Teach Me How To Love Again

Chapter One

January 2023 update: Hello! I am slowly working my way through editing this story to post a few chapters a day. Please bear with me as I make these changes so that the story can be updated. There is still quite a bit of "Teach Me" to be told and I can't wait to delve back into this little A/U we've created.

For first-time readers: This is an alternate universe based on a fictional idea and very little on truth.

INTRODUCTION

Jill Stevenson placed her books down on the kitchen counter, relieved to finally be home. She rubbed the nape of her neck and tilted her head from side to side. The long hours of grading papers as a student teacher were taking their toll and the teacher she was working under was, as Jill's sister put it, miserable. She was the stereotypical older teacher who wore her glasses on a string and should have retired long ago.

Jill could feel the frustration of the students and it was reflected in their grades. She tried her best to mind her manners, respect the teacher, and not overstep her boundaries but she wanted to suggest different approaches that didn't include reading from a textbook and new, fun ways to apply lessons.

She began picking up discarded items of clothing that led her down a path to discover her husband asleep on their sofa, surrounded by beer cans and pretzels. While she spent Thursday night in the classroom, he evidently threw a Superbowl-sized party with his friends.

She shook him lightly at first and then more forcefully when he didn't wake up.

"Oh, Jill... You're home," he said, running a hand over his face. "I, uh --"

He reached out to kiss her but she shrug him off. The combination of beer and salt on his breath made her nauseous. The sight of their living room made her anger rise.

"Bill, just clean it up." She responded before she tiredly turned to the stairs. All she wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed. That night he crawled into bed with her and she pretended to be asleep.

The next morning, she decided that it was important to choose her battles wisely and this simply wasn't one that she had the energy for. Truthfully, she enjoyed sports and the occasional beer too and she didn't mind that he wanted to be with his friends. In fact, she would have likely joined them had she been home. She just wished that he was capable of finding a broom and a dustpan after a game.

As she cooked their eggs, she began to discuss her ideas for a more effective approach to teaching. She continued talking, and the only response from her husband was an occasional "Mhm." She looked over to learn that he had been reading the newspaper.

"I suggested that the students might be more engaged if they could apply these lessons to real-life problems, you know, like cooking! Am I overreacting or do you think she really has it out for me?" Jill inquired, expecting a thoughtful response from him.

"Bill!" She exclaimed louder.

He put down the newspaper. "I'm sorry. I was reading this story about the senator." He said suppressing a snort. "He's the new most eligible bachelor. He doesn't even have a full head of hair." The sarcasm with undertones of jealousy dripped from his voice.

She peered across the counter to see who he was referencing, turning a corner of the paper down so that she could read it properly.

"Biden? Isn't he the one who lost his wife in that horrific automobile accident two Christmases ago?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah, I think he has two young kids."

"That's terrible." She said softly. She recalled hearing the report come across the news and her heart sank for his family. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like to lose a spouse or a mother at such a young age.