“It’s not the same,” Cole said quickly, shaking his head while still in thought. “Her husband left her more than three years ago and he’s living on the other side of the world. He texts her once a month to let her know he hasn’t died yet and there’s no other communication between them.”
“That’s… that’s not what I thought you’d say,” Mark slowly replied. “I was going to invite you to bring her over to meet Denise and the kids but I think I’ll hold off.” Cole grinned.
“Look, I’ve had a crush on her since her kids were in my class but the timing was never right. Plus, I never thought she’d look twice at me that way even if we’d both been single. Last night was the really the first time it hit me that this could be more.”
“I’m sure it hit you quite a few times, am I right?”
“You’re an asshole, Mark.” Mark laughed and picked up his photocopies with one hand and mug with the other. Then his voice softened.
“You’ve been through enough, man,” he said. “Janice was cheating on you for years and you took it a lot better than I would have in your spot. I don’t want to be a downer here, but the first question I have is why your new girl hasn’t divorced her estranged husband yet. I mean, if what you say is true, it’d just be a matter of paperwork.” He tapped Cole on his arm before turning toward the door. “Be careful, ‘k?”
***********
Cole knew he needed to bring up his questions to Maya but he just wanted to ride the high of being with her. This part doesn’t last long anyway, he reasoned. When it wears off, we can have a talk. It’s only January. We have time.
He kept one of Maya’s garage door remotes in his truck and dropped by after school every week he didn’t have Isabel, usually a few times. After a month, she told him to bring an overnight bag, to his great relief, as the school was just around the corner.
Most of the time they stayed in but sometimes he was able to convince her to let him take her out, especially as the weather got milder. He wondered why she always picked a place closer to his apartment than her home. But he didn’t mind as it meant they would go back to his place afterwards and he could hold her in his bed all night.
“Here,” she said early in February, sliding a bowl full of flour and water toward him as they stood beside each other at the kitchen counter. “Get your hands in there, Gundersen.”
“Uhhh, I can’t do it the way you can, Maya,” he said, sliding the bowl back toward her.
“Would you accept that from one of your class kids, or would you insist on guiding them through it?” she asked pointedly. “Chapatti dough is super easy to mix and I’ve already added everything in proportion for you. Besides, you’re better equipped to knead it.”
“Are you talking about my big, manly fingers?” Cole smiled, smooshing his fingers into the flour. It was like playing in a sandbox.
“Partly. But it’s mainly your height,” Maya said, adding a splash of olive oil. Cole nodded, as he’d seen her stand on her tiptoes to get enough leverage to knead the dough at the end. She watched, lightly touching his arm as he gathered the dough and squished it repeatedly.
“Look at you, Vanilla Ice. You’re a natural.” She grinned at him and then grabbed handfuls of the finished dough, rolling them into lime-sized balls, then flattening them with the rolling pin into circles the size of her handspan.
Cole washed his hands, took out the frying pan, and found the spatula. He flipped the flatbread circles while she rolled them out. They talked about school, Maya’s job, and their kids, and Cole couldn’t remember when–or even if–he and Janice had ever cooked together. He frowned, trying to remember whether his ex had even chatted with him while he cooked. She always insisted he leave the kitchen when she cooked.
Maya’s kids had their March Break a week later than Isabel, and Cole ended up with Isabel for an extra week ahead of her break as well. After they had to hit pause on their visits for three weeks, Maya texted Cole the Monday morning after all their kids were back in their routines.
Get over here right after school and come directly upstairs. Cole’s students caught him in several mistakes throughout the day. He rushed over the second he was done bus duty, burst into Maya’s house, and leapt up the stairs two at a time. He almost crashed into the doorframe before he saw Maya standing in front of the bed just wearing four-inch, blood red pumps and a bedsheet. Her smile lit up the house and Cole felt the blood drain from his head.
“I missed you,” she told him. “I thought maybe it would be fun to go up against the dresser with you behind me… but probably awkward since you’re so much taller.” She stuck one leg up flamingo-style. “Thought maybe I could compensate a bit.”
She wobbled and grasped the bed post, losing her grip on the sheet, which floated to the floor. Cole groaned and put his hands on his head, leaning against the doorframe. “Don’t worry, I can stand in these,” Maya said, “I just can’t walk in them.”
“You’re not going to be doing much walking afterwards, sweetheart,” Cole grinned, bounding across the room and circling Maya’s waist with one arm while snapping his shirt buttons off with the other. They spent the rest of the afternoon exhausting each other and finally collapsed in bed, wrapped up together.
“Looks like you missed me too,” Maya whispered as she snuggled into Cole’s shoulder. He kissed her forehead.
“You know you totally wrecked me sending that text during first period? I’m sure at least eight of my kiddos corrected me today, and I got called a goofy-doofy twice.” Maya giggled.
“I like surprising you,” she said, giving him a soft kiss. Cole wasn’t sure Janice had ever kissed him so lovingly, even when they had been at their best. He curled his arms around Maya’s waist and fell asleep, being sure to hold her tight so she wouldn’t get up and cook them dinner.
Luckily, he woke up before she did and slipped downstairs to make tea. When she awoke and searched the house for him a short while later, she was greeted with a note on the stove near the kettle.
I knew you’d come here and try to start dinner, it read. Went out to pick up a pizza. Black olives and green peppers on my half, jalapeño peppers and pineapples on your half. You’re gross, by the way. Be back in a few. Maya smiled to herself and saved this note with the others he’d written her whenever she’d woken up to find him missing.
Another two months passed and they found themselves in the middle of an early heatwave before the Victoria Day long weekend in May. Cole had started thinking about how they would continue their relationship when Maya’s kids were home all summer long, and he still had Isabel on alternate weeks. He’d completely forgotten his chat with Mark at the beginning of the year.
So what are you wearing? Cole’s phone lit up on a Friday afternoon just as he sat down at his desk. He’d spent the last 20 minutes explaining double-digit addition and it was perfect timing as the kids started trying it out on their math sheets.
You need a new pick up line, he wrote back with a smirk.