I teach math at a Midwestern state college. It doesn't matter which one. It looks like most of the others, with some school buildings, dorms, bars, gas stations, and a grocery store, surrounded by acres and acres of open farmland. Most kids come here because it's far from home and it's a party school. It's not so bad to teach here, really, once you get over your disappointment that you're not going to have a fabulous career at M.I.T. One good thing about teaching at a party school β the students don't expect very much. Half the time they're hung over anyway.
I'm male, 42, divorced (no kids) and haven't had a significant other for a couple of years. Being a 40-something divorce isn't easy in a town like this. The women here are either under 21 or married. I don't have any scruples against a fling with either one, but the college girls aren't nearly as easy as legend would tell you, and come to think of it neither are the faculty wives. Besides, it's not so easy to find another job β a fella has to think of the risks.
So, I make do with Internet porn and my imagination. I keep myself reasonably fit β you never know when you'll run into Ms. Right Now β and anyway there's not much else to do. I think I'm good-looking, although no one would call me gorgeous.
I teach several sections of calculus-for-boneheads (excuse me, for business majors) class. No matter how good a teacher you think you are, this class will prove you wrong. The students just don't get it. Calculus and business majors mix like oil and water. The ones who do understand it are engineering majors. Poor me, poor me. I give a lot of quizzes instead of one or two exams. Take it from me, the exams are even worse.
So, let me try to describe what happened a couple of hours ago. I'm not sure I believe it myself, and I can't be sure how it will all come out, but I sure hope I'm right.
It's still January, and the new semester is just getting started. Yesterday, I gave the first quiz of the term. Today, I was marking them (no T.A.s at this college) and muttering to myself, as usual. My posted office hours began at 2:00, but I didn't notice because no one ever comes. Then they complain because I'm not available to help them.
Imagine, then, my shock when right at 2:00 somebody rapped on the door. I shouted, "Come in!" which hardly ever works, then got up to see who it was. A student! I recognized him from my late-morning class, but of course I didn't know his name. Good-looking kid, a little taller than me (5'10"), shoulders broad but not too broad. He probably outweighs me by 30 pounds. Curly, off- blond hair, dressed in the sloppy clothes that were practically the school uniform, students and faculty alike.
I didn't pretend to know his name. I know it now. I know a lot about him now, but this was two hours ago. Anyway, let's call him Jason, because that sounds like a good alias for this tale.
I stood at the door, doorknob still in my hand. "Can I help you?" I asked.
He looked kind of nervous, glancing up, down, everywhere but my face. "Can I come in?" he asked. "I need to ask you about something."
"Sure. You're in my 11:00 class, right? You sit in the middle row, over near the windows. Sorry, but I don't know your name."
"Yes, Professor, that's me. My name is Jason ___."
"You shouldn't look so worried, Jason," I said. The semester's just begun, we've taken only one quiz, so even if you blew the quiz, you've got plenty of time to recover."
"This isn't about the quiz," he mumbled. I'd sat down in my chair, and pointed to the extra chair. He came all the way in and sat down. I heard the click of the doorknob, which was set on automatic lock. That surprised me. There's no rule against shutting the door, but it's hardly ever done. Nobody wants to be accused of sexual harassment.
"Would you mind leaving the door ajar?" I said.
Jason looked up at me as if he didn't understand why I'd ask for such a thing. Then, as he got it, his smiled a little. "I'd rather leave it closed, Professor. This is kind of personal."
Oh, great. I hardly know this kid and he wants a father confessor. Not my job, not my desire, and definitely not a good idea. If he leaves here and shoots himself, I'll be sued. We have professionals for that kind of thing. I let the pause hang there, hoping he'd at least tell me what he wanted, so I could direct him to the student-stress counselor.
He just sat there, looking at me, directly into my eyes. His were unusual β blue flecked with brown. Like hazel, but blue instead of green. I was caught by his gaze, and somehow felt compelled to return it. I don't know how long we sat there, looking each other in the eyes. The room seemed to get a little darker and fuzzier. We weren't gazing like lovers. It was more like poker players, assessing one another, looking for the other's "tell."
After awhile his eyes moved a little, toward the clock. I felt I'd been released, but I also turned to look at the clock. I must have read it wrong before, because it said 2:20.
"Do you want to talk about your quiz?" I asked. My voice was a little shaky, which surprised me. The room light hadn't gone back to normal after our staring contest. His face was clear, but everything else was dim.
"Oh, no, Professor," he said quickly. "It's sort of about my quiz, but really I want to ask you about something else. You see, you seem so, . . . so,. . . non-judgmental."