“So, who was that?” Ethan asked.
“The barista?” Blayne asked. Ethan nodded. “Todd Rice. He’s in my English Composition class. He’s a nice enough kid but a bit of a handful.” He then told Ethan about the time Todd had sidled up next to him at the urinal and the most recent incident at the gym. “He doesn’t know boundaries. And I don’t know how to politely say, ‘don’t talk to me when you’re naked or have your dick in your hand’.”
“That would work.”
“Yeah, if I wanted to get fired,” Blayne said. “With this generation of kids, you gotta be careful with everything you say. You can’t have anything seen as sexually suggestive or innuendo because you don’t want to create a ‘hostile’ environment for your students.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I agree with it somewhat, but I think we can sometimes go a bit overboard with everything.”
“How so?”
“In today’s litigious world, you’ve gotta be careful about every word coming out of your mouth. Heaven forbid you’re not ‘woke’ enough for one student or are perceived as discriminatory toward one. I’m all about being polite and courteous and giving people the benefit of the doubt. These kids would rather sue or run to the Title IX coordinator if there is a perceived slight. We’ve lost all sense of discussion and debate in higher education. Instead, it’s ‘I’m more woke than you are, so you should be ashamed of yourself’.”
“Yeah, the entertainment industry isn’t anything like that. We’ve become more conscious about how we treat people after cases like those in the Me Too movement or even the Scott Rudin bullying allegations, but people’s behavior has to be pretty abhorrent before anyone even bats an eyelash.”
“Most industries aren’t woke. I worry we’re failing our students. How prepared will they be for the world if someone accidentally uses the wrong gender pronoun in a conversation? And trust me, these aren’t exactly opinions I can go around sharing in my graduate classes because it’s just as bad there. If your opinion doesn’t align with the majority’s, then you are evil and not to be tolerated.”
“So, are you a Republican?”
“Oh, God, no. I’m not a sheep who buys into everything the radical left is selling. And that’s the problem with today’s students. Everything is so black and white, good or bad, right or wrong. They’ve lost all sense of gray. And heaven forbid you compromise or collaborate with ‘the enemy’ to get things done.” Blayne took a deep breath, looked at the sky, and let it out slowly. “Sorry. I get so worked up sometimes.”
“It’s cool. You’re cute when you’re all worked up. You turn this shade of pink.”
“Thanks, I think,” Blayne replied.
“Okay, guys,” Todd said, approaching the table with a small tray. “Two medium flat whites and two egg white turkey wraps.”
Todd set the cups and plates in front of them.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” Todd said as he walked away.
“I think someone has a crush on his teacher?” Ethan joked.
“I hope not. I don’t think I could handle that.”
Ethan took a bite of the wrap. “This is fantastic.”
“Glad you like it. It’s my favorite thing on the menu. I’ve been known to grab one on the way home from class for dinner.”
Blayne and Ethan enjoyed easy, casual conversation through the rest of breakfast. They were wrapping up when Blayne looked over and saw Kira walking up the steps.
“Kira!” Blayne yells. He watched as she spun her head in his direction.
“What are you two doing here?” she asked as she walked up to the table.
“Having some breakfast,” Blayne said. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“Coming back from a deposition. Thought I would stop in for a coffee pick-me-up.”
“Want to sit down?” Ethan asked.
“Sure, but only for a minute.”
Ethan stood and moved to a chair so Kira could sit directly next to Blayne.
“Thanks.” Kira sat, took her sunglasses off, opened her purse, found the glasses’ case and stowed them.
