Part 2: A First Time for Everything
Every morning, Caitlin MacCarthy would sit on her desk and play her violin with her eyes tightly closed. For some reason that she didn't quite understand, no matter how hard she tried, the minute the violin bow went up, her eyelids went down. Her quirk certainly did not adversely affect her performance. She was a great violinist, as all of the teachers near her would affirm.
Scott Guber could also support that fact, although he would deny it. Every morning he found himself drawn to that hall. He would stand by her door, entranced by her music until the bell jerked him from his reverie and sent him scurrying down the hall.
Caitlin was perfectly aware of Scott's feelings for her. After all, she wasn't blind. Several times, she had seen Scott flee from her doorway. Also, she noticed that whenever she saw him, he seemed extremely flustered. At first she had just assumed that he was a naturally nervous person (which, she thought, was true), but he seemed particularly strange whenever he knew that she was around. The few times she had seen him without his noticing her, he had seemed relatively normal.
But all in all, she tried to keep Scott Guber out of her mind. She enjoyed being back at Winslow High. Despite her initial misgivings, her Calculus students were extremely fond of her, and so were the other teachers.
That Monday found her in the teacher's lounge. She always hung out there before the first bell, talking to the teachers, particularly Lauren and Marilyn.
Scott Guber walked in. "Ah, Miss MacCarthy," he said.
Caitlin had long since stopped correcting him (her reminders that she was really Dr. MacCarthy had gone unnoticed) or trying to convince him to call her Caitlin. "Yes, Mr. Guber?"
"I need to evaluate your class. When should I come to observe?"
She shrugged. "Whenever is convenient for you. What about second period?"
"Fine. I will see you there." He turned and walked stiffly out of the room.
"What's with Guber?" Marilyn asked.
"Really," Harry said. "He seems even more...Guber-like than normal."
Caitlin shrugged. "I don't know. Anyway, I should be going. I'll see you guys later."
Once upstairs, she whipped out her violin, closed her eyes, and began to play Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." It was one of her favorite pieces, and it gave her a sense of tranquility. A smile washed over her face, and she felt happy and peaceful.
And outside, Scott listened in rapture to her playing and realized that he was in love.
*****
Caitlin's math class turned out to be interesting, Scott reflected. For one thing, she did not use the textbooks. She claimed to use "the MacCarthy method" of teaching, which seemed to involve writing problems on the board and lecturing. She had a dry sense of humor, and the students seemed to genuinely enjoy her class.
Afterwards, he approached her.
"What is this 'MacCarthy method' that you mentioned?" he asked.
"Oh, that." She seemed a little embarrassed. "I'm writing a textbook, and I guess you could say that they're the guinea pigs. Every time I teach them something, I write it down. That way by the end of the year I'll have a complete textbook."
"Ah," he said. "Well, I think that you will be a strong addition to our faculty."
"I'm glad to hear that you no longer regret that Steven hired me," she remarked.
Scott seemed very embarrassed. "Well, um..."
She smiled. "Forget it. I'll see you later."
"Yes," he managed to say. He turned and fled the room.
*****
At lunch, Caitlin walked down to the teachers' lounge and bought a coke. She sat down next to Lauren, Marilyn, and Harry.
"Hey," Caitlin said.
"Hi Caitlin," Lauren said.
"Hey. Those kids giving you a hard time?" Harry asked.
"Oh yeah," she replied. "You know how wild those A.P. Calculus kids are."
Harry smiled. "Want to switch?"
"I think I'll stick with my students, thanks," she said dryly. "What about you?"
The four of them chatted about their day until Scott Guber walked into the room.
"Hello," he said. "Miss MacCarthy, may I speak with you for a moment?"
"Sure, Mr. Guber."
"Outside," he added.
"Oh, okay." She stood up and followed him outside. "Do you need something?"
"No. I just wanted to know if you would like to come with me to see the New York Philharmonic on Friday. They are in town this weekend, and I would love to see them with you."
"That'd be nice, but I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"Selling my plasma."
He blinked. "You're what?"
"I'm selling my plasma. I have very rare plasma," she explained, "and I get $200 every time I sell it."
"That sounds like a rather painful way to make money."
"It doesn't hurt," she assured him. "Anyway, I'm broke right now, because I won't get my paycheck for several weeks, and I spent most of my savings moving into my apartment." She smiled apologetically. "Maybe next time."
"We could always go out after you finished," he suggested.
"I also have to unpack," she added. "I have tons of boxes in my apartment right now."
"Oh. Well then..."
"We could always go next weekend," she offered.
"They are only in town this weekend. Perhaps you would like to get dinner next weekend, though."
"Oh. Sure, that would be nice."
"Wonderful." He gave her a nervous smile. "I will pick you up at 8:00."
"All right. Bye."
She walked back into the teachers' lounge slightly stunned. "I think Scott Guber just asked me out on a date."
"You think?" Marilyn asked.
"Well, I've never been on a date before. I'm pretty sure he did, though. First he asked me if I would like to see the New York Philharmonic with him..." Caitlin stopped. Marilyn and Lauren were laughing. "What?"
"Nothing," Lauren said. "Go on."
"Well, I told him that I couldn't because I had to sell my plasma on Friday."
"You have to what?" Harry asked.
"Sell my plasma. I have very rare plasma, so they give me $200 every time I do it. Anyway, I told him that I couldn't go this Friday. Then he asked if I would go out to dinner with him next Friday."
"What did you say?" Marilyn asked.
"Yes."
"Yes? Um, don't you think he's a little old for you," Lauren said.
She shrugged. "I've never been on a date before. It might be interesting."
"Interesting?" Lauren echoed incredulously.
"Sure. Anyway, why not?"
"Well, have fun." Marilyn was trying hard not to laugh.
*****
Next Friday, though, Caitlin was beginning to regret her decision. She felt really nervous, although she wasn't exactly sure why.
"Maybe I should just call him and cancel," she said.
"Don't," Marilyn told her as she carefully applied make-up to Caitlin's face. "You'll have a great time."
"But I don't know...I've never been on a date before."
"I thought you were looking forward to this," Lauren said, brushing Caitlin's brown hair until it shone.
"Well, I was. But now I feel so nervous."
"Everything will be fine," Marilyn reassured her.
"Thanks again for coming over," Caitlin added.
"No problem," Marilyn said.
"We're happy to help," Lauren confirmed. She and Marilyn had offered to come over and help Caitlin get ready for her date after they had found out that Caitlin had never put on make-up before and had only a vague idea of what she should wear.
The doorbell rang just as Marilyn was finishing up Caitlin's mascara.
"I'll get it," Lauren said. She ran into the living room and opened the door. "Hi Scott."
"Hello, Lauren." Scott looked even more nervous than Caitlin. "What are you doing here?"
"Marilyn and I are helping Caitlin get ready. She should be out any minute now."
Just then, Caitlin emerged from her bedroom. The make-up made her look much older, and the dress--a beautiful black one that she wore when she performed--added to the effect. All in all, she looked elegant and mature and much older than when she walked around Winslow in her jeans, lugging her backpack and violin case.
"Hello, Caitlin," Scott gasped. "You look wonderful."
"Thank you. So do you."
"Well, you two have fun and we'll see you on Monday." Marilyn and Lauren left quickly.
"Are you ready to go?" Scott asked.
"Yes," Caitlin answered. "Where are we going?"
"I made reservations at an Italian resteraunt downtown."
"Okay, let's go." She smiled at him as they left.
*****
The date went wonderfully. He was very nervous (so was she, but she hid it better), but she managed to relax him quickly. They had fun talking together. All in all, it was a perfect evening.
Back at her apartment, he said, "Well, here we are."
"Would you like to come in?" she asked.
"All right."
The apartment was very small. It had a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. The living room was filled with books. They were lined up neatly on a bookcase, but many more sat in neat piles on the floor. He read some of the titles. They seemed to cover almost every topic imaginable.
"You certainly like to read," he remarked.
"Yeah, I like everything. I'd offer you some coffee, but I don't drink it. I can offer you a Coke."
"Uh, no thank you."
"Okay." She sat down on the couch next to him and kissed him gently.
He kissed her back, and soon they were kissing over and over again. She fell backward onto the couch.
"We shouldn't," Scott suddenly said, pulling away.
"Why not?"
"You're too young. In fact, this entire evening was a big mistake."
"What does age have to do with anything?"
"It matters a lot. I'm 49 years old, and you're only 18."
"So what? That doesn't mean that I can't like you...a lot."
"You do?" He was surprised.
"Yeah." She looked embarrassed.
"Oh, well, I like you a lot too."
"Then we're it's unanimous," she said. She smiled at him and kissed him again. "Come on." She stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"Well, unless you want to do things out here on the couch..."
"Don't you think you're being a little forward?" he asked.
"I know I am, but I like you a lot, and why bother waiting?"
"Well, that's the way things are usually done."
She gave him a mischevious smile. "But I don't like waiting."
"Well then...I suppose there are always exceptions." He wasn't sure why he was saying this, but something pulled him to her.
She stood up and walked into her bedroom. He followed.
Every morning, Caitlin MacCarthy would sit on her desk and play her violin with her eyes tightly closed. For some reason that she didn't quite understand, no matter how hard she tried, the minute the violin bow went up, her eyelids went down. Her quirk certainly did not adversely affect her performance. She was a great violinist, as all of the teachers near her would affirm.
Scott Guber could also support that fact, although he would deny it. Every morning he found himself drawn to that hall. He would stand by her door, entranced by her music until the bell jerked him from his reverie and sent him scurrying down the hall.
Caitlin was perfectly aware of Scott's feelings for her. After all, she wasn't blind. Several times, she had seen Scott flee from her doorway. Also, she noticed that whenever she saw him, he seemed extremely flustered. At first she had just assumed that he was a naturally nervous person (which, she thought, was true), but he seemed particularly strange whenever he knew that she was around. The few times she had seen him without his noticing her, he had seemed relatively normal.
But all in all, she tried to keep Scott Guber out of her mind. She enjoyed being back at Winslow High. Despite her initial misgivings, her Calculus students were extremely fond of her, and so were the other teachers.
That Monday found her in the teacher's lounge. She always hung out there before the first bell, talking to the teachers, particularly Lauren and Marilyn.
Scott Guber walked in. "Ah, Miss MacCarthy," he said.
Caitlin had long since stopped correcting him (her reminders that she was really Dr. MacCarthy had gone unnoticed) or trying to convince him to call her Caitlin. "Yes, Mr. Guber?"
"I need to evaluate your class. When should I come to observe?"
She shrugged. "Whenever is convenient for you. What about second period?"
"Fine. I will see you there." He turned and walked stiffly out of the room.
"What's with Guber?" Marilyn asked.
"Really," Harry said. "He seems even more...Guber-like than normal."
Caitlin shrugged. "I don't know. Anyway, I should be going. I'll see you guys later."
Once upstairs, she whipped out her violin, closed her eyes, and began to play Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." It was one of her favorite pieces, and it gave her a sense of tranquility. A smile washed over her face, and she felt happy and peaceful.
And outside, Scott listened in rapture to her playing and realized that he was in love.
*****
Caitlin's math class turned out to be interesting, Scott reflected. For one thing, she did not use the textbooks. She claimed to use "the MacCarthy method" of teaching, which seemed to involve writing problems on the board and lecturing. She had a dry sense of humor, and the students seemed to genuinely enjoy her class.
Afterwards, he approached her.
"What is this 'MacCarthy method' that you mentioned?" he asked.
"Oh, that." She seemed a little embarrassed. "I'm writing a textbook, and I guess you could say that they're the guinea pigs. Every time I teach them something, I write it down. That way by the end of the year I'll have a complete textbook."
"Ah," he said. "Well, I think that you will be a strong addition to our faculty."
"I'm glad to hear that you no longer regret that Steven hired me," she remarked.
Scott seemed very embarrassed. "Well, um..."
She smiled. "Forget it. I'll see you later."
"Yes," he managed to say. He turned and fled the room.
*****
At lunch, Caitlin walked down to the teachers' lounge and bought a coke. She sat down next to Lauren, Marilyn, and Harry.
"Hey," Caitlin said.
"Hi Caitlin," Lauren said.
"Hey. Those kids giving you a hard time?" Harry asked.
"Oh yeah," she replied. "You know how wild those A.P. Calculus kids are."
Harry smiled. "Want to switch?"
"I think I'll stick with my students, thanks," she said dryly. "What about you?"
The four of them chatted about their day until Scott Guber walked into the room.
"Hello," he said. "Miss MacCarthy, may I speak with you for a moment?"
"Sure, Mr. Guber."
"Outside," he added.
"Oh, okay." She stood up and followed him outside. "Do you need something?"
"No. I just wanted to know if you would like to come with me to see the New York Philharmonic on Friday. They are in town this weekend, and I would love to see them with you."
"That'd be nice, but I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"Selling my plasma."
He blinked. "You're what?"
"I'm selling my plasma. I have very rare plasma," she explained, "and I get $200 every time I sell it."
"That sounds like a rather painful way to make money."
"It doesn't hurt," she assured him. "Anyway, I'm broke right now, because I won't get my paycheck for several weeks, and I spent most of my savings moving into my apartment." She smiled apologetically. "Maybe next time."
"We could always go out after you finished," he suggested.
"I also have to unpack," she added. "I have tons of boxes in my apartment right now."
"Oh. Well then..."
"We could always go next weekend," she offered.
"They are only in town this weekend. Perhaps you would like to get dinner next weekend, though."
"Oh. Sure, that would be nice."
"Wonderful." He gave her a nervous smile. "I will pick you up at 8:00."
"All right. Bye."
She walked back into the teachers' lounge slightly stunned. "I think Scott Guber just asked me out on a date."
"You think?" Marilyn asked.
"Well, I've never been on a date before. I'm pretty sure he did, though. First he asked me if I would like to see the New York Philharmonic with him..." Caitlin stopped. Marilyn and Lauren were laughing. "What?"
"Nothing," Lauren said. "Go on."
"Well, I told him that I couldn't because I had to sell my plasma on Friday."
"You have to what?" Harry asked.
"Sell my plasma. I have very rare plasma, so they give me $200 every time I do it. Anyway, I told him that I couldn't go this Friday. Then he asked if I would go out to dinner with him next Friday."
"What did you say?" Marilyn asked.
"Yes."
"Yes? Um, don't you think he's a little old for you," Lauren said.
She shrugged. "I've never been on a date before. It might be interesting."
"Interesting?" Lauren echoed incredulously.
"Sure. Anyway, why not?"
"Well, have fun." Marilyn was trying hard not to laugh.
*****
Next Friday, though, Caitlin was beginning to regret her decision. She felt really nervous, although she wasn't exactly sure why.
"Maybe I should just call him and cancel," she said.
"Don't," Marilyn told her as she carefully applied make-up to Caitlin's face. "You'll have a great time."
"But I don't know...I've never been on a date before."
"I thought you were looking forward to this," Lauren said, brushing Caitlin's brown hair until it shone.
"Well, I was. But now I feel so nervous."
"Everything will be fine," Marilyn reassured her.
"Thanks again for coming over," Caitlin added.
"No problem," Marilyn said.
"We're happy to help," Lauren confirmed. She and Marilyn had offered to come over and help Caitlin get ready for her date after they had found out that Caitlin had never put on make-up before and had only a vague idea of what she should wear.
The doorbell rang just as Marilyn was finishing up Caitlin's mascara.
"I'll get it," Lauren said. She ran into the living room and opened the door. "Hi Scott."
"Hello, Lauren." Scott looked even more nervous than Caitlin. "What are you doing here?"
"Marilyn and I are helping Caitlin get ready. She should be out any minute now."
Just then, Caitlin emerged from her bedroom. The make-up made her look much older, and the dress--a beautiful black one that she wore when she performed--added to the effect. All in all, she looked elegant and mature and much older than when she walked around Winslow in her jeans, lugging her backpack and violin case.
"Hello, Caitlin," Scott gasped. "You look wonderful."
"Thank you. So do you."
"Well, you two have fun and we'll see you on Monday." Marilyn and Lauren left quickly.
"Are you ready to go?" Scott asked.
"Yes," Caitlin answered. "Where are we going?"
"I made reservations at an Italian resteraunt downtown."
"Okay, let's go." She smiled at him as they left.
*****
The date went wonderfully. He was very nervous (so was she, but she hid it better), but she managed to relax him quickly. They had fun talking together. All in all, it was a perfect evening.
Back at her apartment, he said, "Well, here we are."
"Would you like to come in?" she asked.
"All right."
The apartment was very small. It had a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. The living room was filled with books. They were lined up neatly on a bookcase, but many more sat in neat piles on the floor. He read some of the titles. They seemed to cover almost every topic imaginable.
"You certainly like to read," he remarked.
"Yeah, I like everything. I'd offer you some coffee, but I don't drink it. I can offer you a Coke."
"Uh, no thank you."
"Okay." She sat down on the couch next to him and kissed him gently.
He kissed her back, and soon they were kissing over and over again. She fell backward onto the couch.
"We shouldn't," Scott suddenly said, pulling away.
"Why not?"
"You're too young. In fact, this entire evening was a big mistake."
"What does age have to do with anything?"
"It matters a lot. I'm 49 years old, and you're only 18."
"So what? That doesn't mean that I can't like you...a lot."
"You do?" He was surprised.
"Yeah." She looked embarrassed.
"Oh, well, I like you a lot too."
"Then we're it's unanimous," she said. She smiled at him and kissed him again. "Come on." She stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"Well, unless you want to do things out here on the couch..."
"Don't you think you're being a little forward?" he asked.
"I know I am, but I like you a lot, and why bother waiting?"
"Well, that's the way things are usually done."
She gave him a mischevious smile. "But I don't like waiting."
"Well then...I suppose there are always exceptions." He wasn't sure why he was saying this, but something pulled him to her.
She stood up and walked into her bedroom. He followed.
