Page 24 of Education with Dad's Best Friend
I open my mouth to speak, but again, I don’t have an answer. When will I be ready to tell John? It’s his wish to get Elsie to the college we work at. If I became a dean, will he and the school authority sanction my relationship with an undergraduate student?
Not until that moment have I fully realized the consequences of my reckless action. I cannot have both Elsie and my career. I’m fucked up.
“Elsie, just give me some time,” I say, reaching for her hand again, but too late. Elsie springs to her feet and runs upstairs.
I go after her, but she’s as nimble as a cat. She rushes into her apartment without closing the door behind her.
Fanny is rinsing the coffee mugs in the kitchen sink, humming a tune as if nothing unusual has happened. Jesus. What’s wrong with this woman? No wonder John calls her a nutcase.
I head for Elsie’s bedroom. The door is locked from inside. “Elsie, open up, please. Listen to me.”
She doesn’t do what I say, and soon I hear faint sobbing from inside. My heart wrenches at the sound. Shit. I’ve hurt my little angel, who’s trusted me and given herself to me completely. I’m such an asshole.
“Elsie,” I try again, knocking on the door.
“Go away!” she says in a choking voice. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”
No! Those words cut through me like blades. I can’t have that. I would rather die than not see her again. I don’t need to be a college dean; I don’t even need my job. I just need to hold my angel again.
“Please listen to me, Elsie,” I say, ignoring Fanny’s curious eyes at the end of the hallway. “I love you, Elsie. Open the door, and I’ll prove it to you.”
The sobbing stops, but I don’t hear any movement. I pray for the first time in my adult years. Please, God. Help me!
And then, I hear the turning of the doorknob, and before I know it, the door opens, and I see Elsie’s tear-streaked face. I push my way in and close the door behind us.
I gather her in my arms and kiss her like a madman. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart! I don’t mean to hurt you!”
“It’s okay,” she says, still sobbing. “I shouldn’t be mad at you. I love you, Albert.”
“You forgive me?”
“Yes,” she says. “I don’t mind you hiding me from the world. I understand. I just want to be with you.”
Thank God! I hold her tight. “Thank you, sweetheart,” I say in a trembling voice. “I want to be with you too.”
‘Then why don’t you take me away from here?” She asks.
My heart hammers in my ribcage. “Do you… want me to?”
“Yes!”
“What about your mom?”
“I don’t care anymore,” she says. “I’m tired of taking care of her.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” I say. “I’ll do just that. Let’s pack.”
Epilogue
Elsie
Five years later
I’m trimming the roses in my garden while my kids run around chasing butterflies. Today is the day of my graduation ceremony. My heart flutters whenever I recall the fact. The event will take place in the afternoon, but I rise early just to get ready. I’m now waiting impatiently for my husband to return home.
Albert and I married soon after I moved out of my mom’s apartment. And after that, he accepted the job offer as the administrations dean at the university he and my dad worked. However, I could not enter the college right away because I was too far behind my high school education to meet the admissions requirement.
I spent two years at a community college instead, and it wasn’t a terrible experience at all. The professors were helpful and friendly, and I made up most of the courses I neglected in high school. I transferred to the university after that, before my husband succeeded in pushing forward his reform plan.
