“Our principal,” she says, with a look of mild disgust, “wants to spend thousands of dollars of our school budget to send teachers to this international education conference in New Orleans next week.”
I frown. “But we haven’t even?—”
“Believe me; whatever you’re about to say, I know. But alas,” she sighs, “she’s the boss. So she’s making me choose a teacher to send. I want to send someone who will actually attend all the sessions and panels, take thorough notes, and be able to turnkey everything learned back to our team. And I’m thinking that there’s no better person than you.”
I start having a mild panic attack. “It’s… But…My…” I can’t get any thoughts out, as they all enter my brain in a rush.
“Don’t have a panic attack. I know it’ll only be the second week of school. I know you’ll just be getting to know your kids. I know you think this could set your kids back on your lesson pacing. But hear me out,” she says, reading my mind like an AP who moonlights as a psychic. “You’ll only be missing one day of school?—”
“—that’s so many days,” I whisper-cry.
“—you’re the type of person to leave detailed plans for a substitute,” she goes on, ignoring me. “You’re going to spend the next five school days with your kids building the foundation for strong relationships. It’ll be fine, Mia.”
I start pacing the room. “But the substitute won’t know the nuance of… and a day is a lot to be behind on… and kids value consistency… and?—”
“Please, Mia,” Lina pleads with me. The tone of her voice makes me stop pacing. I look at her disheveled self, the bags under her eyes, the stress lines in her face. This woman is working her ass off. She’s stressed the fuck out. Ugh.
I think about work, and I think about Lina as a supervisor. Before her, Oliver. Work is the one place in the entire universe I don’t feel stepped on or over or through. I feel seen here. By my supervisors, by my coworkers. I’m good at what I do, and people take note. And Ilikethat.
“Fine,” I say, as Elias walks back into the room, munching on a bean burrito. Just one.
“Fine, what?” Elias says. “Hey, Lina.” He then surprises me by pulling a plastic wrapped bean burrito out of his back pocket and handing it to me.
“I’m going to a conference in New Orleans next week,” I grumble, taking the burrito.
A huge smile takes over Elias’s face, his green eyes crinkling in the corners. “I’m going, too!”
Lina sighs. I’m confused. “How the hell are you going?”
“Principal Thomas is impressed with my teaching abilities,” he says cheerfully. “She asked me to go yesterday.”
“Principal Thomas did?” I ask, disbelief coating my tone.
“Yeah,hater, she says I’m a great teacher, so she wants me to go,” he shoots back.
“I’m not hating on your teaching abilities, I’m just shocked that Thomas left her office.”
“She didn’t, really,” Elias says sheepishly. “I kind of?—”
I narrow my eyes. “You Dimpled your way into this, didn’t you?”
Lina sighs and stands up to go. “You wouldn’t be my second choice, Elias, but here we are,” she says, defeated.
Elias frowns at her.
“I’ll book everything for you guys today. Tickets, flights, hotel, all that stuff. Keep an eye out for my email.” She opens the door to my classroom, turning back at the last second. “Thanks again, Mia. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course, Lina,” I mumble.
The door shuts, and Elias and I look at one another.
“MARDI GRAAAAS!” he screams.
“That’s in March, Elias,” I say, mashing my face into my desk. A weekend in New Orleans with a dick the size of New Jersey. Amazing.
THREE
Elias
