Page 14 of Symphony of Salvation

“I’m not.”

“Who wouldn’t be?”

“I’m not,” I emphasized.

“Can I have an opinion?”

“Only if it endorses my own.”

“You’re blowing this out of proportion. You know I despise repeating myself, but it warrants reiteration. He is a prominent figure in the world of classical music. He’s performed all over the world and won dozens of awards. He’s celebrated as one of the finest musicians and composers of the twenty-first century. The man must be worth a fortune.”

“Please, rub it in more. It doesn’t hurt enough yet.”

“He isn’t going to want your job, Niles. Shocking as this may sound, especially since it’s a known sore spot, but he’soverqualified. There is no reason for you to feel threatened.”

“What I feel is inadequate.”

“That’s a you problem. Take it as an opportunity to learn. You couldn’t find a better teacher if you tried. Are you going to use this to your advantage or bitch about it until spring?”

Koa was right, in theory, but I’d always feared being replaced.

“Look at the bright side.” Koa stood and gathered his phone and book. “At least the view will be nice for a few months.”

“Just what I need. Sexual frustration on top of everything else. I know better than to ogle straight married men. It never ends well.”

“He’s not married.” Koa gestured to the door, indicating we were leaving.

“He has a daughter.”

“And it’s not the nineteenth century. Haven’t you read his bio?”

“God no. I already suffer from an inferiority complex. I have no desire to research the acclaimed maestro. Salt on a wound.”

Koa locked the classroom door. “I’m running to Peterborough for coffee and a sandwich. I refuse to subject myself to that sludge in the staffroom. Do you want to join me?”

“You’re buying.”

“On one condition. You leave the sour attitude behind.”

“Did you ever think there would come a day when you said that to me?”

“No.”

I chuckled. “Fine. Consider it left.”

“And, since I’ve listened to you bemoan your situation for the past twenty minutes, we will spend the rest of our lunch hour discussingThe Sound and the Fury.”

I groaned, and Koa hooked his arm with mine, dragging my miserable ass down the hall.

***

What was worse? Having a pompous maestro as a guest teacher or his genius daughter in my fourth period class. I was about to find out as third period students filtered from the room, and my last class was about to commence.

The Timber Creek faculty had been given a perfunctory overview of Constantina Castellanos’s academic testing results. The gifted young woman landed in the ninetieth percentile for her age bracket. Her education was not of great concern. Her mental health, however, was said to be fragile. The focus of the staff meeting included a detailed medical summary of Constantina’s challenging childhood.

The teenager—who, according to her file, preferred to go by Constance—had been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at age seven, an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer more commonly found in children. Due to its location and risk factors, Constance underwent three complex surgeries over the course of two months to remove a troublesome tumor in her neck.

The final surgery resulted in a partial laryngectomy. At age twelve, when the doctors were ready to proclaim Constance in remission, the cancer returned with vengeance. Despite chemotherapy, she’d undergone surgery for a fourth time. In the end, to halt the spread of the cancer, Constance ended up having the whole of her voice box removed, resulting in a tracheoesophageal puncture or voice prosthesis.

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