“He explored what is now New Mexico.”
“Good job, Keith. Have a seat.”
Trina waved her hand and didn’t wait to be called on. “He discovered the Kansas plains.”
“You’re on a roll. Damien, do you have an answer?”
“They took the easy ones.” Damien frowned and tapped his chin. “Wait, he was twenty-five when he first came to the Americas.”
“Awesome. Have a seat.”
The game continued until everyone had answered. A few kids struggled, but he gave them an opportunity to change explorers. By the time the class finished, Mac had confidence they’d pass their exams next week. They’d learned more than they’d realized, and the activity helped his students to recognize that fact.
They had ten minutes of instruction time until the bell rang. Knowing he couldn’t fit anything productive into that short timeframe, he gave them free time as long as they remained in their seats and weren’t disruptive.
Mac went back to grading papers, occasionally glancing up to make sure they were behaving. His finger clutched his red pen tightly when he saw all but two of his students on their phones. Whatever happened to face-to-face interaction?
Three minutes before the bell rang, he heard a loud commotion and saw the students clamoring around Keely’s desk, looking at him, then at Keely’s phone.
He cleared his throat. “Didn’t I say to stay in your seats?”
They ignored his question.
Greg pointed to Keely’s phone. “Have you seen this, Mr. B? You’re a celebrity.”
He didn’t think much of the comment. Kids were always coming up with crazy stuff. “Seen what?”
“Word has that you and Deena Frasier are dating. Is that true?” Mateo asked with awed reverence.
Mac coughed and sputtered. “Not at all.”
“But TEW has it reported with pictures and all.” Trina crossed her arms and stared at him with raised brows, clearly not believing him.
“TEW is a tabloid that’s full of garbage. You can’t believe ninety-nine percent of what they post.” He tapped his knees under the desk. His curiosity was piqued, but he wouldn’t let on to his students.
“Deena and Mr. B. sitting in a tree. K. I. S.—”
“That’s enough,” he roared louder than he’d meant to, but fortunately the bell drowned out most of it.
Once the kids left the room, Mac walked through the halls to his duty station at the bus line. He noticed several sets of eyes staring at him, adults and kids alike. Maybe he was paranoid because of what the kids told him about TEW. He couldn’t wait to get back to his classroom and check out the website. Once he knew what it said, then he could plan a path of action.
Of course, a bus had a mechanical failure and arrived late to pick up the children. Twenty minutes after he should have left for the day, he was able to go back to his classroom. He pulled out his phone and did a search for TEW.
He dropped his phone and ran his hands through his hair. What in the world? On the front page of the biggest online tabloid was his picture with the caption “Deena Frasier Settles Down with Small-town Heartthrob.”
After reading the full article, Mac took a deep breath. Most of it was drivel. Even the statements were made-up, given by so-called longtime residents he’d never heard of. The only truth to the story was that he’d sat with Deena during church on Sunday and had lunch with her afterward. The article didn’t mention six other young adults from church had eaten with them at the diner.
A headache formed, crushing his temples from behind. He didn’t mind being the target of Deena’s flirtations, but he didn’t want to make national news. What would Deena think when she saw it? She was probably used to fake news about herself, but he didn’t want her to think he had anything to do with that report.
He had to call her and straighten this out. Except he didn’t have her number. He could call Phoebe and ask for it, but she wouldn’t break professional protocol, even for him. Mom wouldn’t have it because she worked directly through Phoebe for all the catering arrangements. That left him driving to the set or her cabin, neither of which he wanted to do.
Although he did enjoy her company.
Deena was more brash and forward than he was accustomed to, but she also made him laugh, and he enjoyed being around her. Her vivacious nature rubbed off on those around herifthey were a part of her social circle. He had noticed she sometimes came off as a snob to those in a service position, but he didn’t think she meant to, and he passed it off as a byproduct of being indulged for years.
He packed his students’ papers into his briefcase and gathered the rest of his belongings. Soft flakes of snow drifted from the sky in a whimsical fashion—barely a flurry, not enough to worry about. Unsure if he’d be allowed on set, he drove out to the cabin once owned by the poet Theodore Magnus.
From what he understood, the movie was a fictionalized romance between a descendant of Theodore and one of Aliza Wilde, another poet of the eighteen hundreds. He’d watch the movie when it released because of its filming location and the history, but he hoped they did justice to the work of Theodore Magnus. His work focused largely on nature, popular of that time period, with the difference being that Theodore Magnus often included mentions and allegories of God as Creator into his poems
