Page 13 of Second Chance Husband

I wanted to say something, but I wasn’t sure what there was to say. Instead I left a note, something simple, just a goodbye and a thank you.

And then I walked to the car, grateful my driver didn’t say a word. I could have hired my actual car service, instead of a rideshare, but I hadn’t wanted to deal with the questions from my staff. So instead, I made my way home, to the place that was not Jacob’s, but just mine, and locked the door behind me.

I should have expected the slap.

But then again, life came at you fast when you weren’t paying attention.

Pain ricocheted over my face as I staggered back into the door and looked into the eyes that were so like my own.

“How could you,” my mother spat, and I lowered my head, letting out a breath, knowing she wouldn’t hit me again. But I could deal with her yelling.

I always did.

Chapter Four

August

“But why do they call it elephant toothpaste?” Kyler, my most inquisitive student asked, and I just smiled at him, loving this part of the lecture.

“That much you’re going to have to see.”

“I saw this on YouTube,” Brayleigh said from the back, and I put my finger above my lips though I didn’t touch them since I was still wearing gloves. “Let’s not spoil the surprise, shall we?”

“I promise I won’t. It’s fun.” She gave me a conspiratorial smile, and I nodded, then I looked over at my class.

“Okay, today we are going to talk about catalyst reactions and surface tension. Are you guys excited?”

Some of them cheered, others just looked bored. That was about par for the course when it came to high school chemistry.

I taught chemistry, as well as life sciences, and AP courses. I also did some extra tutoring on the side, as well as textbook manipulation and codes. Meaning I did a lot of fucking work for little pay, but I didn’t mind it.

Today we were going to have a little fun in the lab, rather than sitting in a course where they would look as if they had no idea what I was talking about, even though we had already read the material. Some people would go on to enjoy this in college and learn new things, others would just laugh it off, and promptly forget it ever happened.

However, if I could make a few kids laugh, and enjoy learning science for just an instant? That was worth it. That moment when they finally connected and understood what was going on around them? That was it.

I had already worked with the hydrogen peroxide, and the food coloring inside had swirled to an intriguing purple color that matched our school colors. I could have put drops along the inside of the rim of the bottle’s mouth so that way the foam in the end would create stripes, but I decided to go with this.

I added the dish soap, and then on the side, mixed yeast and warm water while explaining all about the reaction in front of me. Some people took notes, as it was going to be on the quiz the next day, and others looked bored.

However, when I poured the yeast mixture into the bottle, I stepped back, enjoying the reaction.

And not just from the chemistry in the bottle.

A large foamy mixture poured out of the bottle, continuing to pile up on the counter, with increasing force.

People gasped and cheered, while some scooted back in their chairs. This was a perfectly safe reaction, one I had done countless times, and I freaking reveled in it.

“So, let’s talk about what makes this foam appear,” I said with a laugh.

“So that’s why it’s elephant toothpaste? Because it’s big enough to brush an elephant’s tooth?”

“Perhaps,” I said with a grin, as we went into discussing hydrogen peroxide versus yeast as they broke down into water and oxygen. “Since oxygen is a gas, it wants to escape the liquid. But the dish soap that we added to the reaction traps those gas bubbles, forming a foam. And now you’re going to watch me clean this up because the janitors at the end of the day don’t like it.”

They laughed as we segued discussing how hydrogen peroxide turns into just oxygen and water.

“So that’s why hydrogen peroxide comes in the dark bottles? To keep it fresher longer?” Brayleigh asked, seemingly interested even though she had already watched this on YouTube.

I smiled brightly, loving the fact that she got it. That glow in her eyes? That’s what I wanted from my students. Yes, I wanted them to have a good time, and to learn, but the need to learn more? That desire to enrich your brain? That was why I was a teacher.

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