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She said what a nice night it was, being able to help. Her boyfriend, Jeremy, was a student of mine at the time and that night was their 11-month anniversary of going out... the night of the month they traditionally went out to a nice dinner together. That night she could tell something was wrong, and Jeremy said there's a teacher that's in trouble, someone he really admired, someone he wished he could help. He told her of the situation, and they ended up joining the moving party. She was happy to help that night, but even more so that Jeremy was doing something he truly wanted to do, to give a hand to his favorite teacher. After telling her story to us and returning back to work, I looked at Mom and said that's what I miss about teaching. I was already humbled by Mom's assistance earlier in the day, and hearing what I'd once meant to yet another student was again bittersweet for me. My god, I miss teaching and being a part of young lives. Mom headed home later that evening, and I went out for a couple beers. I ran into Judy and went home with her for the second Saturday in a row. (I only went to make sure I wasn't a one-night stand after all.) We were there in her back yard when a pair of headlights came up the driveway... her husband. You know, I dealt with this last year... a drunken fling for an unhappily married woman... and you know now what happened then. I'd had enough disaster and heartbreak in my life and didn't need to bring about any more. We both dressed quickly and I walked around the other side of her house and made my way home. I haven't seen her since... probably a good thing. |