Back to School

By WritePassion

With Fiona due soon, Michael surprised everyone by taking a sabbatical from his work, proving to everyone once and for all the depth of his love for her. Sam knew his friend did it out of fear as well, after seeing what Yvette went through with Samuel. He couldn't blame him, because racing through the back streets of Miami with Yvette screaming in the back seat of the Charger while Sam delivered their son, as far as Sam was concerned, that was enough baby drama to last a lifetime. Fiona had two weeks left, so if it came now, it wouldn't be so bad. Still, Michael stayed close to home. This, of course, left Sam with a lot of free time on his hands. He tried taking some small jobs, but the lack of assistance from his friends made it less attractive.

When Jack called seeking a favor, he brightened up Sam's day. "I need your help, Axeman. I've got a two man job, and only one of me. Sasha doesn't want to get involved in my work, so I'm kind of stuck here."

"Well, what is it you need, Jack? Another body guard for a potential restraining order violation?"

Jack replied, hesitation in his voice. "No, this is bigger than that. Mind if I come over and we can talk about it?"

"Sure. Eve's not here right now. She and Sammy are having a play date with some other moms and kids at the park."

"Great. I'll be right there."

Jack arrived with a six pack of Sam's favorite beer, so Sam knew right away this had to be important enough for him to attempt to bribe his friend. They took a couple seats out on the front porch and enjoyed the cooler weather. Sam twisted the cap off his bottle, heard Jack sigh heavily as he did the same, and turned to him.

"Okay, what is it, Jack?"

"I'm doing this as a favor for a neighbor, Carl Larkin. He's the principal at Chase Academy."

"Oh, that new charter school in the tough part of Coconut Grove."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's the place. It seems like they're having some trouble with a gang within the school, and they're threatening students, just creating little pockets of trouble. The cops don't seem to care much, as long as it doesn't escalate into a full-blown riot, but the parents…They've managed to keep it from them, but if word got out, there'd be a mass exodus from the school, because there are a lot of gifted kids who are there to learn, not cause trouble. Upper middle class kids, whose parents could pull them out and send them to a private school, except for the fact that this charter school was promised to be just as good, only free."

"And this is a two-man job because…." Sam eyed him. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. He and Jack worked together on the same SEAL team long enough to know, and he could read with ease his friend and his lame attempts at subtlety.

"One of us has to do the grunt work. And the other has to pose as a teacher. You're a leader, Axeman. You could go in there and work as a substitute…."

And there it was. "Now, wait just a second. What makes you think I can do that?"

"I know how you work with Esperanza teaching her stuff. You're a natural!"

"This is a lot different. We're talking high school kids, and they're a lot tougher than a six year old."

"You've worked with hard cases before." Jack sighed dramatically as he stretched out in the chair. "I really thought you'd be up to the challenge, man. I'm disappointed."

Sam growled low and took a long swig of his beer as he stared out across the front lawn. "Okay. Just one question."

"Shoot."

"Am I gonna have to wear a suit?"

Jack laughed. "No man, it's come as you are. The teachers dress pretty casual at that school, so there's no dressing up required." He ran his hand over his own chin as he glanced at Sam. "I'd, uh, lose the scruff though. Look a little more presentable."

"Heh, okay. How much are we making off this job anyway?"

"Ten grand…each." Jack smiled and opened his second beer. Sam was still working on his first.

"Wow. They're in pretty dire straights, huh?" He took another drink, giving his friend a little time to stew. He set his beer down on the table between them and said, "Okay, I'll do it. We start tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"And what are you going to do during all this?"

"Information gathering, whether that means hanging out as the janitor or poring over records, I'll be there."

Sam nodded. "And what exactly am I going to be teaching?"

"History." Jack pulled a thick hard bound book out of a sack beside his chair and dropped it on the table. It shook the furniture and nearly caused Sam's beer to tip over. "American History."

"Hey, now that I can deal with!" His eyes lit up as he hefted the book, opened it, and found a sticky note attached to a page. "Ah, here we are." He read the writing. "Think I can just be myself for this one, or do we need Chuck Finley?"

"No, for this one you're Mr. Axe, substitute history teacher."

"Well, I better start reading. This note says that they have chapters ten through thirteen to read before tomorrow, so I've got to get busy. Espie will be home in a couple hours, so until then, it's going to be quite an afternoon!"

"You're gonna need this too. It's the roster and seating chart for your classes." Jack gave him a thin notebook before he stood and shook Sam's hand. "Thanks a lot, Axeman. I really appreciate this!"

"No problem, Jack. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, let's meet for coffee before you go to the school. They want to see you at 0730. We'll meet at 0700. You know the place."

Sam nodded. "I'll be there."

After Jack left, Sam took the books upstairs to his office and started reading. It didn't take as long as he thought it would to get through the chapters. American History wasn't quite as rich and detailed as when he was in high school, which left him more than a little disappointed. He tapped a pen on a page, flipped back to the beginning of chapter ten, and took notes as he reread the period between the 80s and 90s...in the eighteenth century, that is. This was one area in which he wasn't as well versed, and what he read gave him a bunch of battles and conflicts, but not much else. He would need to do some research beyond the history book.

Sam had a habit of throwing himself into an assignment that really piqued his interest. Try as he might to scoff at Jack's need for him to act as a substitute teacher, by the time Esperanza's feet ran up the stairs, he'd thrown himself head-first into the job and prepared a lesson that would knock their socks off. He almost couldn't wait to show up at the school tomorrow and give those kids a taste of some real history, not the stale, boring stuff lying on the pages within the textbook.