"That's all for today, class. I'll see you Monday." Mattie turned on the overhead lights and smiled at her students as they gathered up their books and notebooks and slowly filed out of her classroom.
"Hi, Professor Shaw."
"Matthew, what a surprise. It's so good to see you." Mattie turned toward her former student as he walked toward her desk and gave him a warm hug as he approached her desk.
"I shouldn't be on campus." Matthew admitted. "I could be arrested again, actually."
"Why are you risking that?"
"I just wanted to tell you in person that I've been drafted."
"Oh no, Matthew..." she sighed as she eyed him worriedly.
"I report next week." His voice was muted. "I just wanted to thank you for looking out for me...for us, during the protests. " She nodded. "You were the only one. Everyone else is afraid for their jobs, I guess. It meant a lot to us. I want you to know that."
"I've been so worried, Matthew, and I've wondered what you've been doing since you left Brooksford."
"Well, I was hired for a retail job, but heard my draft number called out over the radio before I could start work," he laughed derisively. "My parents seem really proud that I'll be in the service and heading over there. It's hard for me to understand that."
"There are still a lot of Americans that support the war," she sighed. "I'll be thinking about you, Matthew. Please keep in touch."
"May I write to you while I'm over there?"
She studied his face. What a serious and intelligent young man, and what a bright future he'd had before him, and now he was going to war...to face unimaginable horrors. She felt tears spring to her eyes.
"Of course, Matthew. I would love to hear from you." She blinked back the tears. "I also want you to come visit me again when your tour is over." She saw his expression darken. She wrote her address on a piece of paper on her desk and handed it to him.
"I will." He stared at her, his blue eyes grave as he took the slip of paper and put it in his jacket pocket. "Well, I need to leave before I'm found on campus." He took a deep breath. "Thank you again, Professor Shaw."
"Thank you, Matthew, for your upcoming service." Mattie hugged him. "I'll think about you every day. Please stay safe." She smiled, but this time, she had to wipe away a tear, as he nodded solemnly at her, then turned and walked toward the door, looking to his left and right before entering the hallway.
Mattie sat down at her desk, and opened a drawer, taking out a box of tissues. She pulled one out and wiped her eyes as the tears flowed for her student, who she knew, had a hard road ahead of him. She wouldn't think about his odds of surviving a tour of duty in Vietnam, or the chances of his incurring a major injury if he did survive. She knew that there had to be several other students from Brooksford already on their way over to the war-torn country, but Matthew was the only one from her classes that she was aware of. There was nothing she could do but hope that he made it back. He had such promise. He would be a good man. But, she'd seen him as a student, a teenager with hopes and dreams, and the government saw him as a man, capable of going to war, whether that was his choice or not. It was not right. It wasn't. She believed that now with her whole heart, and she wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath, determined to stay positive, and only consider when he'd return home, not if. She exhaled and focused on getting her materials ready for her next class. That was all she could do.