Chapter 21
Edward lay in his bed that night, thinking about Gracie and how quickly she changed emotions. First she acted love-sick for him which quickly changed to anger then to a sympathetic motherly figure wanting to cuddle his pain away.
“There’s a word for people like her,” he said racking his brain as he tried to think of what it was. He grabbed his phone, knowing it was going to eat at him until he figured it out.
“Hey, my man! How’s college life?”
“Hi, Joseph. Definitely different. How’s the new business taking off?”
“Amazing. We already broke profit.”
“No way. Are you serious? It has only been a few weeks.”
“I guess our advertising strategy worked. You out on the college town? Hooking up with some young honeys?”
“Naw. I had plans, but they fell through.” He thought about Eva and the connection they reestablished in his office before being interrupted by the evil harlot.
“So, where you at?”
“I’m home, at my flat, chilling.”
“Alone? Are you sick?” he teased. “Since when did either of us see home this early on a Friday night unless it was with our arm or arms around a few of the ladies?”
“I didn’t feel like going out. Is that a crime?”
“Ah, yes. You are now a one woman man, aren’t you? How is plan Eva going anyway? Get her laid yet?”
“Come on.”
Joseph laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re getting soft on me.”
“No, just looking at things in a different light. You wouldn’t understand. You’re still in player-mode.”
“And there’s no crime in that either.”
“Listen, I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Remember a while back, when you got involved with that woman who went nuts on you?”
“Awe, yeahhhh.” Joseph drew his words out as he remembered the night he ended up in the hospital. “Tracie. She was psychotic, dude!”
“What did she have?”
“A case of fucking crazy-itis!”
“But what was the clinical term they used?”
“Oh.” Joseph went silent for a moment. “Bipolar Psychosis, I think.”
“That’s it.”
“There a problem, bro?”
“Potentially.”
“Eva a whack job?”
“No. It isn’t Eva.”
“So you are still on the love train. Very nice, my friend.”
“Joseph. Will you please? No, this woman befriended me as soon as I got on campus. More than helpful, sweet, beautiful. She is a professor and now that I have gotten to know her, she is starting to freak me out a little.”
“What happened?”
“She has this idea we have something going on between us and when she came onto me tonight in my office I didn’t reciprocate.”
“And why not?”
“Because she acted like a sex craved maniac. When I turned her down she completely went off on me and threatened me.”
“Sounds like you missed out on a fabulous night of crazy monkey love.”
“Okay, Joseph. Think Tracie, the night she attacked you.”
“Awe, man.”
“Yeah, it started out as a sexual attack but didn’t end up that way, did it?”
“No, man. No.”
“This was turning into the same thing.”
“What did you do?”
“I made up a story that I was still getting over a relationship.”
“Did it work?”
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling. “She turned into Mother Theresa and tried coddling me. I got the hell out of there. I know it isn’t the end of it though. I just have to figure out what I’m dealing with before I actually deal with it.”
“Gotchu. Hey, listen. I do have to go. Got some plans later on. But listen, if you need me, if you need anything at all just let me know. I’ll have the posse up there ready to pounce.”
“Will do. Thanks, Joseph.”
“See ya round.”
“Have fun tonight.”
“Always do, my man. Always do.”
Edward shook his head and chuckled as he set his phone down.
The dining hall was large and open like a synagogue with several benches and tables large enough to seat ten people. Once Edward got his lunch, he found a table of adults with a few faces he recognized as fellow professors. He took a seat at the end but didn’t offer an introduction. He felt the less they knew about him the better.
“I’m telling you, the itinerary this year is almost unbearable,” said one round faced man in a short sleeved white shirt buttoned as far as it could go. His fat, red cheeks jiggled as he stuffed a fork full of beans into his mouth. Each time he did this, he would nudge his thick black rimmed glasses back up on the bridge of his nose with the knuckle of his finger that held the fork.
“Well, I for one, am not about to put in any more hours than I have previously. I am all for helping my students when they need help, but do they really expect us to work more overtime?” The woman across from the fat faced man looked very young. She couldn’t have been teaching for very long. Edward looked at her and felt she could have been very attractive if she did something with her hair. It shot down off her head in straw-like spears, lifeless and dull. Her complexion was pale except for the dark circles under eyes of deep blue. He wondered what could have made such a woman look so tired and beat up.
In fact, looking at the others at that table, they all seemed quite lifeless and dull. There was no color to their clothing, their faces or their conversation. Edward looked down at his deep blue dress shirt and dark gray tie and wondered if he stuck out like a rose in a daisy patch. He looked around the large room and saw a few others with similar color.
“You’ll never guess who I saw the other day,” said an unfamiliar voice.
“Who?”
Edward vaguely registered what the pale woman was questioning until her question was answered.
“Gracie Honor.”
Edward snapped his head back around and gave his full attention to a large woman sitting on the other end of the table. She reminded him of Mrs. Puff from SpongeBob SquarePants from the sound of her voice to her physique.
“Isn’t that the woman who completely lost it last year in the middle of her class?”
“Yep. That’s the one.”
Edward hung on every word, trying not to look as interested as he was.
“I thought she got fired?” the pale woman whispered.
“Nope. Not yet. They haven’t been able to pin her on anything concrete. I think they are hoping she’ll eventually quit but she just won’t leave. They have had to escorted her off the campus twice already due to problems. Rumor has it that she’s messing around with one of the security guards.”
“Oh, yes. I heard about that. Ronald Gluck I think.”
“That’s him.”
Edward’s eyes were glued to them as a hard lump formed in his stomach.
“Why would she be interested in Ronald Gluck?” The pale faced woman cringed. “Have you seen him? There is nothing even remotely attractive about that man.”
“He does have access to all of the buildings and maybe that is how she keeps her job here.”
One of the professors caught Edward looking too interested and before he could tear his eyes away, the man smiled.
“Hello. You must be new here.” He reached across the table and offered Edward a hand shake. “I’m Professor Niles.”
“Hello.” He shook the man’s hand and all eyes were on him. He took a short breath and forced a smile. “Eddie… um, Professor Caldwell. I just started here this month. Part time.”
“Oh? What do you teach?”
“Business and economics.”
“I remember seeing you a few days ago,” said another. “How do you like it so far?”
“It’s quite lovely. Everyone has been quite gracious and kind.”
“Well, I’m sure you won’t have a problem making a good impression here.”
Edward looked at the pale woman and saw a glimmer in her eyes as she smiled flirtatiously with him.
“Thank you,” he nodded.
“Just stay away from Gracie Honor,” the large woman said, nudging the woman next to her.
“I have already met her,” he said, hoping for some more information. “She seemed nice enough.”
“I hope your involvement with her was minimal,” said the round-faced man. “You don’t want to get mixed up with her.”
“Is she really that bad?”
“She is psychotic. Serious mental problems. She has been demoted more times than I can count.”
“Whatever happened to that murder charge?” asked one of the others.
Edward’s eyes widened. “Murder?”
“The pale woman leaned in and lowered her head. “Three years ago, one of the professors here was found murdered in his class room. They found out he was having an affair with Gracie but tried to break it off with her.”
“Wasn’t he married?”
“He was. He told someone Gracie was erotic and sexy. A real freak in the bed, but he needed to make things right with his wife. A few days later he was dead.”
“Maybe his wife did it.”
“She didn’t know about the affair until after he was dead.”
“I heard she didn’t find out until months later when Gracie was questioned in court about it.”
“So, what happened?” Edward heard himself ask the question, but it sounded like it came from someone else.
“Who knows?”
“It’s a mystery, really. She got off scot free and still teaches randomly here and there.”
“I honestly don’t even know how she lives off what she’s making. She barely works enough to say she’s even working.”
The conversation around Edward slowly faded away and deep down he felt like he was in trouble. He needed to find Eva and do what he set out to do. He needed to get out of there before Gracie decided to sink her teeth so deep into him he wasn’t able to get away. He took a few more spoonfuls of his soup and looked at his watch.
“Oh, my. I’m sorry but I do have to run.” He stood up and grabbed his tray. “It was very nice meeting all of you. I hope to see you again soon.”
“Yes. Take care.”
“We will be here tomorrow if you’d like to join us again.”
Edward had to give credit to the pale woman. She wasn’t very colorful, but she did try to get his attention.
“Thank you. I will try to be here.” He nodded and walked away.
Edward sat on the steps leading up to the history building and waited for Eva to finish her class. When she appeared through the front doors, he smiled and stood up to greet her.
“Eddie,” she said, smiling. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“I hope you don’t mind. I asked about your whereabouts so I could see you again.”
“I’m quite flattered actually.”
“I wanted to apologize for last night.”
“Please, don’t worry about it. I was actually somewhat worried about you.”
“For…?”
“Gracie Honor?” she quickly looked around after whispering the woman’s name.
“You know about her too?”
“It’s how legends are made. Everyone talks about her. I’m sorry I didn’t stick around, but that woman frightens me.”
“Have you ever had an encounter with her?”
“No. I try to avoid being around her at all costs. I actually changed my entire schedule around last semester because she taught one of the classes I needed.”
“But, everything you’ve heard is only rumor?”
“I guess. I have never actually looked into it.” She shrugged. “I would just rather be safe than sorry.”
He looked at her for a long time until her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she grinned looking down at her feet.
“How about that dinner?” he asked. “Are you free tonight?”
“I am.”
“There is a small Italian eatery called Branca about twenty-five minutes from here. Can I pick you up around six?”
Her grin broadened as she dropped her backpack at her feet. She squatted down and opened it, digging around inside. She ripped the corner of an assignment paper and pulled a pen from the front pocket. She glanced up at him and smiled wider as she scribbled on the small piece of paper.
“This is my address and phone number. I don’t always answer it, but it’s better than waiting for me outside my classes.”
Edward chuckled and took the paper. “I will see you at six.”
“I look forward to it.” She grabbed her bag and walked by him, eying him playfully and not looking back once she passed him.
He watched her walk away as his heart filled with warmth.