Chapter 10
English Class
Hayden stayed in his study for several hours to let Star rest. He looked over his balcony while watching her curled up and nestled under some blankets and large pillows. He felt such a warm place in his heart for her and enjoyed being around her. It had been years since he had a tender thought about anyone, much less a woman.
He was such a disaster for so many years after his wife died, and Red Fish was his hiding place. Riley knew it as much as anyone. When his wife, Crystal, was alive, they never stopped doing and being part of the fabric of the Sewanee community. It was hard to describe their involvement in each other and life, except to call it love for both. There was so much life in their beginning as well as their time together. Their beginning started with an dangerous escape from China when they were missionaries soon after the rapture—Crystal was a medical missionary while Hayden was doing a teaching mission just after graduating from High School. It never stopped, excitement, life, and a great fulfillment in everything they did together as new Christians in the new believer age.
Her death left him with feelings of betrayal and remorse. He was angry for a long time. He had to admit that he produced some of his most famous political pieces while in that state of mind. For the first five years after she died, he didn't do anything except write and live off the royalties. He wouldn't even go out of Red Fish to get provisions. They were either shipped in, or Riley got them. Riley convinced him to seek the political science professorship at Chattanooga UT. He insisted on it, and it really became his first real stretch beyond the Red Fish walls.
Star struck a deep chord in him. It was her energy for life. She seemed so vibrant. Then, there was this almost complete circle of her past to his passion of history, in particular, her history, which made him believe they were supposed to meet. In a giddy way, he thought, "Why not?"
It was as if they were predestined and at Red Fish on purpose, and maybe, being together was that purpose. He shook his head to knock his daydream cells loose and started to consider such thoughts were just his writer's imagination. Of course, she wouldn't make it through the first day of school without getting hit on by dozens of students and teachers. What made him think that she would like hanging out with him? Then in a joyous moment, he thought again, "Why not?" He could just hear Riley, now, with Star being Riley's English professor, then letting her see Red Fish; that would make a big hit, not.
It was late in the afternoon when he went down to check on her. As he walked to her couch, he noticed that she had goose bumps on a bare shoulder, and he pulled the blanket up around her. Instinctively, without hesitation, he kissed his finger and placed it gently on her forehead. As he did, she smiled slightly and cuddled deeper into the pillows, then he turned and walked back to his study: she opened her eyes and smiled to herself.
She said to herself, "I love this man's gentleness."
Thirty minutes later, she got up and stretched, then noticed Hayden watching her. He must have heard her rustling. She also noticed him zeroing in on her stretch, with her pants barely hanging on her small hips, she revealed her brightly colored belly button with the best body-art shades—the newest, harmless fad of her century. She often thought about the moves women make; and in her opinion, a sensuous stretch was probably one of the strongest messages known to man—for her the wrong message. Embarrassed, she pulled her shirt down modestly and waved at him.
"You have a nice nap?" he asked as he walked slowly down the stairs towards her.
"Yes, great catnap," she answered. "Was I snoring? My sister says I snore."
"You mean, Day? Twin, right?" he asked.
"Twin, actually. Identical twin. Except, the blonde place in her hair is on the other side. Funny, isn't it?"
"I knew you had a sister, but I almost forgot about the twin stuff. I remember now. No wonder they called her Day and you Star, Daystar, right?" he commented as he grabbed the blanket and pillows to carry them back upstairs.
"Look, I'm already messing up your beautiful house," she replied while smiling at his neatness, but his neatness was from nervousness; he was a slight pig when left alone.
"You do nothing but adorn my house. My house is already smiling because you're here. I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that," he spoke, embarrassed for it.
"Don't. I feel that your house has made me happier too. Why not? I think I do the same for it and you," she said as she smiled seductively at him and hating herself for it—feeling a little too manipulative.
"Yes, and for me," he spoke quietly.
"I need to get back. My electricity should be on shortly. I have to get ready for that first class. Shall I be tough on your boy or easy?"
He didn't answer her Riley question since he had his own agenda, "Can we visit together? I mean, do you want to come back and take another nap?" he asked nervously.
"We can visit. I'm in your class, you know. Let's just see about coming back. I'd like to feel I could. This place seems safe to me. I need a place to hide away from everything. Let's just see, okay?" she answered as she knew she wanted to move more slowly, more from being practical and cautious than her own feelings. Abigail wouldn’t have liked that answer, but this was her life not hers.
"There's hope in that, I think," he replied, smiling.
"Yes, there's hope in that," she answered, then kissed her finger, and put it on his forehead while he blushed pleasantly.
"I'll find my way out. See you in class on Wednesday," she answered.
“Oh, I guess you saw I had motor bike in the garage to make it to class, right?”
“Of course, nice ride,” she commented, not turning around as she waved and left.
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English Class
Star prepared her syllabus until late in the night. She wanted the first day of class to be just business to set the tone. She had no intentions of letting a class of seminarians run all over her. If they did what they were told and on time, they would pass. She hadn't heard from Day, but hoped she kept her promise about warning Riley.
She was still beaming from the Red Fish experience and kept her imagination to a slow tilt while trying not to let herself become anymore infatuated with Hayden than she already was. She still wanted to talk with Day about going another direction. It was more of a way to rid herself of the guilt of what she considered her purposed entrapment of Hayden, than anything. She picked up a morning paper and walked the four blocks to the seminary building. She went to administration, and the chancellor took her to her classroom.
He warned her, "Don't let the seminarians get an upper hand. They're on the last leg of their education and know it. No breaks! Especially, that Riley kid! If he doesn't make the 4.0, don't let him by, no extra credit to make up for it," he spoke, almost angrily.
"I beg your pardon? Do you have a personal problem with Riley or something?" she asked, not knowing any of the history.
"I'm sorry, I'm letting my feelings for his dad, Hayden, get in the way. Hayden and I had a falling out years ago. He just sits up in his big Red Fish castle taking potshots at us here below. He and I just had some disagreements about how liberal we were acting at our school. He even wrote a piece about the new liberals. Man, he brought down the heat on us so much that we just about had to close our doors. Nowadays, you're conservative and biblically based, or you're out. Our college has always been just the opposite; at least, before the Reign of Peace. Everything is upside down, now. Makes it hard on us old-timers. We remember when being liberal was vogue, not the scourge of the earth," he answered even more angrily.
"Chancellor, are you talking about those lifestyle-rights issues of the 20th Century?" she asked skeptically while getting a little frightened by his honesty.
"Well, of course, being liberal includes all those wonderful liberating ideas and lifestyles," he pronounced proudly.
She did not want to hear anymore, nor want to know more about what he really meant. This kind of talk was a
lmost offensive and certainly contrary the principles of holiness she was raised with.
"Sir, I don't think we need to be talking about this. I'm on Hayden's side. If he said you were liberal, and you certainly are talking like one, then you are, aren't you? I'm not!" she fired back at him.
"You sure aren't a team player, Miss Tabor! How can I count on you to do your job if you don't cooperate with the chancellor?" he asked sarcastically while trying to belittle her.
"We need this conversation to end. I'm not going to be blackballed by heretical opinions against Yeshua. You said it right. My name is Miss Tabor. Now, think again, what I just said. Has it been so long ago that the Christian Alliance Party elected Alex Tabor the President of the United States? Do I have to remind you who my father was, and what he stood for? This conversation is over, Chancellor!"
"Oh, my gosh! How in the world did you get this job? No one told me about your father. I should have caught it. I know exactly what he stood for. You're a chip off his old block. You're a Bible thumping, fundamentalist conservative. I'll wring someone's neck for letting you in here!" he spoke defiantly.
"Thanks for the great encouragement my first day on the job, but it's too late now. Your board gave me a five-year contract with no bailout provision on your side. If you continue with your liberal bantering, I'll report you to Jerusalem myself! Do you understand?" she shot back at him as she placed her books on the desk and spoke to him with one hand on her hip and waving a finger in his face with the other.
There was a loud applause by ten students behind him who had been listening from the hall. The chancellor turned red faced and marched out as he pushed students out of way. Star bowed to the applauding audience coming into class.
"Bravo! Bravo!" shouted Riley with the others joining him.
"Stop it, Riley, will you?" she finally said as she walked up to him.
Chad, a friend of Riley's, asked mystified, "You know this teacher, Riley?" Chad was shocked at how beautiful she was.
"I've met her sister before. Her twin sister, that's all, right, Star?" he said just taunting her, both of them knowing they couldn't let on anymore.
"My sister told me to be on the look out for you. She said you were a troublemaker," she fired back and returned to her desk.
Chad replied, "She's got your number, Riley. You'll not make a 4.0 in this class. They'll be sending me to Jerusalem, not you, old boy."
"If any of you makes a 4.0, it's because you earned it. I only look at grades, nothing more. If that works for either of you, then fine, if not, it's fine, too. I’ve got a job for the next five years so I don't care."
The class settled down as she went over the class rolls. Riley kept staring at her and couldn't tell an inch of difference between them except for the hair, even their mannerisms were the same, and it was bothering him. For the rest of the class, he remained quiet and slightly depressed. He was looking at the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with, and it wasn't really her. He was missing his Day so much that he almost got up and left halfway through, but Jerusalem called to him too strongly.
After class, he stayed behind while fumbling slowly with his books and notes on purpose. He walked slowly up to Star and shook her hand. He replied sadly, "This was one of the hardest days of my life. Day told me about you yesterday, but nothing prepared me. My father and the administration can't know about Day and me. That chancellor would rather die than let another conservative believer like me go to Jerusalem. It would and will kill him, because I am going. I'm taking Day with me too. As soon as the graduation grades are released, and I get my Jerusalem assignment confirmed, we're getting married. You knew about some of this, didn't you?" he replied, then hung his head and looked dejected.
She almost reached out to hug him for comfort but changed her mind. She had to keep her distance. "I know my sister loves you very much. I just hope I can find someone as wonderful one of these days. I'm proud to call you family, Riley. Don't let my looks bother you. I could tell it did. Just think of me as that tough English professor that makes your life miserable. That should give you better view of the real me right now."
"Got that right! What a work schedule. Have you talked to Day, lately?" he asked as he felt better from talking about her.
"No, not since last Friday. I was afraid she wanted me to help her move. Just kidding. I don't have a phone in the old Tabor place, yet. The whole place is mine now. I bought it from the University. Just got electricity late yesterday afternoon."
"I guess you met my father, huh?" he asked as he watched her face carefully for a judgment; he got one as she lit up and smiled.
"Yes, yes, he's great! I'm already enjoying his class," she responded and tried to hide her feelings, but couldn't.
"Oh, no! You like him, don't you? I can tell! This world is getting too mixed up for me. I'm not even going to tell him. I don't want him getting a big head. Does he know about Alex, yet? You know, he's a historical, political freak about memoirs. He'll pester you to death about historical details. Watch out!"
"Don't worry about me. I can handle Hayden," she commented, then looked at her watch. She had another class over at the University of the South, and following lunch, she was teaching at the High School Academy, Saint Andrews. It was all under the seminary contract.
"You're already calling him Hayden too. I'm in trouble. I can feel it coming. I don't even want to speculate. I'm going to the dorm and take a nap."
"Nap. Naps are nice," she replied with her mind drifting away and thinking about Hayden's finger kiss, then rubbed her forehead and smiled.
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