In the dim light, she could see him hold a finger up to his lips. They waited in silence for a bit. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she repeated the question.
"Hiding from Madison. What about you?" he whispered.
"Hiding from Madison. What's your excuse?.
"Shh. I hear someone else coming."
They waited in silence again. To Josie it seemed oddly familiar to be sitting here hiding with him. Now that she had thought of it, they had hidden behind desks and tables together quite a few times when she was in school. She heard the door open and held her breath.
Instead of toward them, the footsteps went toward one of the cabinets. Then they heard Stu say, "Let's hope Professor Z still keeps the rubbers in the same place. Yes! ... Thank you, Professor Z."
Josie looked up to see, even in the dim light that Z was smiling. As the door closed behind Stu, he whispered softly. "You're welcome."
Josie grinned, "You know, you really should find a new place for them. Even Stu figured out where you kept the boxes of condoms."
"Why do think I keep in the same place?" he returned.
"You mean you wanted us to find them?"
"Of course. Actually what I wanted was a strong sex education program and to have the nurse hand them out, no questions asked. Unfortunately the some of the Board were in favor of an abstinence-based program. What we got was a watered down version, and me being allowed to hand out one condom per student as an sample." Z shifted slightly to get more comfortable. "Storing the boxes in an unlocked cabinet was one way to get around the Board's policy."
Josie was surprised. "But I thought you hated teaching sex ed."
"It can be a bit embarrassing at times, but it's important information for students to know."
"I guess humanity owes you a debt of gratitude, if you helped prevent Stu from breeding," Josie laughed.
Z chuckled as well. "Actually when I can stick the simple biology and theory, it's not so bad. It's when students start asking questions about my private life that I have problems. One basic rule of being a teacher is to never discuss your religion, political affiliation, or love life."
"Hmm, I remember Madison, spreading rumors that you were still a virgin, when you refused to answer her about whether you had a girlfriend."
"Yeah, and she decided tonight that since I'm no longer her teacher she can step up her campaign to be generous and help me out." Z replied glumly.
"Oh, so that's why you were hiding from her," Josie made the connection. Z and Madison—that was disgusting. He deserved better than that.
"Unfortunately, she wouldn't take a polite, 'No, thank you' as an answer so I thought I would hide out here in the hopes she would set her sights on someone else." He grinned across at her, "I didn't realize someone else was hiding from her as well. Just like old times. But without the licorice tea "
"I didn't want her bitchyness to spoil my reunion," she muttered.
"That's understandable. Sometimes avoidance is the best solution," he replied comforting.
It was kind of nice talking to Z like this, she thought. While most of her professors at the university shared his passion for science, if not his exuberance, they seemed to lack his approachability, if that was a word, for personal stuff and his compassion. Come to think of it, he still was the person she trusted the most. Also at this close quarter, he smelt pleasantly like Ivory soap and something citrusy. Where the hell did that come from?
"Well do you?" she asked.
"Do I what?"
"Have a girlfriend. C'mon I'm no longer a student. You can spill now." It hadn't really mattered before, but now she was curious.
"Not currently." He must have been able to see some of her glare, because he quickly added, "I was involved with someone from—I guess it would have been around your junior year—until about a year ago."
"What happened?"
"Nothing too dramatic, she accepted a job in Seattle and neither of us were up for such a long distance relationship. Incidentally, she did offer to write a letter of reference when the rumors about my lack of experience were circulating, but I declined. I didn't want to open the door to more questions." The amusement was back in his voice.
Josie thought that it was a shame that his girlfriend didn't write a reference—that would have made interesting reading. She was glad though he wasn't currently seeing someone. Damn it another totally out of line thought about her teacher ... ex-teacher.
"Since we are talking about love lives, it seems only fair to ask if you have a boyfriend." Z still sounded amused.
"Nah, I've decided that relationships aren't for me." Josie shifted slight away from him.
"Hiding from Madison. What about you?" he whispered.
"Hiding from Madison. What's your excuse?.
"Shh. I hear someone else coming."
They waited in silence again. To Josie it seemed oddly familiar to be sitting here hiding with him. Now that she had thought of it, they had hidden behind desks and tables together quite a few times when she was in school. She heard the door open and held her breath.
Instead of toward them, the footsteps went toward one of the cabinets. Then they heard Stu say, "Let's hope Professor Z still keeps the rubbers in the same place. Yes! ... Thank you, Professor Z."
Josie looked up to see, even in the dim light that Z was smiling. As the door closed behind Stu, he whispered softly. "You're welcome."
Josie grinned, "You know, you really should find a new place for them. Even Stu figured out where you kept the boxes of condoms."
"Why do think I keep in the same place?" he returned.
"You mean you wanted us to find them?"
"Of course. Actually what I wanted was a strong sex education program and to have the nurse hand them out, no questions asked. Unfortunately the some of the Board were in favor of an abstinence-based program. What we got was a watered down version, and me being allowed to hand out one condom per student as an sample." Z shifted slightly to get more comfortable. "Storing the boxes in an unlocked cabinet was one way to get around the Board's policy."
Josie was surprised. "But I thought you hated teaching sex ed."
"It can be a bit embarrassing at times, but it's important information for students to know."
"I guess humanity owes you a debt of gratitude, if you helped prevent Stu from breeding," Josie laughed.
Z chuckled as well. "Actually when I can stick the simple biology and theory, it's not so bad. It's when students start asking questions about my private life that I have problems. One basic rule of being a teacher is to never discuss your religion, political affiliation, or love life."
"Hmm, I remember Madison, spreading rumors that you were still a virgin, when you refused to answer her about whether you had a girlfriend."
"Yeah, and she decided tonight that since I'm no longer her teacher she can step up her campaign to be generous and help me out." Z replied glumly.
"Oh, so that's why you were hiding from her," Josie made the connection. Z and Madison—that was disgusting. He deserved better than that.
"Unfortunately, she wouldn't take a polite, 'No, thank you' as an answer so I thought I would hide out here in the hopes she would set her sights on someone else." He grinned across at her, "I didn't realize someone else was hiding from her as well. Just like old times. But without the licorice tea "
"I didn't want her bitchyness to spoil my reunion," she muttered.
"That's understandable. Sometimes avoidance is the best solution," he replied comforting.
It was kind of nice talking to Z like this, she thought. While most of her professors at the university shared his passion for science, if not his exuberance, they seemed to lack his approachability, if that was a word, for personal stuff and his compassion. Come to think of it, he still was the person she trusted the most. Also at this close quarter, he smelt pleasantly like Ivory soap and something citrusy. Where the hell did that come from?
"Well do you?" she asked.
"Do I what?"
"Have a girlfriend. C'mon I'm no longer a student. You can spill now." It hadn't really mattered before, but now she was curious.
"Not currently." He must have been able to see some of her glare, because he quickly added, "I was involved with someone from—I guess it would have been around your junior year—until about a year ago."
"What happened?"
"Nothing too dramatic, she accepted a job in Seattle and neither of us were up for such a long distance relationship. Incidentally, she did offer to write a letter of reference when the rumors about my lack of experience were circulating, but I declined. I didn't want to open the door to more questions." The amusement was back in his voice.
Josie thought that it was a shame that his girlfriend didn't write a reference—that would have made interesting reading. She was glad though he wasn't currently seeing someone. Damn it another totally out of line thought about her teacher ... ex-teacher.
"Since we are talking about love lives, it seems only fair to ask if you have a boyfriend." Z still sounded amused.
"Nah, I've decided that relationships aren't for me." Josie shifted slight away from him.