think of Rachel and how much she’d treated Charles with irreverence. She had to bite back the chuckle she felt was imminent, reminding herself that he was her boss.

  Charles looked at his arm where she had playfully punched him and frowned. “Yes, well, you know what I mean.”

  “I know exactly what you mean, Charles. Is that all?”

  “What? Oh, yes. Sorry, that was all.” He stood aside and she walked past him.

  Inside, she was fighting back her anger and impatience at him. He wasn’t a bad boss for the most part, but his constant insistence on keeping up appearances was exhausting and chafed a bit. As she set her class materials on her desk, she said softly, “Maggie Parks, I totally understand you.” She sighed as she sat in her chair. Not that she was thinking of leaving, as Maggie Parks had done in the face of departmental hostility, but she could understand the impulse to do so. When she took this job, she had told herself that she was going to stop running and that it was time to settle down and put down roots. She could tolerate Charles because she understood him. She knew what motivated him. She knew that if she did her job to the best of her ability and didn’t draw attention to herself, then Charles would be happy. She had no intention of drawing attention to herself. That was the last thing she wanted.

  * * *

  Lou and Steve were sitting on what had become their sofa in Lou’s favorite café. It’d only been a couple of weeks since they had started dating and they were enjoying finding things out about each other.

  “So, I know you’re a ninja”—Lou chuckled at Steve’s words—“and a badass, but I don’t really know what you do over there.” Steve gestured vaguely behind her, out the windows. The campus was just a few blocks in that direction. “I mean, I know what you teach, but what’s your passion?” Steve grinned and raised an eyebrow.

  Lou laughed and asked, “Are you asking about my research interests?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure you want to know? I mean, it can be really dull if it’s not your thing.”

  “How bad could it be?”

  “Let me put it this way—one of my old college friends is a bio professor in Pennsylvania. She recently told me her research has something to do with lizards and spatial memory. I didn’t understand the half of it.” Lou laughed.

  “Well, considering what you teach, I’m sure it’s way more interesting and doesn’t involve lizards. So, what are you researching?”

  With a straight face, Lou said, “Medieval lizard knights and their epic battles.” She held the face for a few seconds, long enough for Steve to realize she was joking, then she burst out laughing.

  “For a second I was picturing it.”

  “You know, it would be cool, wouldn’t it?”

  “Totally. Little lizard swords…”

  “I can just see a gecko riding on the back of a Komodo dragon for the jousting bits.” They broke up in laughter.

  Steve picked up her stirring stick and held it out like a sword. “I’m here to avenge my father, prepare to meet your doom!”

  In response, Lou picked up her stirrer as well, and said, “Your father smelled like goats anyway, no great loss.”

  They laughed together as they broke out into a mock duel. They didn’t care that other diners were looking their way. They were having too much fun. The duel ended when Steve’s stick broke and she looked at it in despair.

  Lou raised her fist triumphantly and declared, “Yes! Victory is mine! Better luck next time, soldier.” Then she smiled and planted a small kiss on Steve’s lips.

  “If that’s your spoils of war I’ll lose to you any day.”

  “We’re not at war, Sergeant, but I’ll let you know if that changes.” Lou smiled coyly at her over her coffee cup.

  “Good. I like to keep informed of these things.” Steve lightly poked Lou on the knee with her broken stick. “So besides fighting lizards, what else are you studying?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “Yeah.”

  Lou took a deep breath and then said, “My current research project is a book entitled Playing Chess with Fortuna: Sir Gawain and the Loyal Knight Errant on Stage.” Lou shrugged and looked somewhat sheepish. “Because academic titles are nothing without a colon.”

  “Don’t downplay it—it sounds kinda fascinating.”

  “You don’t have to say that. I’ll still date you.” Lou grinned.

  “No, I mean it. I’m impressed and intrigued. What�
�s your ultimate goal with this research?”

  With a wry expression, Lou replied, “Tenure.”

  Steve laughed appreciatively. “Knight errant, huh? So you’re a romantic?”

  “I don’t know that I’d say that, but I do believe in chivalry. And you do too.”

  Steve blushed. “I believe in manners. My mother taught me well.”

  “No, it’s more than that. And I’m not complaining.” Lou touched Steve’s face tenderly and gave her a smile. They were sharing this sweet moment when the door to the café opened, which Lou ignored.

  Then a disgusted sounding female voice called out, “Ugh, I can’t believe my teacher is looking all gooey-eyed like that. Never thought I’d see the day.”

  Steve looked like she was about to defend Lou, but her dark look turned to surprise when Lou laughed and said, “I’m not your teacher anymore, Rachel. Hello, Bobby.”

  “You will always be my teacher, Sifu.” Rachel stood off to the side of the sofa Lou and Steve sat on, Bobby at her side, and bowed.

  Lou inclined her head in kind, then stood and hugged them both, then introduced them to Steve. The newcomers pulled up chairs. “How’d you know I was here, and why didn’t you tell me you were coming today? I thought it was next week for Thanksgiving?”

  “Please, stalking you wouldn’t be hard. You go like three places: campus, the ninja gym thingy, and here. It wasn’t even an educated guess, really.”

  Lou smiled. “I go other places. And to my second question?”

  Rachel sighed. “It was going to be next week, but at the last minute, my parents changed it to this week so they can go on some cruise. The only upside is now we won’t have to do two Thanksgivings in one day.”

  Bobby grinned and rubbed his stomach. “Just as long as I still get two Thanksgivings, doesn’t bother me.”

  Rachel smacked his knee playfully, and rolled her eyes for Lou’s and Steve’s benefits. “Walking tapeworm, I swear.”

  Bobby began rubbing the spot she had smacked and said, “That was my bad leg, you know?” But he could barely suppress his grin.