Winter Jacket: New Beginnings (16 page)

Hunter’s spoon scraped the bottom of her bowl. “Maybe…maybe I could tell
you
what to do next time.”

I frowned and reflexively ran my fingers through my hair. I scowled when I realized my hands were covered in wet soap suds. “I don’t really
do
that.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Masturbate?” she guessed.

“Take orders.”

“Not even from me?”

“I…maybe,” I said tentatively. “Maybe we should talk about it later; another time when you don’t have to immediately run off to work,” I proposed.

She bobbed her head in agreement. “
What do you have planned for today?”

“A big fat nothing,”
I admitted. I abandoned the dirty dishes for the time being and sat across the table from Hunter. I had all day to clean them.

“
No work?”

“
I could do some writing, but I don’t have anything to do for school. I’ve taught the writing seminar and U.S. Literature so many times, I could teach those in my sleep.”

“
Do they always make you teach those classes,” she asked around a mouthful of Cheerios, “or could you teach something different?”

“I’
m low professor on the totem pole until a Dinosaur retires and they hire someone new,” I explained, “so I usually get stuck with the writing seminar.” I made a thoughtful tilt of my head. “But, I suppose I could ask Bob for something different – maybe propose an entirely new class.”

I hadn
’t proposed a new class since I’d been hired. I’d been resigned to teaching the general education writing seminars because they’d also let me add a creative writing class that was popular with the English majors. But I was starting to get bored of the same classes each and every semester; maybe proposing a totally new class would reinvigorate my passion for teaching.

“You
. Are. Brilliant.” I leaned across the table and kissed her soundly on the mouth. She tasted like honey.

She popped another spoonful of cereal into her mouth and grinned.
“I have my moments.”

I was still sitting at the kitchen table when the front door opened a few hours later.

“You’re home,” I astutely observed.

Hunter set her bag down in the hallway and slipped out of her ugly nurse shoes. “It was slow at the hospital, so they let me go early.”

She padded back in her stocking feet to the kitchen. “Have you eaten today?” The dirty dishes from last night’s dinner continued to sit in the sink, but she didn’t point that out. I was sure she’d noticed though. My girlfriend was more Type A than even me.

“No. I’ve been working on course proposals,” I said, gesturing to the yellow legal pad in front of me.

“Think you can take a break for a picnic? I just have to clean up a bit and then we can go; a baby threw up on me.”

I
looked out the kitchen window which overlooked the street in front of the apartment building. It was overcast outside, and it might have been drizzling or at least misting. Not exactly picnic weather. “It’s a little chilly for a picnic, isn’t it?”

She gave me a carefree smile as she shed her scrubs and
disappeared into the bathroom. “Not where I’m going to take you.”

While she was in the shower I took the opportunity to change out of my pajamas.
I used to have a drawer in Hunter’s bedroom wardrobe, but because of Loryssa, I’d brought those items home since I wouldn’t be staying over until she wasn’t one of my students anymore.

Gathering up all the things I’d been keeping at Hunter’
s apartment – clothes and toiletries and even a few books – and throwing them in a duffle bag had felt like breaking up. I’d been trying so hard to create equity about which home we spent our time together, but with Loryssa as Hunter’s roommate, the balance had been spoiled once again.

Hunter
emerged from the bathroom wearing a fitted cotton sundress with a matching three-quarters length cardigan.

“Wow,” I openly admired. “
This must be a fancy picnic. I should probably change.”

I was
just in jeans and one of Hunter’s running tops. I hadn’t brought over many clothes for this stay-cation because I always looked for opportunities to wear Hunter’s things. I’d always found something intimate about wearing your partner’s clothes, even if it was just an old t-shirt or oversized sweatshirt. I loved it when she wore my sweatpants with my alma mater screen-printed on the leg. It made it feel like we’d always been together.

“
You look perfect, Ellio.” She ran her hands down the front of the dress’s skirt to fix a stubborn pleat. “I’m only wearing this because it’s still too cold for a bikini.”

I arched an eyebrow at her words.
Now I was even more curious about this picnic. But she only gave me another secretive smile as she grabbed her keys and we left the apartment.

Hunter’
s car was immaculate, inside and out. You might expect a 21-year-old’s vehicle to be littered with fast food wrappers, but Hunter didn’t eat that garbage for one, and she was too particular to leave her car a mess. She’d ended up getting a new vehicle when one of the university’s faculty had t-boned her Honda civic on campus last semester. I probably owed the guy a thank you card since the accident had been a bridge to reconnecting with Hunter after I’d basically broken up with her because of a disastrous dinner with her family.

She pulled the car to a stop in a densely forested area.
Her tires crunched on the rough gravel of a makeshift parking lot. I unfastened my seatbelt and climbed out of the car. I recognized this place. Troian had brought me here when they’d first bought the property. But I couldn’t understand why Hunter was bringing me here.

“This is Nik’s greenhouse,”
I said, thinking out loud.

Hunter’
s hand found mine and she wordlessly pulled me in the direction of the front entrance. She singled out a key on her key-ring and unlocked the door to the glass-encased structure. When we stepped inside, I was greeted with that thick, muggy air one finds in a greenhouse or bio-dome. The plants were tall and green and vibrant.

“
Nikole had planted the seedlings before Troian got the job in California,” Hunter explained. She suddenly looked shy. “She didn’t want them to die, so she asked if I’d keep an eye on them.”

“You did all of this?”
I turned in a slow circle.

I didn’
t have a brown thumb, but it certainly wasn’t green. I always said I had a yellow thumb. I could keep houseplants alive, but they weren’t always thriving.

Hunter hung back as I walked deeper into the structure. “I’
ve just been checking in on them between work and classes.”

“It’
s beautiful.” I felt the need to whisper. It felt like we were in a sacred space that I didn’t want to spoil by talking too loudly. “It’s like a tropical oasis.”

“
Exactly.” Hunter’s smile grew. “Which is why we’re here. I know you were disappointed we didn’t get to go anyplace warm or exotic for Spring Break because I had to work. So I thought this might make up for it.”

I turned to her. “Why are you so amazing?”

She ducked her head and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear – her go-to move when she was embarrassed. “It’s nothing special.”

“It’s
amazing,” I corrected her. “I love it, Hunt. I love
you
.”

She hugged herself, looking privately pleased
that she’d been able to surprise me. “I hope you’re hungry. I packed enough food to last us a week.”

We laid on our backs on a blanket in the center of the greenhouse
, bellies full and bodies content.

“Do you ever think about timing?” I said to the space above my head.

“Like what?” Hunter asked, twisting just slightly to look at me.

“Like what it took for you and I to meet.”

“Give me a for instance.”

“Well, for example, I went straight through from undergrad to grad school even though I’d thought about taking some time off to re-charge my brain after graduation. If I had done that, I wouldn’t have finished my Ph.D.
in time to apply for the job I have now. More than likely I’d be teaching someplace else. We wouldn’t have ever met.”

Hunter made a thoughtful noise.
“I think about things like that sometimes – like if I’d taken the writing seminar earlier, instead of Junior year.”

“You might ha
ve still had me as a professor,” I pointed out. “Everyone has to take that class at some point.”

“
Maybe, but you wouldn’t have pursued a relationship with a Freshman.”

“You’re right about that,” I agreed. “It was hard enough going for a second-semester Junior.”

“Well, I’m glad you did.” I saw the adoration in her eyes. It made my heart swell.

“I’m glad I did, too,” I said softly. “
This may be my favorite Spring Break ever.”

Hunter reached for me.
Her fingers curled around my forearm and she squeezed. “Even without me in a bikini?”

“Oh, I’
m still gonna get you in a bikini, love,” I assured her.

+++++

CHAPTER
TEN

I spent the remainder of Spring Break working on two course proposals and helping Hunter study for her upcoming
licensure exam. Before we’d started dating, I hadn’t known anything about what it took to be a nurse, let alone knowing the difference between those who went to programs that lasted two years or less and students, like Hunter, who received a Bachelors of Science in the field.

I was actually excited about
my new course syllabi and thinking about all the great books I’d be able to teach. One course was designed as an American
bildungsromans
or coming-of-age literature course, and the other I’d titled “The Minority Voice in Literature.” I was thrilled to be able to incorporate some of my personal favorites like Danzy Senna’s
Caucasia
, John Okada’s
No-No Boy
, or Anzia Yezierska’s
Bread Givers
,
along with undisputed classics from authors like J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, and Maya Angelou. Getting to talk about great literature with students who loved books as much as I did would be just the thing to yank me out of this teaching funk.

After Spring Break
ended, the rest of the semester went by quickly as it usually did when the weather started to get warmer. My mom was still working at the library, but she’d recently moved into Troian and Nikole’s condo, which was still up for sale. My friends were letting her live there rent-free, minus utilities, so she could keep saving money to pay off her mountain of debt. I would have been fine letting her continue to stay with me – we’d gotten into a comfortable routine and she had become appreciatively adept at making herself scarce Friday nights when Hunter stayed the night – but it was awfully nice having my house back to myself. I felt like an adult again.

The television was on and Hunter
and I were reclined on the couch. There was a glass of red wine on the coffee table next to a stack of abandoned flashcards, but all I could really focus on was the strip of naked skin where Hunter’s long-sleeved t-shirt had ridden up to expose her flat stomach and chiseled hipbones. I licked my lips before I realized what I was doing. I loved women. I loved women’s bodies. I loved the fragrance of their soft skin. And I loved this woman most of all.

Sylvia stared at me from the loveseat across the room
like she was planning on eating my face later. She was probably upset that I was taking up space on the couch that she believed belonged to her. I looked away, unwontedly intimidated; only Hunter had the patience to win a staring contest with my cat.

I picked up
a handful of flashcards from the coffee table and thumbed through them.

“
Have you given more thought to that thing we talked about over Spring Break?” Hunter didn’t look away from the television.

“What thing?” Hunter’s normally pale features were tinted pink, which gave me a pretty good indication of what she was referring to.

“If you can’
t say it, Hunter,” I said, returning the study cards to the coffee table, “we can’t do it.”

Those penetrating blue eyes that had pulled me in so many m
onths ago now stared me down. “I want to Switch.”

“Where did you hear that word?” I asked gravely. “Was it Troian?”

Hunter wet her lips. “No. I…I did some research.”

Hunter knew too well about my sexual adventu
res in previous relationships. Well, Ruby wasn’t exactly a relationship; it had been more like mutual loathing with benefits. If I could have kept that part of my past hidden from her, I would have. I wasn’t embarrassed about it, but I guess I wanted to shield her from anything that might bring her discomfort or make her feel inadequate as a partner. Sex was important, but every encounter didn’t need to be unorthodox for me to find satisfaction.

“Think of it as a graduation present to me.”

My emotions flared at the mention of her graduation. It was supposed to be an exciting moment for both of us – for her, the culminating celebration of four years of hard work, and for me it meant that I’d no longer be dating an enrolled student from my university. But instead of bringing relief, it was only causing anxiety.

“
Ellio,” she nearly whined. “I want you there.”

“
I will be there,” I stated matter-of-factly. “All the faculty will be there, dressed up in our academic regalia.”

Her
eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

“I don’t want to make things awkward,” I explained. “This is supposed to be your special day.”

“Exactly. Which is why you should be there.”

I sighed and my shoulders slumped. “Your family hasn’t exactly brought out the welcome wagon for me, Hunter.”

“You haven’t given them the opportunity,” she countered. “We had that one disaster of a dinner with my mom and brother and nothing since then.”

Hunter had reconciled with her parents after our ill-fated dinner months ago, but I had yet to see them again. Every once in a while she would make a casual comment about us getting together again, but so far I had successfully avoided a second meeting.

“We’re having dinner at the hibachi place after the ceremony. You love hibachi.”

Some people might think it a little over the top and cheesy, but there were few things that entertained me like a flaming onion volcano. “Who else will be there?” I tentatively ventured.

“Just my parents and my brother, Brian.”

I visibly cringed.

“It could be worse,” she noted with a wry grin. “My 82-year-old grandmother could be coming along, too.”

“Grandmothers love me,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m a good eater. It’s your parents who worry me.”

“Give them a chance to get to know you better, Ellio. I mean, look at what happened with me and your mom,” she pointed out. “Once they spend more time with you, they’ll love you, just like I do.”