A Mangled Affair - Part IV
I was disappointed to learn that I’d need a science credit to earn my degree at Boston University, but the lady in the registrar’s office assured me that I’d be in for a big surprise if I enrolled in a specific Geology class. I had no idea what she meant until a week later, when I met my professor.
THIS IS PART 4 of a SIX-PART STORY
Image: Kyle Peyton
Truly the best part of my crush on handsome geology professor Dabney Withers Caldwell was tooling around town, chasing after him with my best friend Madeleine, who was always up for adventure. Although the movie hadn’t come out yet, we pictured ourselves as Thelma and Louise, following whatever crazy whim possessed us and not worrying about the risk. And so we’d stick our kids in the back seat of one of our cars and go searching for fun, whether that was at a party or yard sale or even a joint shopping trip to a supermarket.
One weekend, Madeleine’s ex husband Jerome came over to my house with his son, Lukas, whom he was taking care of for the day. This was the first time I’d ever been with him and I felt slightly uneasy as I was really Madeleine’s friend. He was a nice enough guy, early thirties, dark-haired, intelligent, a little reserved. We took the kids to a wintry beach where they ran around while we sat, huddled in our thick coats, talking, talking, talking. That was what got me about Jerome: we communicated easily, never running out of things to say, always on the same wave-length. For most of my life, I’d been shy with men, getting drunk in order to loosen myself up enough to interact with them; but with Jerome communication was effortless -- I was as comfortable with him as I was with his ex, Madeleine. In fact, we had such a good time that we planned another event with the kids. I wasn’t in the slightest attracted to Jerome. He wasn’t my type, too formal, too buttoned-up, but I enjoyed his company and was glad to have a male friend.
Madeleine knew about the friendship and it was fine with her. She herself didn’t get along with Jerome, but felt strongly that it was good for her son to see the adults in his life in harmony with one another. Thus she encouraged the connection between Jerome and me.
“Wouldn’t it be funny if you two started going out,” she said. “You’re both always talking about books, so I could totally see that.”
She might see that, but I couldn’t. As I said, Jerome was fun to speak to, but simply not my type. In fact, his skinny body kind of repulsed me. One night he asked me out to dinner and I accepted gladly enough. It would be the first time we were together without kids and I didn’t think twice about it. But, as things turned out, maybe I should have.
Image: Yura Forra