Tenure Track (51 page)

Mandy silently stood toe to toe in front of Lewis. “I got your gift,” she finally said. “And the letter. . . . And I saw the video.” He readied himself, bracing for either a slap or a kiss. “The letter was really nice. The song sucked, but the letter was nice.”

He began to let out a sigh of relief, until she continued. She took his right hand, placing the ring in his palm. Disappointment showed in his crestfallen face.

But Mandy was not finished. “The class ring thing is for high school. ‘Next time, put out for a diamond. Plus, Gus needs a finale. Give ‘em the money shot, Lewis.” Fully comprehending her meaning, Lewis smiled and took her hands as they readied for their close-up.

“
Score!” Gus mouthed, pumping his free fist in the air.

Gus spent the rest of the day getting the video finale of “In the House” posted. Over the next few days it became one of the biggest viral videos on the Web, drawing even more viewers to previous webisodes. By the following Sunday night, even Gary Jones had received a link from one of his many Internet “friends.” He immediately forwarded it on to Jane, with the introductory message, “We need to do some damage control!”

“
Oh, great!” she muttered, clueless as to what the crisis
du jour
might be. Upon recognizing the people in the video, she felt blood drain from her entire body. She could not tell if the thing was real or had just been staged for the audience. Either way, that was definitely Lewis Burns, barely dressed, performing what was either a very romantic gesture or cheap erotica, depending on your point of view.

From a filmmaking standpoint, the final production was quite moving. Gus’s addition of a soundtrack and careful editing enhanced the emotional build-up to the lovers’ reunion, as Lewis dramatically got down on one knee and declared his devotion to Mandy, then sealed the deal with one very hot kiss. As a piece of entertainment, it was the best work ever from Nana’s Boys Productions. As a reflection on Jane’s department, however, the Chair was unimpressed.

How could he be so stupid!
She found herself thinking once again.
Does he enjoy committing professional suicide?
She started to pick up the telephone to call him that moment, but instead decided to sleep on it so as not to overreact. However, her anger subsided very little by dawn.

The next morning she called Lewis before heading to campus. The professor was still in bed, but awake, basking in the glow of the most glorious weekend of his life. He had been expecting her call.

She was brief and to the point. “Lewis, Jane Roardan. I need to see you first thing this morning. Meet me in my office at 8 a.m. Sharp!”

“
Sure,” he replied, lazily scratching his curly head. Clicking the phone shut, he turned to Mandy, who was lying naked next to him. “I’ve been summoned to the principal’s office.”

Mandy raised up and leaned a cheek against his bare shoulder. “Want me to go with you?”

“
Nah, I’m a big boy, I can handle it.” He took her left hand in his and kissed the ring she had accepted a few days earlier. Mandy had already faced her own music when they broke the news to her parents. Typically, Darryl had been understanding, but cautious, advising Lewis to not blow his second chance while once again mentioning his prison connections. Katherine, as expected, hit the roof. Surprisingly, Rick helped out his stepdaughter by advising his wife to back off and trust Mandy to make her own decisions. He had no intention of turning her personal life into a political issue, though if anyone else brought it up, he planned to fall back on the Sarah Palin defense: supportive, but not responsible for his stepchild’s behavior.

Breaking the news to the BFFs had gone better than expected. Of course, Gus already knew, but Julie and Blanca both admitted they figured things would end this way. Even Blanca had been surprisingly quick to welcome him back into the fold, albeit with an added warning that he could expect her to “go ghetto” on him if he messed up again. After facing those flames, nothing, not even the dread of meeting with Jane, could ruin the ecstasy that Lewis and Mandy experienced in being back together.

Lewis felt like a high school student as he and Mandy arrived on campus together, walking across the Commons hand in hand. There would be no more hiding. No more shame. He kissed her on the cheek as she went into the main library, wishing him well with his meeting.

Jane was already pacing as he neared the office and spied Isobel encamped at her sentry post. “Good morning, Izzy!” Lewis beamed, not bothering to knock as he walked through Jane’s door. The alpha dog glared at him intently, to no apparent effect.

“
What can I do you for, Jane? Wanna congratulate me on my semi-engagement? I hear it’s a big hit with our fanbase,” he beamed.

She shook her head in disgust, closing the door behind him. “You do realize what this means, don’t you? There’s no way I can save you now.”

“
I don’t need saving,” he replied, confidently plopping himself in a chair. “Look, I made a mistake, but not the one you think. My mistake was in ending a great relationship because it might hurt my career. But you know something, maybe this career isn’t worth saving. I’d rather be happy.”

“
But why be so public about it?” she demanded. “You aren’t just having an affair, you’re thumbing your nose at the university, practically daring us to fire you!”

Lewis stared at Jane, interpreting her true motives very clearly. “That’s what you’re really concerned with, isn’t it—appearances? If we hid our relationship, everything would be okay, wouldn’t it?”

Dr. Roardan had no response.

“
I’m sorry, Jane, but that would cheapen it. I’m not a Horndog Harry or Don the Juan.” She gave him a shocked look. “Oh, I know about Horndog, we all do. How many students do you think he’s molested since last summer? Everybody knows what happens when he shuts that door, but you don’t do anything about it.”

“
Those stories are just rumors. There has never been a formal complaint filed against Dr. Gould,” she shot back defensively.

“
You know that’s because he picks his victims carefully,” Lewis said. “He’s a skilled predator. He knows who’ll tell and who won’t, or somehow grooms or threatens them so that they don’t tell. Yet we all turn the other way. No complaints, no problems. But isn’t that who No Fraternization was supposed to target? Mandy and I are two adults who fell in love. Unfortunately, that violates a university rule, and we’re both too honest to lie about it. Hell, we were too ethical to act on our feelings until we could hide behind the technicality that she wasn’t taking classes. The irony is, the rule punishes honest people and rewards the dishonest. So who’s it really protecting?”

Before Jane could respond, he stood to leave. “Look, here’s the deal. Obviously, I don’t give a flying crap about tenure now. I’ll be in town until Mandy graduates next year, so I can still cover my scheduled classes if you need me to, but I’ll happily clear out at the end of this semester if you’d prefer.”

“
What will you do, professionally?” she asked blankly.

“
I could do nothing,” he said. “I’m not hurtin’ for money, but I have a number of things in the works. I’m going to be helping my little brother on a new book project and I’ll be taking on a larger role in my family’s foundation. Mandy’s planning on going to law school after graduation, so I’ll follow along wherever she winds up. I love teaching, but I can do that anywhere. Who knows? Maybe I’ll wind up teaching high school or adult literacy or something. There’s always a need. Anyway, let me know if you want me to cover some classes while I’m still around.”

“
Is that it?” she asked indignantly.

“
I think so,” he grinned, heading towards the door. He turned the handle, but just after opening it, spun around to face her again. “Ya know, I just can’t resist one parting observation. While we’re at it about inconsistencies in enforcing rules, I’d like to know what kind of blackmail photos Perry Waters had on you that made you defend his politically incorrect behavior for all those years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you finally had the come-to-Jesus meeting with him, but it was long overdue.”

“
What’s that suppose to mean?” she asked.

“
It means you’re a hypocrite,” he said bluntly before slamming the door behind him and cheerfully waving goodbye to Isobel.

That evening as her entire family enjoyed a rare dinner out together at an Italian restaurant, Jane continued to rant about Lewis’s actions and comments. By this time both twins had viewed the infamous “In the House” finale and developed their own opinions on it, mostly positive. “Chill, Mom,” Dennis advised. “I thought girls liked all that romantic stuff.”

“
Yeah, I thought it was cool,” Dana piped up. “As long as they’re happy, who cares?”

“
I
have
to care,” Jane noted, “Since I’m his boss and put a lot of work into salvaging the situation only to have him throw it away. He’s ungrateful, impertinent, and an embarrassment to the university.”

“
Geez, sounds like you wanna ground him, Mom,” Dennis commented to snickers from his sister.

“
No, you should make him work off his punishment in sweat equity,” Dana chimed in. “’Looks like he enjoys yard work.” This time Dennis snickered.

Sensing that she was being outvoted and mocked, Jane looked to her husband for support. “Mark, back me up here. Two minutes of Internet fame is not worth throwing away a career.”

“
He didn’t do it for fame,” Dana pointed out. “He did it for love.”

“
LUV,” Dennis repeated in an exaggerated tone.

Shifting the ravioli on his plate with a fork, Mark finally commented, “Well, whether he’s really in love or whether it works out doesn’t make much difference, does it? The guy made his choice. I don’t understand why you’re so upset about it, Jane.”

He leaned his chin against one hand. The truce during his mother’s visit now seemed officially over, the Cold War back on as he muttered, “And you always accuse
me
of personalizing things. Geez!”

Jane’s defenses went up. “I’m not making this about me!” she insisted.

“
Maybe these people have priorities that are different from yours,” he said, raising his voice slightly. “Maybe you resent the fact that this professor and student got their happy ending when you didn’t!”

“
What?” she blurted out, honestly taken aback. “That makes no sense! I’m concerned about the reputation of our department.”

“
So you’re really upset that this somehow might make
you
look bad?” The accusation stung, but she knew it was partly correct. With the children watching the exchange, she decided to set a good example by admitting her own culpability.

“
Yes, I suppose that’s part of it.”

What he said next stunned her. “That’s kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?” He stared at her with a look that indicated he was talking about much more than Lewis’s situation. She gave him a puzzled look in return, but decided now was not the time to delve deeper into his meaning. “Why don’t we talk about this later?” she said under her breath, still stinging from two accusations of hypocrisy in one day.

Dennis and Dana silently exchanged looks to communicate that they knew something major had just transpired between their parents. Trying to break the tension, Dennis chose that moment to announce: “Oh, by the way, I’ve decided on MIT.”

Jane and Mark never resumed their conversation. The foursome spent the rest of the evening focused on the children’s upcoming end of senior year rituals, including the prom. Finally, as they settled into bed, facing away from one another, Jane quietly spoke up, “Are we going to talk about this?”

“
Do you want to?” Mark asked.

She rolled over to face him, though in the darkness neither could see the other very well. “Mark, you’ve been angry at me for weeks and I’m not sure why. What’s this really about?” He breathed in deeply. “Talk to me,” she beckoned.

“
Sometimes you are just so damned judgmental,” he said. “I feel like I can’t do anything right with you.”

“
That’s funny,” she remarked. “I feel the same way.”

“
You never show it,” he commented. “You’re always so . . . in control. I don’t want to live life on pins and needles. Not now.”

“
I’m sorry,” she said, touching his shoulder. She suggested counseling, perhaps a session with Phyllis, but he wasn’t interested.

“
I think you need to make up with Perry,” he said.

“
What’s Perry got to do with us?”

He snorted. “If you have to ask, then you’ve already forgotten too much of your own history. Just make up with him, please. We need our friend back.”

As they drifted off to sleep, those words continued to haunt her. Then, in slumber, the answer to Lewis’s question of why she had let Perry get away with crap for so many years came back clearly into view.

Perry. Her dear, sweet friend. The only person who had known.
The person who had insisted on making her laugh and getting her drunk in order to numb her psychological pain. The person who had called her hotel room everyday to check on her while she was recuperating. The person who, just a few short years later, would sob into her shoulder to confess secret desires that even he did not understand; desires that led him to cheat on his wife with complete strangers, men he met in darkened parks, bathroom stalls, and backrooms of seedy porn shops. The person whom she had stood by as he finally accepted himself for who he was and openly sought the love of another man. The person who, despite his gossipy reputation, had never, ever, revealed her secret to another living soul. The person who would always be welcomed at her table for Thanksgiving.