The Speed of Slow Changes by Sander Santiago

Author:Sander Santiago [Santiago, Sander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2023-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Lucas

As I drove to the school, I couldn’t help but wonder who’d pick up the Jefferson girls. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Al, but I knew he’d notice my mood, and I couldn’t explain it. I couldn’t name the feelings behind it even for myself. But trying to plan dates with him had been a catalyst for some sort of funk.

I did want to see him. I had gone to that party with the hopes of finding someone I could form a relationship with, someone who could occupy some more of the space in my life, and he did that and then some. So, what the fuck, bro? I blinked and shut off the truck. I had been on autopilot all the way to Valdosta. I was at the school to meet Mrs. Brunswick to onboard, then the position of school nurse was mine.

“Okay, kids…right. Filter, filter, filter.”

I went up to the sprawling single-story school. It was a big circular shape with five wings branching off. At the center was the cafeteria, which shared a wall with the gym. The whole structure wore the front office like the knot on a tie. It was painted an inexplicable sun-dried red that matched the Trojan mascot. I stood on the red crest of a helmet painted on the ground and pressed the buzzer to page the office.

“Hello,” one of the secretaries answered.

“Lucas Laverty, I’m here—”

“Ooh! Our new nurse. Yes, come on in.”

The door clicked, and I went in. I’d worn scrubs and a light sweater, not knowing what else would be appropriate. The secretary who let me in came around her desk to talk to me. A few more women stood in the doorways of their offices.

“Mrs. Patterson told us you’d been brought on. I’m Mary Lincoln,” she said, shaking my hand. “Just Mary, if you please.”

“Nice to meet you, Mary. That’s an interesting name. I know a guy called Thomas Jefferson.”

Her eyes brightened. “God, I know Teach, who doesn’t? He used to call me Todd for fun. I went to school with him.”

“Right, I should’ve known.”

She giggled, tossed her brown hair over her shoulder, and pulled her librarian-ish cardigan around her. “Well, it’s not like he and I were friends. My mama always thought he was going to be a criminal.”

“Turns out he’s just a skateboarder.”

“Right you are. Well, let me have you meet some of the other gals that make up ye olde henhouse.”

She started walking toward the back offices, holding the little gate open for me to cross through. “With a rooster in our midst, I guess we’ll just be a regular old coop now.”

I laughed out of politeness, but really, I was groaning. I was in a small enough circle with enough gender-aware or gender-neutral people that I forgot jokes like that existed.

“You remember Mrs. Jones? We all call her Tracy. And that’s Polly North, and our new librarian, Alice.”

“Hello,” I said, waving. I followed Mary into the nurse’s office. She patted a chair for me to sit on.

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