“I wish you’d drop this act and be yourself,” Fi-Fi said as Nate sat at her kitchen table sipping coffee strong enough to tar a road.
Today his grandmother was dressed in neon pink tights and a loose-fitting yellow top. She was tucked under the kitchen sink trying to fix a leak.
“I wish you’d let me do that for you,” he said, ignoring her remark.
She crawled out of the small space, rose, and wiped her hands on a rag. “Why? I’m capable of doing it myself.” She turned on the tap, ducked her head, and peered under the sink. “Leak fixed. Now, explain how your pretty teacher, looking like she’d come straight out of your bed, wound up on the net with you dressed as Nathan Harvey? Obviously, she knows your secret, because there’s no way you could use your disguise during sex without her noticing. Unless you do it doggy style, then maybe you could get away with it. But then there’s foreplay, so it would be too tricky.”
Nate groaned and covered his face with his hands. How many thirty-four-year-old men had these kinds of conversations with their grandmothers? Probably not many. He wanted to block his ears with his fingers and sing loudly enough that he couldn’t hear Fi-Fi talk about sex.
“Can we change the subject please?” he asked.
“We’re both adults here, and sex is a part of life. For a while I was getting worried you weren’t having any at all. Thank goodness for Jade. Maybe she can drag you out of your bad mood.”
Where was a sinkhole to fall into when he needed one? “I haven’t been in a bad mood,” he grumbled.
Fi-Fi lifted an eyebrow. “Yes, you have, and I know why.”
Did he even want to ask? But he did anyway, because she’d only tell him whether or not he wanted to hear it. “Why?”
“Because of your disguise. Because it’s stopping you from doing what you really want to do.”
He rubbed his hands on his thighs. “I want to play music and sing. I am doing what I love.”
“You want to sing your own songs.” She pointed a finger at him.
“They are my songs. I write most of them.”
“Yes, but they sound just like your father’s. You want to sing songs you love. Play music that inspires you and makes you happy.”
But he’d made a promise to his father to keep his music alive, and that’s what he intended to do. He finished the last of his coffee and rose. “I am happy, and I’m glad you’re looking out for me, but I have to teach a class.” He kissed Fi-Fi’s cheek. “Love you.”
He left the kitchen, but before he made it outside, he heard her call out, “Get yourself more of that teacher. She’s good for you.”
* * * *
Nate didn’t find Jade outside of the hall greeting the parents like she did every afternoon, and he had a good idea why. There seemed to be every parent, grandparent, auntie, uncle, and whatever other kind of relative lined up with the kids. He was only teaching grades one and two; there shouldn’t be that many people. He didn’t need to be Einstein to know why they were all there.
Then he saw Toby storming toward the crowd. “If you do not have a child attending music lessons, you need to leave the school grounds immediately.” He spoke in his firm, principal’s voice.
Go, Toby.
A few people shuffled their feet but didn’t move. “If I need to tell you again, I will call Brimland Point Police Department and they can escort you out.” He held out a phone like he meant business. And by the look on his face, he was deadly serious.
The crowd made their way off the grounds. But there were still a few too many people hanging around.
“You ladies,” Toby said, pointing to three girls. “I know you’re too young to be parents, and you’re too old to be students here. Unless you want me to call the police, you better leave. My finger’s about to hit the call button.”
The girls sprinted away.
Toby walked over to Nate, who was keeping a low profile in the shade of a nearby tree. “Because of you I’ve had to patrol the school today. Do you know how many kids have forgotten their lunches and the parents have dropped them in?” When Nate shook his head, he continued. “A fucking shitload. I have better things to do with my time. Fix this mess.”
If only he could. “This will blow over in a couple of days, and it will be old news.”
“You better hope so,” Toby grumbled. He stormed away and ushered the kids inside the building. Instead of the parents leaving like they normally did and picking up their kids when class was over, they hovered around the door.
Ducking his head, Nate quickly went inside, carefully making sure no one recognized him.
He found Jade pacing at the back of the hall. He told the kids to select their instruments and make as much noise as possible. They cheered, and a catastrophic sound filled the room. Enough noise for him to talk with Jade and not be heard.