“Yes, you need to come, Aida. You’re my fucking wife. It would look weird if I showed up alone. You’d think you’d want to keep up your perfect marriage image.” It’s not that I want her to come with me, but I don’t feel like explaining to my colleagues why my wife isn’t with me when the event is in honor of me.

“Whatever, Stone.” She resumes her folding, silently dismissing me.

“Alright, well, I’m going to head to my office for a while and work on some stuff, then. Let me know if you need me.”

“Yup.” She waves me off, returning her attention to the hand towel she’s folding.

I end up losing myself in a book for the next couple of hours. It feels like thirty seconds have gone by, by the time I look at my clock and realize I need to head to campus if I don’t want to be late for my meeting with Cash.

It’s still sunny when I hit the road on the bike again. It’s cool enough that I need my jacket, though. I’m dropping the kickstand down in a parking spot with five minutes to spare. With my helmet in hand, I make my way into the English building. My classroom is on the second floor, so I hop on the elevator, making my way up.

Cash is waiting outside the locked classroom by the time I arrive. He’s in navy-blue joggers, a fitted white t-shirt, and a pair of all white converse. His Ray-Ban shades sit on the top of his head, and he’s wearing a gold ring on his left middle finger, which I notice he always has on.

He must hear me walk up. His head lifts, and a smile tugs on his lips. “Hey, teach.”

“Hi, Mr. DeMarco. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice.” Unlocking the door, I step aside. “Come on in.”

“So, what’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine. Professor Dillion went into labor early, so she’ll be out the rest of the semester.”

“Oh, shit. That’s awesome.” He scratches his cocked head. “What’s that got to do with me, though? I don’t have her for any of my classes.”

“No, I know that. The dean came by this afternoon and asked if we’d be willing to do the grading for that class for the rest of the semester. They found an instructor who can do the lectures, but needs someone to do the grading.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, that’s fine with me, I guess. If it’s fine with you.”

“Yup, it is. The dean’s assistant is going to give me the work that needs to be graded later this week. I’ll just keep you posted.”

“Sweet! Was that it?”