Tenure Track (40 page)

Lewis entered the bedroom rolling the pencil around in his fingers as Mandy emerged from the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. “So,” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me that Rick Benedict was your stepfather?” She looked slightly unbalanced as he held up the writing instrument. “I remembered seeing his photograph in your room. At the time I couldn’t place him. Is he the one you’re working for this summer?”

“
Yeah,” she answered, ferociously combing through the wet hair as if her life depended on it.

He wasn’t angry that she hadn’t told him, just curious. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She looked right through him. “I told you, he’s not my father. Momma only married him five years ago. Sometimes people get a little weird when they find out who he is. Since we’re not really close, there’s no reason to mention it.”

“
Okay,” he replied. “Fair enough. Hey, at least he’s giving you a job for the summer.”

She finished her combing. “It’s good experience for me, that’s all.” She debated whether to mention that she had told Rick she was bringing a male friend to the farm, but decided against it. Right now she did not want any reminders of parental units. Throwing off her bathrobe, she stood directly in front of Lewis. “I gave the yardmen the day off. Wanna do some nude sunbathing by the pool?”

The offer had the desired effect of halting Lewis’s questions. “As long as you make sure my privates don’t get sunburned,” he teased, chasing her to the pool as he shed his own clothing.

Later on, as they lay uncovered in the sunshine, fully slathered with SPF 50, he could not resist bringing up the subject again. Mandy was lying on her back, trying to rest. Lewis flipped over onto his stomach, leaned up on one elbow, and jokingly asked. “Hey isn’t your stepdad a big supporter of No Fraternization? I wonder what he’d think of this.”

She squinted at him through her dark, oversized sunglasses. “Does it matter?”

“
Only if he finds out, I guess.”

“
So he won’t find out,” she insisted. “Don’t ask, don’t tell. Besides, technically I’m not a student right now.”

“
Ah, spoken like a future lawyer.” She smiled in response. “But you will be a student again in August,” he pointed out. “What’re we going to do then?”

“
That’s three months away. We might be sick of each other by then, so don’t worry about it.” With that, she sat up, leaned over, and kissed him deeply. “I’m hot,” she whispered. “Wanna play in the pool?” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him in the water, which quickly became hotter than the sunshine above.

Back home, they settled into a regular routine of seeing each other almost every day and texting often. She usually spent the night at his house, though some nights he stayed at hers. They had privacy either way, as the housemates were rarely around. Blanca was only home on Friday and Saturday nights, working as a counselor at a nearby summer camp Sunday mornings through Friday afternoons. Julie was spending June and July at a naval nurses training program. Gus had landed a role in the latest Rodriguez movie as a one-legged hitman. He actually had three lines of dialogue, a step up from a grunting zombie. Between the movie and his other projects, he seemed to come home only to change clothes and catch a few quick naps.

Mandy started her job at the capitol, mostly conducting research on public policy issues for staff and mailing out voter surveys. Rick was rarely in the office. Since the legislature was not currently in session he spent most of this time in the Metroplex and on the campaign trail for party members facing reelection. Despite, or perhaps because of, the nepotism behind her hiring, Mandy took her job very seriously. She had purchased a new professional-looking wardrobe which, combined with an updo and more refined makeup, made her look at least five years older. The first time Lewis saw her leave in the morning, he commented that she looked ready to step into a courtroom. He found the look very enticing.

For his part, Lewis taught a couple of summer courses that met every day, while working to revise his book using Mandy’s research. He hoped to have a contract before the final vote on his tenure that fall. Rather than being distracted by his new romance, he found himself energized. He worked diligently throughout the day, trying to maximize his time so that when he was with Mandy he could focus entirely on her and not think about work. He had never had that freedom with Laura, so intertwined had been their personal and professional lives.

Lewis sometimes worried that he might be smothering Mandy, since they spent so much of their free time together. She merely pointed out that, without her housemates around, she had more free time to spare. Occasionally she would go out with fellow interns for a happy hour or have a Saturday girls’ night out with Blanca, but mostly she was enjoying her time with him. Once she joked that as soon as the housemates were back and school began, she would have no time for him. It was one of the few times they ever mentioned the fall.

By July, both had chosen to stop thinking about the inevitable. They spent the Fourth apart, with Mandy flying out to see Julie, and Lewis visiting his older brother, then went to the coast together for a few days. Larry found an island bed and breakfast that had some open rooms during the week, including a romantic room overlooking a peaceful bay. Mandy talked him into trying kite boarding and windsurfing, but that was the extent of his daring adventures.

It was on this trip that Mandy took the soon-to-be-infamous photo. She had risen early one morning and already returned from a run before Lewis awoke from his slumber. Seeing him lying in bed half-covered, full and erect, with the morning sun beaming down on his body, he looked like a statue from antiquity, celebrating the male form. Mandy quietly observed for awhile before deciding to capture the moment in time: the moment she realized that she was in love with Lewis.

Of course, she had to share with her girlfriends, so she sent the photo to Julie and Blanca almost immediately after saving it. Lewis never even realized she had taken it.

Chapter 21

Consequences

February arrived with a cool blast of arctic air, followed by a quick-thawing warm front. Throughout campus, human behaviors were following suit. With the mediation complete, Katherine withdrew her complaint against Lewis. All parties seemed relieved and satisfied that the crisis had apparently passed.

Jane was still dealing with security issues around Hammond. Following their evaluation, campus police issued a memo suggesting all faculty use laptops and remove them when their offices were unoccupied. For some older professors still struggling with the transition from typewriters to computers, the idea of lugging one around did not go over well.

Lewis was feeling much more content since the mediation. There was still the matter of his postponed tenure review, but he felt pretty confident about it now that he had a second book contract and this personal matter was resolved. He still ached for Mandy, but his brain told him that he had done the right thing. Still, he often caught himself looking for her on campus, hoping he would get the chance to say “hi” and show he was sincere about being friendly. But he had not seen any sign of her since their conference.

One afternoon, while taking a quick lunch break with a visiting Clint, Lewis picked up the daily newspaper he had tucked into his satchel that morning. A story in the entertainment section caught his eye. It was a familiar face, dressed in a wife-beater T-shirt that fully displayed battle scars, standing on his only leg in a deserted theater.
Gus. My buddy Gus.

The article was a combination of art and human interest story. Gus Gomez was starring in an updated version of Lanford Wilson’s classic play
Fifth of
July,
about a gay Vietnam vet and former teacher who lost both legs in war. In the revised version, the main character is a gay Iraqi War vet who lost one leg in combat. The article noted that in the original productions, able-bodied actors usually played the role as if the character was supported by prosthetic legs. In this version, Gus’s real-life war wounds were incorporated into the story for greater realism. Other small details and dialogue had been changed to make the play a reflection on post-9/11, more than post-Vietnam, society.

The reporter noted that this was Gus’s first theatrical production, listing his extensive film credits as various one-legged Mexican soldiers, hitmen and zombies, as well as his aspirations to make movies. The reporter noted that the vet had completed a screenplay inspired by his own wartime experiences and was hoping that this production would generate greater interest in his script.

Lewis smiled as he read. It was so like Gus to take advantage of any opportunity for career advancement. The article also included information that Lewis did not know, such as the details of the day Gus’s unit was hit by an IED that killed three fellow Marines and left him in a coma for two months. In the article, Gus recounted waking up to realize that his right leg and testicle were both gone. “I thought my life was over, you know?” the ex-Marine was quoted as saying. In all the months that Lewis had known Gus, the usually loquacious young man never explained exactly how he lost his leg and Lewis always thought it impolite to ask. Yet Gus opened up to the reporter, talking about the daily regime he followed and the hours of physical therapy he still endured, along with bowel and bladder problems that four surgeries had not been able to completely correct.

In the article Gus also talked about the challenges of playing a gay man, admitting that he at first felt uncomfortable with one scene in which he kisses the actor playing his lover. “But then I realized, when you close your eyes, lips are just lips. You do what you gotta do to put beans and rice on the table. You know what I’m saying?” Lewis chuckled reading that line, recalling Gus’s fast-spoken expression. It was comforting to see that some things never changed.

Lewis stopped by Sheila’s’ office on the pretense of visiting with Clint. Before she could respond, the dog hopped into her lap to cover her face with wet, sloppy kisses, much to her delight. “I think he prefers you,” Lewis commented.

“
No, you are his parent, the one who must raise him. I’m just the Aunty who gets to spoil him. I get the fun part and let you deal with the ramifications.” She chuckled in delight at the thought as Clint hopped down and sat obediently beside his master.

“
Well, he wanted to say ‘hi’ to his favorite aunty. He also wondered if you had seen this.” He handed her the article.

She nodded. “Curious. Ms. Dejean sold me two tickets for opening night, but as it turns out, my husband will be occupied. Would you like to accompany me, Dr. Burns?”

He grinned widely, “I would be delighted, Dr. Stevens.”

The following evening they sneaked into the theater just before the opening curtain. The small U-shaped arena ensured there was not a bad seat in the packed house. Lewis and Sheila sat high up on the left side of the stage, which was set up to represent a Fourth of July barbeque.

His eyes scanned the crowd until he spotted Mandy sitting in the front row next to Blanca and Julie. Occasionally he could glimpse her profile, but she never turned completely around where she could see him. She looked good: happy and relaxed. It was nice to see her in an upbeat mood again.

The curtain rose and there sat Gus behind a desk, his unscarred profile turned to the audience. The first time he moved out from behind the desk to reveal his wounds, there were audible gasps throughout the room. Very quickly, however, the power of the dialogue and performances overcame the shock gimmick and the audience came to accept the realism of the character and actor. Gus was very good, reflecting the weariness and subtle fear of a man scared to return to his pre-war existence. The first act ended with the strapping young man playing Gus’s lover carrying him offstage. It was a powerful and touching moment.

As the curtain fell for intermission, Sheila excused herself to go to the ladies’ room as Lewis tried to find a hiding place. Blanca caught sight of him first and nudged the other two women as he futilely tried to escape their line of sight. Mandy’s face went blank when she saw him dashing out the door. The theater foyer was rather small, offering few corners in which to avoid recognition. A haze of smoke from a patio offered refuge. Lewis decided it was better to endure second-hand puffs than the glares of three angry women.

Mandy was determined not to let him get away that easily. Just as he thought he had found a safe niche, she approached him. He could not tell from her expression whether she was pleased or upset by his presence. He glanced around uneasily for her posse, but did not see either roommate.

True to his promise, he tried to be polite. “Sorry, I hope you don’t mind that I came. Dr. Stevens asked me to accompany her.”

Mandy assured him she didn’t object. “Gus was worried the house would be empty.”

“’
Looks like a good crowd,” Lewis observed. “He’s doing a great job so far, don’t you think?”

“
Yeah, he’s terrific!” she agreed. “He’s been so uptight about this. It’s been good for him, but it’s rough, too. He acts tough, but this stuff really drains him. Plus, he and Julie broke up.”

“
Really?” Lewis was genuinely surprised.

Mandy rolled her eyes. “Well, officially, they’re broken up, but still friends. But, FWBs, ya know? Gus was supposed to move to the couch, but most nights he’s either out ‘til dawn or in Julie’s room. I think they only split up to take the pressure off and let him screw around.”