It had been a lousy day for Dorothy Lynch, the middle aged physical education teacher at the local high school. It was the first day of summer recess, and while most teachers and students waited for that day to come all school year, for Dot Lynch it was a day without structure. The gym teacher needed the interaction with young women, and the desire to make them as physically fit as she was always burned within her, even if the students mostly treated the class as a lark.
On this first day of summer vacation Dot had cleaned her stifling apartment even though it was spotless to begin with, and then went to the Y to workout. The Y was pretty deserted because most were out enjoying summer, not giving Dot the satisfaction of putting on a show for the people there, but that didn't stop the woman from putting in a grueling workout that would shame women half her age.
The locker room was equally unsatisfying, with no one there to watch dress or undress, and the shower room was also frustrating with only a solitary woman about her age in the room. Not only was the other woman visually unappealing, with a belly and floppy breasts, but when she glanced in Dot's direction the disgusted look she gave the gym teacher was visible even through the steam and the spray.
Funny thing, Dot mused to herself as she showered right in the middle of the room, totally unabashed and unashamed of her body as always, is that although the dumpy gal made a face and looked appalled at her masculine looking body, nevertheless she kept taking peeks in her direction all the time they were in there, so obvious that at one point Dot turned to face the woman and posed for her benefit and the woman's subtle glances didn't stop after they exited the showers and went to get dressed.
"I'll bet," Dot mumbled to herself as the nosy woman left the locker room, "if I came on to her she would probably go home with me. I bet a session with me and the strap on would straighten her out, probably make her forget all about the flatulence machine she has at home sitting on her couch."
Dot chuckled at her own joke, glad that nobody was around to hear her talk to herself, and after getting in the car debated with herself about whether she should go home and sulk or go to Daisy's. the only gay bar in town. It being a Monday, the place would be deserted except for the old and bitter dykes who seemed glued in their stools. Dot wanted some young and innocent girl who needed guidance that only a stern taskmistress like Dorothy Lynch could provide.
After considerable internal deliberation, Dot decided to drop by the local ice cream stand. Although she would never eat any of the fat laden decadent treats they pushed on the weak minded, they did have a few no fat yogurts and the like, so off she went to The Cream Machine where luckily she arrived about 10 minutes before they closed.
After looking at the menu Dot went up to the window, and while it seemed the kids working there were trying to hide in the back to avoid waiting on one of the last customers, one enterprising little girl raced up to greet her.
"Welcome to the Cream Machine," the girl recited before sheepishly smiling and adding, "Hi Ms. Lynch. What would you like?"
"I'll have a nonfat frozen vanilla yogurt in a cup," the gym teacher said, and after a bit of hesitation added with a bit of guilt, "Put sprinkles on it please."
"Yes ma'am," the munchkin chirped and as she went to fill the order Dot tried to figure out how the kid knew her.
She looked too young for senior gym classes, but since Dot was a rather well known face in the community despite her best efforts to keep a low profile, it was a mystery.
"Here you are Ms. Lynch. $2.14 please," the blonde pixie said, and as Dot handed her a five the girl said in a stage whisper, "I put extra sprinkles on it."
"Oh. Thank you uh..." Dot said, squinting as she tried to read the girl's name tag which rested on a barely visible swell on the girl's chest, finally able to see it when the kid returned with her change, "Candy is it?"
"Yes!" the kid chirped happily. "Candy Singleton. I was in your class. Remember?"
"Hmmm," Dot said as she racked her mental Rolodex for the girl.
"It was a couple of years ago," Candy added.
"Oh yes, I recall," Dot lied. "I guess my memory is slipping."
"You didn't teach us a lot of the time because Ms. Winkle was your student teacher," the girl offered, and Dot nodded as she took the change.
The year of Melody Winkle, Dot sighed as she went over to a picnic table on the side of the building. That explained why she didn't remember the poor girl who obviously remembered her very well, because having a play toy like Melody around made most of that school year a blur. It didn't explain how that little girl could have graduated from high school a couple of years ago, because she didn't even look old enough to hold a job legally.
Still, Dot sighed as she nursed her frozen yogurt while looking through the glass at her admirer, she is cute in her own way. Little pug nose with a smattering of freckles around it and a very trim, boyish figure, not to mention braces. Braces! The see through kind, but still braces. Dot told herself to eat the damn ice cream and go home, but 20 minutes later as she pushed the last spoonful of melted goo and sprinkles around the bottom of the cup, she was still there like a vulture circling over the ice cream stand.
***
"Still here Ms. Lynch?" the perky girl asked when she went out the back door of the ice cream shop as the inside lights went out, and as the gym teacher appraised this youthful Candy whatever her last name is, she fought to remember her.
Five foot nothing and 100 pounds soaking wet, there was nothing noteworthy about the girl except for the brightly colored knee high socks, a spectrum of pastel colors that reached just below her knobby knees. The socks, combined with khaki shorts and the red and white store uniform top, made her look goofy in an adorable way.
"Just enjoying my sprinkles," Dot noted, the comment getting her a complete view of the braces. "It's Monday night and nothing to do."
"Tell me about it. Even though it was hot tonight business still stunk," Candy said. "I like it when it's busy. Helps the time pass."
"So is this your occupation?"
"Here? No," Candy giggled. "I work here every summer. I get a lot of hours and that helps with the expenses at college. I'm going to be a junior at State this fall."
"Good for you," Dot encouraged, and as she looked at the kid things started to go into place. "I hope you forgive me but there are so many girls and my memory isn't what it was, but I'm beginning to remember you better. You used to wear different colored knee highs, a red one and a green one sometimes."
"Yes!" Candy chirped happily. "That was me."
"Now I recall," Dot said. "I seem to remember you hanging around this other girl all the time, a tall redhead who was on the basketball team?"
