For good or bad, Concentric Circles derives its characters and circumstances from Points of Convergence
Activities continue after the Thornton's pool party in Points of Convergence.
Concentric Circles
By Euclidean
Chapter 2: Summer School
It was like the sound of horses galloping across the plain, except for the squeaking and the intermittent whistle. Earl and the other coaches could not get enough of it. They were not sadists. Seeing ballplayers running line drills simply reminded them of their love of the game, the willingness to put yourself through hell in the search for excellence.
One last long blast on the whistle called an end to another basketball camp practice. Earl had the prospective varsity players in his group. There were twenty players. Not all of them would be on his squad, some would play junior varsity, and some would call an end to their high school careers instead.
As the players headed for the showers, the coaches gathered to compare notes. After they conferred and separated, Earl spotted someone else scouting his players. Ingrid Lund was off by the women's gym office rather indiscreetly watching the boys file by. Earl sauntered over to her and placed his imposing frame in her line of sight.
"Ingrid, you look like a starving wolf outside a butcher shop," he stated.
She did not immediately respond, but tried to look around him. He moved to obstruct her vision.
"What?" she said impatiently.
He gave her a condescending look.
"You, little lady, are not being very subtle," he told her.
"Fine," she said, looking up at him. "Is your wife in town? What are you doing after this?"
"She's out for a couple of days covering the minor league team," he laughed.
"Okay, good, later then," said the cheerleading coach.
"Where?"
It was her turn to snicker.
"Anywhere you want to put it," she replied.
"Okay, come to the coach's office in an hour," he instructed.
Roy Watkins turned from his computer screen to the couple sitting across from him. He had two positions to fill for the new school year. One teacher had retired and Tony Caputo had taken a job at another school where he would be the head football coach. Roy needed a biology teacher, and a P.E. teacher who could fill in as an assistant football coach. Somehow, the education gods had smiled down and sent him the two teachers sitting across from him.
"I must have done something right to have you both apply. I have seen married couples who both teach, but I cannot recall them doing it in the same school. What brings you here?" he said.
The husband and wife glanced at each other. He nodded and she answered first.
"We were looking to get out of the large-city environment. We want to be able to get outdoors, but we did not want the small-town life exactly. This area has a lot of woods and trails, and we can still reach the city if there's something going on," she explained.
"Yeah, hiking and biking are perilous or non-existent activities in the city," added her husband.
"Well, Kathleen, we're talking about freshman level science classes and a junior level biology class. It seems you have handled that before," said Roy.
"Yes, absolutely. With the woods nearby, are there opportunities to take the students out for classes in the field?" she asked.
"Your predecessor did not, but I am willing to consider a proposal along those lines," said the principal. "We have pretty good weather around here, so that may be doable."
"Thanks," she said.
"Michael, or do you prefer Mike?" Roy asked Kathleen's husband.
"Mike works."
"It looks like you have done some P.E. work, along with filling in in the social studies department. We may need some filling in, but this job is for P.E. and some football coaching. Tony was our wrestling coach, but, frankly, wrestling is dying and his assistant should be able to handle what is left," said Roy.
"I'm good with that. I haven't had to coach too many times, but I still remember enough from playing JuCo ball. I know beans about wrestling, so I would be no help there," answered Mike.
The conversation went on for another fifteen minutes and covered the general points of how the school and district operated, what the pay would be, and the leave policies. Mike and Kathleen Quinn asked their questions. Once those were answered, Roy sat back in his chair.
"As Strother Martin said, "since I am desperate and you are exactly what I am looking for, you are hired"," he told them.
They did not get the movie reference but thanked him enthusiastically.
"Do you want to meet anybody today? Some folks are here for summer school and sports camps. Football will begin later in the summer," Roy offered.
"We have time for a tour, if that works for you," said Kathleen.
"Fine. Let's start with the academic wing and work our way to Mike's new stomping grounds," said Roy.
They began the loop around the central courtyard in the social sciences wing. Roy now thought it fortuitous that Gloria Young was not teaching summer school this session. One look at the tall ex-quarterback and she might have jumped him right in front of his wife.
They moved on to math and science. This time, they ran into Paul Hernandez and introduced Kathleen to her new co-worker. Paul appraised the slender dark-haired woman, but was discreet about it. They chatted briefly.
Before they reached the turn in the hall, Mike and Kathleen noticed a nameplate next to one of the doors. It said, Ms. I. Lund. They looked at each other and smiled.
"Is Ms. I. Lund, Ingrid Lund?" asked Mike.
"Yes, it is, why?" asked Roy.
"Unless there are a bunch of Ingrid Lunds teaching math, I think we know her from State," explained Mike.
Roy gulped and hoped they did not notice.
"I'm sure that is her. That's where she went. She also coaches cheerleading."
"That's her," piped Kathleen. "A short blond, right?"
"That's her," Roy confirmed.
"Ha, she must be a handful," Kathleen added.
The Quinns seemed to be sharing a private memory of Ingrid's college days. Roy decided to get the visit back on track.
"She does good work here," was all he said before heading down to the business and practical arts classes.
