Chapter 20

The day of the school dance had finally arrived. They were celebrating the end of winter and the coming of spring. Any reason was a good reason for an event in Middletown.

When Jenny wheeled into the gym, she was impressed by how hard the dance committee must have worked all week. They had gone all the way with the whole End of Winter concept. Hundreds of tiny paper snowflakes—some white, some shimmering with tinfoil, glitter, sequins, and anything else that could be made to sparkle—hung on fishing wire from the ceiling of the gym. Powdery soap flakes of fake snow drifted into the corners of the gym, and twinkling white lights fell in strands from the risers.

Liam looked around in awe, wearing a wide smile. He was impressed by what he saw. It was the first town event he attended.

Andrew had offered to drive Liam to Middletown since he also gave classes at Middletown High.

“You’re a substitute teacher, you don’t need to attend,” Liam had told him.

“It’s better than staying home alone,” Andrew had said.

Most of the drive was uneventful, but Andrew kept silent. He looked as if he had something in his mind. Liam decided not to push him about what it might be. They weren’t that close.

“I’m going to talk with the DJ,” Liam told Andrew.

“Okay,” Andrew said. He looked nervous, uncomfortable even.

Liam approached the DJ, gave the guy a USB drive, and explained to him what he wanted him to do. The DJ nodded, and assured Liam it wouldn’t be a problem.

Jenny scanned the gymnasium, past the dance floor, and spotted Liam. A man was standing at his side.

“Hi, Jenny, you look lovely,” Liam said, approaching her. “Sorry I’m late,” He pointed at the man at his side, and said, “It’s his fault. He was late to pick me up. Jenny, meet Andrew Collins, a colleague of mine in Tacoma.”

“Good to meet you, Jenny,” Andrew said, leaning down and extending his hand.

Jenny disliked Andrew immediately. He was outright staring at her, not bothering to hide his pity. There was something else in his expression that she couldn’t identify.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she lied. Then, there was a quiver of recognition on her face. “You teach here, Andrew, right?”

“That’s right. Being a substitute teacher I’m not guaranteed a job every day from one district, so I registered in several districts. That’s why I also work in Tacoma.”

“I understand,” Jenny said. Andrew was still staring at her. She was beginning to get upset with him.

“When Liam commented he was attending an event in Middletown, I offered to drive with me. I didn’t know he knew someone from here. May I ask how you two know each other?” Andrew asked.

“Jenny is my girlfriend,” Liam explained, winking at her. Jenny blushed. “We met online, chatted for a while, and then we decided to meet in person.”

“I see,” Andrew said. It was not the kind of reaction Liam expected from his colleague.

There was an awkward silence after that.

Andrew finally broke it to say, “If you excuse me, I’m going to mingle.” And he quickly moved away from the couple.

“What was that?” Liam exclaimed.

“To put it mildly, your friend was displeased by this news,” Jenny said. “Or maybe by me.”

“Not my friend, just a colleague. Please, ignore him. Don’t let him ruin our night.”

“Are you sure you still want to do this?” Jenny asked Liam.

“I’m positive. They are going to love us.”

A couple approached them, and Jenny smiled at them.

“Liam, let me introduce to you my friend, Georgina, and her husband, Daniel.”

“Hi, I’m Georgina Eastland.” She smiled and extended her hand to Liam. “You must be the one who has Jenny smiling.”

Georgina was all curves. She was wearing a red dress and heels that made her stand out from the crowd. She had a friendly smile.

Liam shook her hand. “I’m Liam Craig, Jenny’s boyfriend, nice to meet you.”

“It’s about time,” Georgina said, her smile turning bigger this time. Then, she gestured next to her. “This is my husband, Daniel Cohen.”

Daniel was a skinny, nerdy-looking man with glasses. Liam liked him immediately.

Both men shook hands. Then, Daniel wrapped his arms tight around his wife and held her close.

“Talk about a mismatched couple,” Liam thought. Then, he realized that Jenny and he could look that way to others.

“What do you do for a living, Mr. Craig?” Daniel asked.

“I’m a music teacher. You?”

“If I say I work with computers, people think – Yuck, brains, programmers, someone who cannot add two and two without a calculator ... I prefer to call myself a wordsmith who specializes in using computers ‘in front of the screen’. After all, a good driver does not have to be able to build the car,” Daniel explained. “It’s a good field of expertise.”