He took a long swig off a bottle of Jack. “The Whisky. Let me know and I’ll put you on the list.”
I smiled at him. He was trying, God bless him. “Thanks, I will. Good night, guys.”
I heard him continue to play for a long time. I took a quick shower and braided my hair. I came out to my living room and he was still playing. Cosmo playing the blues meant he was bummed about something and that worried me. I peeked outside and I could see three girls sitting around him while he continued to play the blues. He’d broken off the top of a beer bottle and was using it to play slide. It sounded cool and I wished he wasn’t playing it all at the same time. Cosmo in a funk was bad news. I needed to make sure I made it Friday night.
I booted up my laptop before heading to bed and there was a message from Danny. I felt giddy as I opened it.
Dear Ms. Martin,
Sunday is perfect. Can’t wait. Finished of Mice and Men. Feeling pretty melancholy about it. Was thinking of watching the movie. I heard the one with Gary Sinise was pretty good, but I don’t want to watch it by myself in case there are scary parts. I get nightmares easily.
Hope dance class was fun. Would love to watch you sometime. Will finish short story tonight. It’s kind of creepy so far, not sure I want you to read it. You might not think I’m safe to be around anymore. See you at 4:00 tomorrow. Hope salmon is ok for dinner?
Danny, The Old guy
p.s. We will remedy the Looney Tunes situation. Ouch.
I was so screwed.
Mr. Black,
The film you speak of is definitely worth watching. If you have a dvd player I can bring it tomorrow.
I am looking forward to reading your story. It will not taint my impression of you. I already know you are a stubborn, manipulative, sweet, and generous genius.
Get some rest. Email after the doctor.
Goodnight!
Ms. Martin
I resisted temptation to check email again before going to sleep. I was very tired and needed the rest. I had a feeling he would be a handful tomorrow night.
Chapter Six
School flew by Wednesday. I had students all day to keep me occupied, even during my lunch. Danny’s morning email had another stupid smile plastered to my face.
Ms. Martin,
Your impression of me has left me speechless. Bring the movie.
Danny
I pulled into the driveway at 4:30. My phone was dead, so I couldn’t call him to tell him I was running late. The battery had been dying too often lately. Guess it was time to join the smartphone revolution. I walked hurriedly up the steps and Danny flung the door open.
“Hey, I’m sorry I-”
He pulled me into a crushing hug.
“Danny. Can’t breathe here.”
He stepped back, a worried look on his face. He tapped his watch.
“I’m sorry. My phone died and I was stuck in traffic. I promise, I’m going to get a new phone after my next paycheck so this won’t happen again.”
He frowned at me and took my hand to lead me to his office. He opened a drawer of his desk and took out an iPhone and a charger. I started to protest and he pushed them into my hands.
“Please, Jesse?”
One look in his troubled brown eyes had me weak in the knees and unable to refuse him anything. “Ok. But only to call you. I’m still getting a new phone.”
He put his hands on his hips, obviously not pleased.
“You didn’t email me to tell me how the doctor went. And how was the studio?”
He gave me a half smile and took my hand again, leading me out to the bar. He had all of his stuff set out for me to look at. On top was a handwritten note.
Doc said no more whispering. Too much swelling still. Worried about scar tissue. Have to type or write only for two weeks.
I touched his chest. “Oh, Danny. I’m so sorry. But we’ll work around it. I promise I won’t make you talk, ok?”
He nodded. He pointed to the next part.
Studio went ok. We have about five songs written for our next album. Guys have been laying tracks. I played some today. Doesn’t feel good when I can’t sing.
“I know. It’s like sitting on the sidelines while everyone else gets to be in the big game.” He nodded. Then he pointed at the note again. “Sorry,” I said. He just gave a weak smile.
I’m not happy with my short story yet. Can I send it to you tomorrow? Tonight I just want to take History tests and if you are up to it, can we discuss the essay and then watch the movie? I have a theater with real movie popcorn.
“Of course,” I laughed. “That all sounds good. You are working so hard, Danny. It’s ok to slow down a little. You don’t have to finish next week you know.”
He shook his head. He pulled out his phone and typed out a quick text.
More reasons to be done sooner now.
I read it twice and then looked up at him. His brown eyes were trained on me and I was pretty sure I knew what he was trying to say.
“Ok, but I don’t want you to rush. We want quality, right? We have plenty of time to do this right.” I hoped my double meaning was coming through and by his answering smile, I guessed it had.
He sat down and I unlocked his tests for him. In two hours he had taken all of the unit tests and the final for semester one and passed them all with over 90%.
“Congratulations, Mr. Black! You have conquered American History post-Civil War to the Depression. Perfect match for the movie we’re going to watch. But first-”
“Hey you two! How about some dinner?” Nora was smiling brightly at us from the kitchen.
Danny smiled at me and we walked together to the kitchen. Nora served us salmon and rice with steamed vegetables. As always, it was perfection, and I told her so.
“Why thank you, sugar. I love to cook and you need to eat more so it’s all good.”
My smile fell a little. I really didn’t need to eat this much and if I wasn’t careful I’d have to add a new wardrobe to my growing list of necessary purchases.
“Danny, can I tell Nora how much you’ve accomplished?” He nodded, giving Nora that goofy smile. “Danny has finished 15 credits of Social Studies, three credits of Creative Writing and he’s already read two novels for English One. He’s gotten A’s on all of his work, too.”
Nora came around the bar and gave him a big hug, kissing him loudly on the cheek. He blushed when he smiled at her and again, I couldn’t see the man who entertained thousands on stage. I only saw a young man looking for approval. It made me wonder about his parents. I’d save that discussion for another night. He seemed to have enough on his plate.
After dinner we briefly discussed the essay. “The purpose of the essay is to see how well you can pull a theme from the reading and discover the development of that theme throughout the novel. What would you say the theme of Fahrenheit is?”
He thought for a moment and started writing, “Fear of knowledge? Fear of what we don’t understand?”
I nodded. “Those are both really good. Now you just need to come up with three examples to support that and find supporting quotes.”
He nodded and wrote, “I remember now. I can do this.”
I looked up at him. “Yes, you can. You can do anything.”
My comment startled him and he got a bashful smile across his face that was soon replaced by that hungry look again. I had to stop reacting to him, provoking him. I reached into my bag and pulled out the DVD we had planned to watch. He smiled knowingly at me and took it from me with one hand and took my hand with his other one. He led me down the hallway past the library and opened a door to a small home theater complete with leather seats that reclined and could be converted to loveseats. There was a mini snack bar in the back and he gestured to the popcorn machine.
“You can’t have any though, can you?”
He shook his head and pointed to it again.
“No, thank you. I will have some Junior Mints.”
He handed me a box and I th
anked him. Nora came in and handed him a bowl of Jell-O.
“Don’t you even think about eating popcorn with your movie, Danny! Jesse, he tell you he’s in trouble for whispering too much?”
I nodded. “He did, so I’m keeping him quiet with a movie. Would you like to join us? It’s Of Mice and Men.”
She looked excited. “Don’t mind if I do! I loved that book in school. I’ll just grab us some drinks. What can I bring you, sugar?”
I told her water would be fine and she left us alone.
Danny nudged me and gave me a knowing glance with one eyebrow raised.
“What? I thought she might want to join us,” I said a little too innocently.
He pulled out his phone and typed, “or maybe you thought we needed a chaperone.”
I laughed and took his phone from him. “I didn’t think of that, but it’s a great idea.”
He smirked and typed back. “You’re probably right. I don’t think I could have kept my hands to myself if we were alone. I’m sorry, Jesse. I’m trying to behave.”
I read what he wrote and I looked up at him for a long time before I answered. His expression showed uncertainty, like maybe he wasn’t sure how I felt. I put on a very straight face and took the phone from him. He looked surprised and his lips quirked into an incredibly sexy grin. I typed back, “I am, too. Maybe that’s why I asked her to come.”
He looked up sharply, questions in his eyes. I thought I was an open book, like he could tell exactly how I was feeling, but maybe not. When Nora came back in the room, we all sat in a row with Danny in between us. He started the movie and we all got comfortable.
Danny paid complete attention to the movie and kept his hands to himself with the exception of wrapping his arm around the back of the seat and absently playing with a lock of my hair. When the movie was over we all needed tissue.
“Damn that movie gets me every time,” I confessed. Nora just gulped.
“I can’t believe he did it! How could he?”
“That actually brings me to your assignment for this novel, Danny. You will pretend you are a lawyer defending George’s actions. Create a defense for him using examples from the book, including page numbers. You will write your opening statement to the jury. Obviously I won’t make you read it out loud.”
He smirked and nodded. He grabbed for his phone. “Any particular length?”
“Nope. Just as long as you need it to be to get your point across. I better go. It’s a school night you know.”
The three of us walked out of the theater. Nora continued on to the kitchen and I turned to Danny.
“You know, I never thought to ask. Does she live here with you?”
He typed out on his phone, “She has a cottage on the other side of the garage.
“That’s cool. Lucky you,” I said as I gathered up my things from the bar and turned to face him. “You’ve got enough stuff to do until Friday?”
He nodded and typed out, “I have Janey tomorrow night and then I will take her to school Friday. It’s supposed to be my weekend, but Brooke planned a trip for them. I’ll have her the following weekend.”
“I’m glad. Do you want to take that time off to be with her?”
He shook his head and typed, “she’ll be a good chaperone too.”
I felt myself blushing. Crap.
“Hey, Friday night I need to leave at a decent time because I need to go see Cosmo’s band play at the Whisky.” He frowned at me and crossed his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes. “He came by after you left last night and it seems that he was a little sweeter on me than I thought. I let him down easy, but I feel bad not supporting him. He’s really been my only friend for years that I could depend on for anything.”
Danny’s shoulders sagged a little and he started typing. “I get it. I’m sorry you’ve been so on your own. No problem. The guys want to hang out anyway. They said I’ve been too much of a homebody and want me to get out.”
I laughed at his pout. “There’s nothing wrong with being a homebody, especially in this place.”
Danny walked me to the door. I turned to him when we reached it.
“Thanks for tonight. I had fun. And keep up the good work. I’ll see you around 4:00 on Friday.”
He pointed to my bag where he’d been sure I put the new phone after he charged it. He started typing, “My number is programmed into it already. Please call me if you need anything.”
This felt weird. Kind of a role reversal.
“Danny, I really can take care of myself. I do appreciate help, but it feels a little weird to be getting help from a student. I’m not used to it.”
He smiled and typed, “I know you can take care of yourself, but you don’t have to do it all alone. That’s all. Everybody needs somebody sometimes.”
I laughed. “Oh, now we’re quoting song lyrics?”
He shrugged and typed, “If it fits?”
I shook my head and reached for the door, but he beat me to it. I turned to face him and his other arm came around my back, pulling me in for a hug. He smelled amazing up close. I loved the way his powerful arms supported me. I felt him inhale and figured he was enjoying some olfactory sensations, too.
“Good night, Jesse,” he whispered close to my ear. He pulled back to look in my eyes.
“Good night, Danny. See you Friday.”
He let go and I walked out the door confident he was watching me leave as I hadn’t heard the door close.
Chapter Seven
Thursday went by quickly. Seniors were bringing in the last of their work since I had to turn in their grades the following week. Danny emailed me several times with questions about his two essays and told me he’d already started To Kill a Mockingbird. My favorite email said:
I should finish To Kill a Mockingbird by this weekend. Bring it over so we can watch it. I’ll have a chaperone lined up in case Nora isn’t available.
I really would like to see you dance sometime. Where is your studio? I have absolutely no dancing ability whatsoever. Maybe after this whole diploma thing is over I could come take dance classes from you. Do you have an old man’s class? Any excuse to still see you.
I debated whether I wanted him to know where the studio was. I had to decide how involved in my life I wanted to let him be. If he weren’t my student¸ I’m not sure I’d hold anything back... And I probably would end up with a broken heart. Perhaps the way things were developing was better. We were forced to get to know each other before anything physical could happen. Of course, by the time he got his diploma he’d be back to his rock star life and I would be just another woman passing through. Why couldn’t this job have been with a fifty-year-old rich guy with no sex appeal whatsoever?
My studio does not have a class for old men at this time. I’ll keep you posted if anything opens up. In the meantime, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m waiting for your short story.
I didn’t hear back from him by the time I had to leave for the studio. I was having way too much fun driving the Range Rover. Dealing with traffic was no trouble when I could see over most of the cars and I had air conditioning!
Classes that night were hoppin'! The studio was putting on a show in the middle of July and the students were perfecting their routines. I loved watching my choreography come together. I worked out with the teen class on a difficult routine and was keeping up pretty well with them until my knees started to complain. I sat down and watched for the rest of the night. When I got home, I iced them and made sure to take my anti-inflammatories before bed. I booted up the computer to check to see if Danny had sent me his story.
Ms. Martin,
I hope you are well this evening. I decided to go ahead and send my story even though I’m still not sure it’s perfect yet. I told Janey what it was about and she wrinkled her nose at me. We had a good night. We watched Diary of a Wimpy kid part two and it was almost enough to keep my attention from wandering to thoughts of you. I can’t help it.
I told Janey that you would b
e here during her weekend and she said that was fine as long as we can see her horse, go swimming and watch another movie in the theater. Is there a way we can turn those experiences into schoolwork? Or at least, will you consider accompanying us? Let me know if I’m out of line thinking about this stuff. Again, I can’t help it.
I hope you sleep well. I hope tomorrow goes by quickly.
Danny
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Whoa. I was thrilled that he was thinking about me and at the same time I was skeptical, like a good teacher should be.
I decided I would read his story before I answered his email. I opened the document and got to reading. An hour later I was finishing it for the second time. It was dark and disturbing, yes, but it also spoke to his deepest fears. It was a story set in a future where everyone is blind. A man is punished for the crime of speaking out against the government by having his voice box removed. He couldn’t communicate at all and couldn’t tell anyone he loved them anymore. His daughter ran away from him and when the police caught her and brought her back, he couldn’t tell them she was his. He lost her forever. It was more like a nightmare and a little close to home for him. I know he was deathly afraid of losing his ability to sing and I thought that might have driven it, too. But his characters were well written. There was suspense... It was an all-around great story. He was so talented in so many ways.
I responded to his email.
Danny,
I knew you were a talented singer and songwriter, but you’ve got an equally wonderful voice as a writer. Thank you for taking this assignment to heart.
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