ChristopherAs I pulled off the road onto my long driveway, I saw an unfamiliar car. At first, cold, icy fear rested in my gut. A strange car was never a good thing. When I saw Olin get out of the car and wave, I was immediately flooded with relief. Olin was home. He was in one piece. I hadn’t realized just how nervous I had been until I saw him walking into the house.I parked inside the garage and caught a glimpse of Olin’s ride driving away. I watched through the small windows in the garage door, appreciating that the driver was traveling slowly. That made me feel better about Olin riding with the kid. I went inside, anxious to see how his night had gone and to make sure he was in good health. I was trying to be the cool dad, but I had been worried about him. If he was hungover, I was going to be pissed. I’d try to keep it cool, but I didn’t need the kid partying like he was a frat boy.“Olin!” I called out as I walked in from the garage.“In here,” he answered.I headed for the ki

LeilaI put on my painting clothes and gathered my supplies. My hair was pulled up in a wild ponytail that kept it off my neck. I had dunked the tips of my hair in paint too many times. I didn’t want to be trying to pick it out again.Today was the day. I was going to tackle the door once and for all. I hoped the paint was still good. It had been sitting in my shed for a year. I hated that I was such a procrastinator. I told myself it was because I was too busy. I was, but not that busy. I was going to kind of miss having the damn thing hanging over my head all the time.No, I wasn’t.I wanted it done so I could put the next task in that top spot of the task I procrastinated against. I wanted a new tile backsplash in my kitchen. That was going to be something that sat in that top spot for a good long while, I predicted.For now, it was the door. One mountain at a time. I carefully poured paint into the pan and dipped my roller in it. I had spent at least an hour taping around the door

ChristopherWe made our way around the center and the many interactive exhibits. I was impressed. It was well worth a visit, even if I didn’t believe half the stuff they boasted about the moon landing. It was interesting, and my lovely tour guide seemed to know a lot about all of it. It was our first real outing together.I occasionally took her hand in mine or placed my hand on the small of her back as we squeezed in front of an exhibit. It was very casual and easy, and very relaxing. It was better than any romantic dinner. I liked spending time with her and picking her brain. She was very smart. She could talk about almost anything and have value to add to the conversation.She made her way towards an area that seemed to be off the main route. There were only a handful of people standing together. It was essentially the timeout area for the tired adults who needed a minute to think without being buzzed by an excited kid.“Do you notice anything about this place?” she asked in a whis

LeilaI felt a little giddy. I loved the first day. The looks on the faces of most of my students told me they didn’t share that excitement. Most of them looked like they would rather be anywhere but in front of me. I was sure half of them were asleep with their eyes open.I already missed Christopher. He had been such a joy to have in class. He was the ideal student for a professor to have. I loved how engaged he had been and how he had been able to actually have a conversation about the subject matter. I missed him.I glanced down at my watch and cringed. I had done it again. There was so much I wanted to get out and it just never seemed to fit into my class time. No matter how many times I tweaked the first lecture, I was always running short on time. I could talk for hours.“Thank you everyone,” I said clapping my hands together. “Some advice that I know past students would pass on to you is read the syllabus. Pay attention. Read. The. Material.”I didn’t feel like they were liste

ChristopherI pulled into the garage and noticed the empty spot. I checked the time. Olin said he would be home right after school. I wasn’t going to panic and start blowing up his phone. I’d give him a few minutes to check in before I hunted him down. I was desperately trying to take a soft approach to parenting, but it went against every fiber of my being.I was used to being in control. Olin was a smart kid and I had to trust him. Giving him the car was the first step towards showing him I did trust him. I got out of the car and was just to the door when I heard the garage door opening.I watched Olin pull the new Nissan Maxima into the garage. “Were you waiting for me?” he asked as he climbed out.I smirked. “No, I just got home. I trust you.”He gave me a look. “Sure, you do.”“How was school?”He shrugged. “Boring.”We walked into the kitchen together. He immediately went for the fridge. “Did you turn in that report that was due?”“Of course.”I chuckled at his confidence. “It w