The Journey Ch. 04

Welcome, Friend, to Chapter Four of The Journey. If you haven't read chapters one through three, I'm going to have to ask you to check yourself before you wreck yourself. You'll have no idea what's going on here, so don't do that! Go read the first parts and then come back. I'll wait for you!

*

Show me that heaven's right here, baby

Touch me, so I know I'm not crazy

~~ Adams Morgan, Washington DC, May ~~

I turned around and felt my eyes widen in shock

"Dr. May!"

"Viv, if you don't call me Jane, I'll to have to walk out that door and find a nursing home to check into," she said, with her ever-present grin.

"Sorry... Jane." My face heated with embarrassment.

Dr. May... Jane... didn't look anything like she'd ever looked like in class. The professional woman was gone; a pair of bell-bottom jeans hugged her hips, flaring out below her knees with enough fabric to make a spare denim jacket. She had on a yellow and green tie-dyed t-shirt, covered with a leather vest which had a fringe of beaded tassels hanging off the bottom. Her hair was caught up over her head in one of her ever-present colorful head wraps, this one tied-dyed and matching her t-shirt. She'd recently shaved the sides and back even closer than I'd seen them before, and her ringlets formed an attractive tawny pile above her head. Her bell-bottoms must have been hiding heels or platforms, as I was usually a few inches taller than her, but tonight her eyes were a level with mine.

"What are you doing here?" I asked dumbly.

"Seventies Night, what else? How have you been?"

"Can I get you something?" I heard the bartender behind me.

"I'll have what she's having," she said past my shoulder. "I'm really happy I ran into you!"

"Um, yeah. Are you, uh, are you here with someone?"

"I came with some of my friends. They're dancing over there." She waved towards the mass of bodies on the dance floor. "I got thirsty, only to find you here at the bar. Surprise!"

This Dr... Jane... wasn't anything like my teacher from class. And not very much like the Jane I'd ridden home with all those times. Her personality seemed... bigger. More boisterous. She was clearly having a blast, shimmying her body to the music as she stood in front of me.

"So, are you out by yourself? With anyone?" she asked me.

"No, flying solo."

The bartender came back with another margarita and set it next to mine. Jane picked it up and took a sip.

"So, uh, I didn't know you were... I mean, uh, what I mean is, are you, uh... you're..."

"Am I gay?"

"Yeah, sorry. This is like the last place I would have expected to run into you."

"Wow, your gaydar must be seriously broken."

I flushed, "Well, I..."

"I'm teasing. Yes, I'm gay. I know I keep things pretty close to the vest in class. It's kind of important to keep a little distance between my personal life and my students. Things can get awkward fast if you let your interactions become less than professional."

"I see. So, how's your job at Howard going? Better than NOVA?"

"Well, I'm a smaller fish in a bigger pond there. It's where I did my undergrad, so it's kind of like coming home, but also really weird being a professor at a place where I started as an eighteen-year-old student. I'm really happy though. How was your spring semester? You should have gotten your grades this week, right?"

"I got a 3.79. Taking a full load now too."

"Nice! I'm proud of you!" She held up her hand and I tentatively slapped it.

"I should thank you for giving me that A in your class."

"I didn't give you anything, Viv, you earned it. That was a fantastic final paper, I was really impressed."

"Well... Thank you anyway."

"Enough about school, want to dance?"

This is the most whack thing that's ever happened to me. My professor is asking me to dance? I thought.

"Sure. Let's finish these first. I don't ever leave a drink alone when I'm out."

"Good idea. I like to think the chance of being roofied in a bar with only women is at least a teensy bit smaller, but you never know, right?" We finished our drinks, then I tried (and failed) to not look at her ass as she led me to the dance floor. She was curvy in all the right places. She had a wagon, as the guys at work would say when they didn't think I was listening, and her wagon was working her bell-bottoms overtime.

That is a nice badonk-a-donk, I thought, then checked myself. Cut it out, Esparza, she's just being friendly. There's not a chance in hell your professor is picking up on you. She was so far out of my league, I couldn't see the fence around her field from where I was.

We got to the floor just as Diana Ross' I'm Coming Out started and I found that while seventies music wasn't normally my jam, it was still really good for dancing.

I also found myself shocked at how good a dancer Jane was. As soon as the horns kicked in I started moving. She hesitated for maybe half a second watching me, then started mirroring my moves like we'd practiced together. We were in sync through the whole song, and didn't stop when Let's Groove followed.

After five or six songs I still couldn't believe how well she was hanging with me. The last beat faded away and the DJ decided to slow things down, as the organ tones of Just The Two Of Us started playing.

I slowed down, breathing heavily, and nodded my head back towards the bar. "Want to get another drink or...?"

"Or, we could keep dancing?" She stepped a little closer to me and held out her hands. "I'll let you lead."

I can't believe this is happening, I thought, as my hands found her waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Of all the things that I thought might happen tonight, slow dancing with my professor isn't one of them," I said looking into her eyes. She had closed the gap between us so our bodies were pressed together.

"Can I make a confession to you?"

"Sure, I guess."

"I've been attracted to a student or two before, but I've never let myself act on it, and--"

"You're attracted to me?!"

"Do you think I call every student who drops my class to try to convince them to come back? Or any student, for that matter? Besides, I love a soft butch."

"Soft?" I said with a nervous chuckle.

"Just soft enough for me," she said with a wink, "But like I said, I never act on it. I thought it would just be a passing crush that I'd get over. But the more you and I talked, the more I liked you. I like the way your mind works. But I was your teacher. So... I couldn't do anything."

"I see." I have to find something more original to say.

"But, I haven't taught at NOVA for an entire semester. I'm in no position of authority over you anymore."

"I... wait, is that why you didn't want to mentor me?"

"That was one of the reasons. I told you I'm teaching two classes and writing a book, right?"

"If you want to call that busy."

Her laugh was musical.

"Some might. Not me, though. So, having gotten all that out in the open... are you enjoying our dance?"

"I am, actually."

"Me too."

"So, if you were interested in me..."

"I was really tempted to call you after the semester, but it felt unethical to use your contact info that I had access to from being your professor, so I just decided to fondly remember our rides after class together. I never thought I'd see you again. But then I spotted you by the bar and thought 'thank you, fate, for giving me a chance'."

"I have to admit, I missed riding home with you this semester. Partly because it takes me forty-five minutes longer, but also for the company."

She shook with laughter. "Are you always this honest?"

"I think the kids call it being blunt."

She giggled again, and pulled me closer so she could lean her cheek against mine as Lovely Day started playing.

"So, you're a big disco fan, huh?" I said in her ear.

"Seventies R&B, really. My parents loved this music and I grew up listening to it. Their seventies vinyl collection is kind of legendary. When I saw The League was having a seventies night, I told my friends I'd be dragging them out."

I pulled away from her a couple inches and looked around. "Should we be ignoring them if you're the one who brought them here?"

"I saw them all heading out the door about ten minutes ago," she said, amusement in her voice. "I'm usually not one to pick up a date in a bar, and I think they wanted to give me space since I'm clearly having a good time."

"You're an amazing dancer."

"I've had lots of practice. I was a member of the Showtime Marching Band dance team as an undergrad at Howard."

"No shit. Is that a big deal? Sounds like a big deal."

"It was a pretty big deal, I can't lie. Tryouts were pretty cut-throat."

"You're a woman of many talents, apparently."

The song was nearing the end. We'd been on the dance floor for more than an hour, and I knew most girls didn't have the stamina to hang with me. I could stay on the floor all night if the DJ was good, but that wasn't the case with most women I met.

"You want to get another drink, or go somewhere and get a bite to eat or something?" I asked her, as the chiming intro to Ain't No Mountain High Enough tinkled through the room.

"You can go drink if you want. I'm not done dancing!" A huge smile split her face and she held her hand out to me as she started moving her feet to the rhythm.

I gripped her hand and we circled each other, throwing down our best Soul Train moves. I could tell this was going to be a long, fun night.

Despite that knowledge, there was a little part of me that was immediately sad.

I don't think I've ever been with a woman who can dance this well. It's a fucking shame we're from two different worlds. I've been hoping to find someone to date, but there's zero chance she'd be interested in me for a long haul. I have nothing to offer her. Maybe she just wants to get some. Still... if she wants to break off a piece of me, I'm down. She's HOT. And she can DANCE.

I tried to squash that voice, and just enjoy the moment. I could worry some other time about how... whatever this was, would end.

Towards the end of September, she finally had had enough.

"Okay, now I'm ready for a drink," Jane said, theatrically wiping her brow and making me laugh. I pulled out my phone to check the time. We'd been dancing for two hours.

"Let's go, I'll buy."

We had another round of margaritas, and then, at her suggestion, we walked through the cool evening air to the late-night eatery, Madam's Organ, where we shared a shrimp basket and an order of spicy string beans. Talking to her, I realized how much of herself she'd been holding back during our car rides. We talked about dancing, music, my bowling team, her yoga obsession.

The third time the waitress asked us if we needed anything else we realized we'd been hogging her table, our food long since eaten. I looked at the time on my phone again, weighing our options. For some reason I sensed trying to get her to take me back to her place wouldn't go well for me. And I never brought anyone back to my place unless I knew Manny wasn't going to be home.

"I rode the Metro and the last train is less than an hour from now," I said, trying to figure out what she wanted to happen next.

"Perfect, I rode with my friends, so I'm going to Metro home too."

Okay, we'd at least share a Metro ride to Springfield. We walked across the Duke Ellington Bridge and down the escalator to the Woodley Park Metro station. A train came in right as we reached the platform, which I almost regretted. Less time to hang out with her.

"Can I have your number? I'd like to see you again," she said as we pulled into the tunnel.

"But you already have my number," I said, as I hung onto the overhead handrail.

"Humor me, tell me your phone number." She took out her phone.

"Uh, okay." I rattled off my digits and watched as she randomly touched the black screen of her locked phone.

"Now I have your number from you, instead of the class roster, so I won't feel guilty calling you."

When I stopped laughing, she asked, "Would you like to have dinner? What's your schedule like?"

"I'm driving nights this semester so I can do morning classes. I'm basically unavailable Monday through Friday unless you want to eat after one A.M."

"That's no good. Are you free Saturday night?"

"Next weekend? I have no plans."

"Seven o'clock? I'll text you the address."

"Works for me."

We passed through Metro Center. The next stop was where we'd transfer to the Yellow Line to head down to Springfield.

"I had a really nice time tonight. You're a really good dancer," she said.

"I can say the same about you. This is our transfer stop."

"I have another confession to make," she said, as the train rattled into Judiciary Square station.

"What's that?"

"I don't live in Springfield. I live in Northeast DC, off Florida Avenue."

"You... what? But you drove me home every week! You're telling me you drove down to Springfield then all the way back into DC twice a week for three months?" The doors of the train opened behind me.

"I told you I really liked you," she said with a bashful smile that was just fucking adorable, "I'm glad we ran into each other." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Better go, you don't want to miss the last train home."

I stepped out onto the platform, staring at her, while the doors slid shut between us. She lifted one hand, waving her fingers at me as the train moved out of the station. I touched my cheek where she'd kissed me as I watched the train's lights disappear down the tunnel.

The entire night was replaying in my mind on fast-forward. My freakin' professor had picked me up, in a lesbian bar, danced with me for hours, invited me to go out again, kissed me on the cheek, and then casually mentioned how she'd driven an hour or more out of her way to take me home, every night, for half a semester.

"This was, without a doubt, the weirdest night of my life," I mused out loud.

"What?" said a guy I was passing on the platform.

"I said this was the weirdest night of my life!" I shouted at him, then grinned at the dude's bewildered expression as I made my way down to the Yellow Line platform.

~~ Lorton, Virginia ~~

"So, you'll need to be at the rehearsal like thirty minutes before. We'll all go together to the rehearsal dinner after. You and Abuela can ride with me and Vee."

Sunday morning found myself and Diego helping Abuela with her weekly tamale order, as usual. We were discussing the plans for his upcoming wedding next month.

"I don't need the monkey suit for the rehearsal, right?"

"No, just wear something nice."

"Like how nice?"

"Second-date-nice maybe? No Doc Martens."

I sighed. "Fine."

"Sabes que no me gusta que uses un traje de hombre para la boda, cariño," said Abuela.

"It'd look weirder if I wore a dress to be his best man, Abuela."

"It's no proper!"

"Abuela, it's fine," Diego said, "Virginia and her family are fine with it. Please don't keep making a fuss."

"!Multa! ¡Qué importa lo que piense una anciana?!"

I bit my tongue and placed another tamale on the pile as a knock sounded at the door. Abuela glared at me then left the kitchen to answer it, and we soon heard her having a rapid-fire Spanish conversation with her next-door neighbor.

"Well, Rosario should keep her occupied for a while. Is your insistence on wearing a tux instead of a dress your idea of coming out to her?"

"Dee, shut the fuck up!" I hissed, glancing towards the kitchen doorway. "You and I both know she'd flip her shit. She already flipped her shit the one time I hinted at being gay. I'm not going another ten rounds with Father Esteban."

"If you ever went to mass with us, you'd know Father Esteban retired last month. There's a new priest, Father Danny. Young guy. Seems cool."

"Whatever. You know I can't go Sunday nights, and Sunday mornings are for tamales," I gestured at the pile of wrappers in front of us.

"It's cool. I'm sure the Lord can hear your prayers at the bowling alley." He smirked at me.

"As long as the Lord says who I am isn't worthy of salvation, the Lord can get fucked."

"Viv!" It was Diego's turn to hiss at me. "You want her to flip out, let her hear you saying that!"

"Whatever."

"By the way, Virginia is insisting on holding open space for your plus-one, so if you end up having someone you want to bring, feel free to let us know at the last minute. Not that you'd ever have a date." He rolled his eyes at me and almost didn't catch my blush. "Whoa! Are you seeing someone?"

"No! Well... no, I'm not dating anyone. Yet. I have a date next weekend."

"That's awesome! Tell me about her, quick before Abuela comes back."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it has no chance of being anything but a flash in the pan."

"What? Why?"

I mulled it over. Oh, what the hell...

"Remember the professor from my first semester I told you I liked? Dr. May?"

"Yeah, you... wait. You're going out with your professor? Isn't that like... unethical or something?"

"No! No, she quit teaching at NOVA after that class and she said she wouldn't have ever called me because she had my number through school and it didn't feel right. I hadn't seen her in four months, until we happened to run into each other at The League last weekend."

He laughed. "So, you finally went back there and it got you a date with a college professor? I'd say you should have gone back a long time ago then!"

"Whatever." I gave Dee my best eye roll.

"If things go well you should bring her to the wedding!"

"No way!" I said looking toward the door. "I don't want you to have to deal with her having a meltdown at your wedding."

"Just tell her she's a friend."

I looked at him sourly. "Your advice to me, if things go great with Jane, is that I should bring her to your wedding, and then pretend to everyone we aren't gay or dating. Do you know how insulting that would be to her? Or how humiliating to me?"

"I... uh, oh shit Viv. I'm sorry, I--"

"Don't worry about it. There's zero chance she's going to be interested in me for anything other than a fling, so you don't have to worry about me fucking up my huge masquerade at your wedding and letting it slip in front of our granny that your sister is a homo."

"That's not fair. You know I didn't mean anything by it. Virginia and her family know, and they don't have a problem with you.

"Great, so the only person I do have to worry about finding out who I really am is one of the two family members I have left in this country, while the other one recommends I just pretend to the first one I'm not who I am."

"Viv, I'm really sorry--"

"Whatever, man. You finish up here, I gotta go."

I stood and walked out of the kitchen, wiping my hands off on the seat of my pants.

"Viv! C'mon!" Diego called after me.

Abuela and her neighbor were still gossiping at the front door.

"I got called into work Abuela, I'll see you later."

I'd already brushed past her when I realized she'd been holding out her cheek for a kiss. I pretended I hadn't seen it.

"Adiós cariño! ¿Te veo la próxima semana?"

"Sure... just like always."

~~ Washington, DC ~~

I'd followed the instructions Jane had sent me by text and taken the Red Line to NoMa-Gallaudet-U Metro Stop, then started walking west, following the GPS on my phone to the address she'd given me.