Teacher, Friend, Lover, Wife

What if I did lose my job? There were other schools where I could teach, schools where the school board wasn't quite as conservative. I could also get my master's and go into school management. Superintendents are judged by how well they handle the finances of the school district, not by who they're married to.

Mom and Dad might not be a problem because Mom was five years older than Dad, but I wasn't sure about my brother and sisters. They'd all married people their own age.

If I did what I was thinking about, would Gena and I last? She was forty-four then and I was twenty-three. When I was sixty-five and ready to retire, she'd be eighty-six if she was even still alive. Gena said John stayed young because she was young and wouldn't let him get old. Would it be that way with Gena and me?

I looked at Penny then.

"If I did what I think you're suggesting, how would you feel about it?"

Penny smiled.

"She's my mother, Ricky. I can't feel anything but love for her. If you're as good to her as Dad was, I could probably love you too."

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Mom and Dad were a little taken aback when I told them. Dad started to say something, but Mom cut him off. She told me that it was my decision and that they'd support me. My brother just said I was never like other guys so it didn't surprise him. My sisters were a little backward about wishing us luck until they met Gena again. They'd had her as their chorus teacher too, but just like me, they didn't really know her. After the afternoon Gena and my sisters spent talking, they were still a little unsure, but they liked her a lot.

We were married by the Justice of the Peace in Gena's town that fall just before school started, and we honeymooned for a week in Chicago. We didn't see much of Chicago though.

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Well, that's about it for the story of how Gena was first my chorus teacher, then my friend, became first my real lover, and finally became my wife. There were some important things that happened between then and now, though. I wanted kids and so did Gena. She was still able, but she was worried about her age. We ended up adopting a baby boy the year after we were married and a baby girl the year after that. I think they both helped to keep Gena feeling young.

They're almost grown now and are away at college, but they both come home for the Christmas holidays. I love those holidays, but it's pretty nice when they go back to school too. That's usually on New Year's Day. The night after they've left, Gena will snuggle up to me on our couch and put her arms around my neck.

"Remember that first Christmas and New Year's Eve? Think we could sort of re-live that tonight?"

Gena is sixty-six now, but I guess it's like she said. She's staying young because I'm still relatively young. I know that those nights are just as good as that first night. We're only good for once now, but that's mostly because of me. Gena hasn't changed that way, not at all.