"Mr. B, you were holding out on us!" Marian complained when he walked in the first day after winter break.
"How so?" He smirked, setting up his papers.
"I met Percy before break, he came looking for you here." That caught mostly everyone's attention.
"Yes, and he's gorgeous. Failed to mention that, didn't you?" Jasmine chastised her teacher, who rolled his eyes.
"But he's really nice, very chill." Marian noted.
"He is indeed, we had a very relaxed Christmas. I have yet to beat him in Rummy."
"I thought you were good at cards?" Hally spoke up.
"Apparently not against him or Sally. Oh, how the tides have turned," He chuckled and they laughed, but the novelty of his girlfriends was wearing off, he could see it in their expressions as they moved on to different topics, and for that, he was grateful.
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From then on, things followed a pattern Paul rather liked. By that same token, he had a strange feeling it wouldn't last, like it was only the calm before the storm.
His class, focused on things like prom and finals that were quickly approaching, and all their own love issues as Spring ushered in not only Valentine's day, but a season of new and often short relationships that were more than enough to keep them preoccupied with their own issues, let the kids forget about his love life, and let him get on with teaching instead of feeding their gossip.
Even better but slightly more concerning, was that Percy only disappeared once a month, and usually only for a day or two max. More often than not, he'd tell them he was going to his Camp and spend a weekend there or something, but the odd occurrences were few and far between. Still, they happened, and though it bothered and worried Paul just as much as Sally, it was obviously for different reasons. Sally knew, generally, where her son was and was worried about whatever he was doing. Paul simply didn't know, and had a feeling he was being left out of something majorly important.
"Paul." Sally had, not snapped per say, but said in a firm voice that was the equivalent of a snap for her. "Percy is more than capable of taking care of himself, and more responsible than every kid in your high school combined. I trust him whole-heartedly, and if you can't accept this is the way things must be for now, I'm sorry…"
"No, I'm sorry," He'd grabbing her hand. They sat at the kitchen table on one of those late nights when Percy was nowhere to be found. "I just… I'm worried about him too."
Sally seemed to smile a bit warmly at that. "And I'm thankful you are, I couldn't have asked for this to go any better, but you two get along so well…" She bit her lip as if thinking hard. "Paul, one day you will know. One day Percy and I will explain everything, you just have to accept that it may not be for a long time."
"Why can I not know now?"
"Because you're not ready. To understand our lives, you have to have a kind of trust in us when we say it that you couldn't doubt it. You have to have faith in us, and you have to have faith that one day you will know, and be patient."
Paul considered that. It was like a test almost, seeing if he could blindly trust them enough to turn away from all the strange incidents, so that when he finally got the answer, he could believe it too.
"Blind faith." He said.
She nodded. "Blind faith. I have it for Percy, I have it for what he does and those around him to protect him. I have it in the forces that be to bring him home. Percy has it for me, for his friends, and even perhaps he's starting to with you. If you want to be part of this family, you need it. You need to accept, and be patient."
And Paul thought asking her out the first time was hard.
Acceptance and patience and a blind faith. Those were not qualities you simply grew over night.
But he looked at Sally, as beautiful as ever, with her warm eyes promising unconditional love and acceptance. How she never raised her voice, how calm and patient, yet strong and rebellious she could be. Not blind faith, blind love. Wasn't that what he loved most about her? Was she not just asking for him to return it? If anyone deserved that kind of love, it wasn't him, it was her.
He could never reach her level of tolerance or accept things so out there without a moment's hesitation or doubt the way Sally could, he assumed it was a gift from god or something, being so saint-like you could never be angered or ignorant.
But he would try.
He would try for the beautiful woman holding his hand, and the kind young man she adored, and that he himself found interesting and endearing. He would try for that little dream in the back of his head of a happy ever after.
"Blind faith." He repeated, feeling the words on his lips, the first of many times he'd repeat it to himself to let it go next time something strange happened.
Sally smiled a bit wearily and agreed, "Blind faith."