Under My Boss's Control

I grow more worried as it gets closer to the bell ringing. When I don’t think we can wait out here any longer, I pull the spare key that he had given me out of my purse.

I open the classroom and we all walk inside. We take our seats at our desks, like normal, but it’s so weird. It’s not like Mr. Winston to be late. I’m sure he’ll be here any second, though.

The students chat quietly amongst themselves. I have nothing to hand out to them, because we are waiting for Mr. Winston to administer the exams. With nothing else to do, I instruct the students to quiz each other until Mr. Winston gets here; I am pleased that most of them listen.

I go through the papers on his desk, looking for a clue as to what happened to him. I find the final exam papers, but no clues. I walk to the door, looking up and the down the hall outside, but I don’t see him anywhere. I walk back into the classroom, calling the class to attention.

“Get ready, students. I’ll be giving you your final exam.”

I hand out the tests to each student.

“No talking, no cheating. You have until the end of class to finish. Now, begin,” I say before going back to my desk.

The students obey me quietly and begin their exam. I feel so proud of the way I took control like that.

The students work in silence while I idly thumb through the history textbook. The door to the classroom swings open suddenly, startling us. We see it’s Mr. Winston and the students resume testing.

I want to talk to him and ask if he is ok, but he puts his stuff down and sits in his chair without so much as a glance at me. He looks puzzled and preoccupied; this worries me. I watch him for a few more seconds, then turn my attention back to my textbook.

Everyone is silent for the rest of the class period. I watch as the students begin to walk up and place their completed exams on Mr. Winston’s desk.

The last few finish about 10 minutes before the bell rings. They spend the remaining class time talking quietly; this doesn’t bother us, since everyone has finished their exam.

I watch Mr. Winston anxiously as the bell rings and the students leave the classroom. Soon, it’s just the two of us in there. I hesitate for a few seconds, then walk over to his desk.

I stand there, asking softly, “Is everything ok?”

He looks up, a little startled that I’m still here. He glances around and sees that the classroom is empty. He closes his laptop and puts it in his bag before looking at me and sighing softly.

“Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind right now,” he says.

I continue to stand there.

“I figured that’s what it was; you never run late like that. I hope it’s nothing serious?” I ask.

He shakes his head.

“No, nothing like that. I do need to apologize for missing the exam like that.”

It’s my turn to shake my head in disagreement.

“It’s fine. I gave it to the kids, they took it, no problem,” I say, feeling proud of myself again.

He smiles at me.

“Yes, I noticed that. Kudos on that initiative. Keep up the good work and you’ll be a full teacher in no time,” he says.

I can’t keep myself from smiling at his words. After a few moments of silence, his voice takes on a more serious tone.

“The reason I was late… is because I was in the teacher’s lounge and I had heard some unsettling news,” he says.

I look at him with wide eyes. He leans forward to talk to me; I lean against the edge of his desk, curious to hear what he has to say.

“I don’t know if you have been keeping up with the news, but there have been a few headlines recently about some sort of virus. Experts are predicting it could become a pandemic; cases of it are rapidly growing.”

I nod.

“I have heard of it, but I didn’t know it had gotten this bad. Is that what made you worried?” I ask.

“Well, not really. I mean, I dismissed it as a plot, or conspiracy thing, at first, but it seems to be getting more serious. Actually, what’s bothering me is this rumor I heard in the teacher’s lounge that pertains to this virus.”

I look at him curiously. “A rumor?” I ask.

He nods before continuing.

“I heard that they are thinking of implementing a 2-week school closure, effective next week, due to the quarantine necessitated by this virus pandemic.”

My heart drops as he reveals this to me. I’m sure the kids will enjoy time away, but I can’t picture not seeing Mr. Winston every day.

“Well, this is certainly something to worry about,” I reply quietly after a few moments.