These Days

Email Struggles and Other 2005 Problems

                  

John POV.
"So, how was your little meeting?" Mary asked, cutting up Hamish's chicken into bite sized little pieces. Hamish was pouting a little bit, crossing his arms and slumping down in his chair. John didn't know why, probably something about not staying to play with the blocks.
"Oh, it was fine, ya, fine." John muttered, also just staring at his food without eating it. There were things, things going on in his head that he could never explain. He had wanted to stay, he wanted to sit on that table and just talk to Mr. Holmes, not even talk, just staring at him for hours on end seemed like first rate entertainment, but there was something else. One side of him was dying to be in that man's presence but the other side wanted to be as far away as possible. That was why he pretty much rushed out of that room, he couldn't explain it, Sherlock didn't scare him, he didn't make him the least bit uncomfortable, so what had made him want to leave so quickly? It wasn't the dream, that was completely irrelevant to real life and he doubted Sherlock would ever even conjure up the strength to say Mary's name once. John had notice of course, when he mentioned Mary in any context his words would falter a little bit, or he would drop his tone of voice down an octave. Sherlock had practically flinched when Mary had said she loved him; was there something that was going on, something John wasn't picking up on? Sherlock had said he didn't have a family, probably not a girlfriend either; did he have his eye on Mary? John looked over at his wife, who was silently eating her food but looking irritated at the silence surrounding the table. No, of course not, she would never be unfaithful. The very idea of Sherlock liking her gave John a huge discomfort, like a stab in the heart with a blade of rusted metal.
"You two are awfully quiet, are you sure nothing happened over there I'm not aware of?" Mary asked, stabbing blindly at a green bean on her plate.
"Nothing happened, just, thinking." John admitted.
"About what?" Mary asked. John simply poked at his chicken and didn't reply, he didn't think it was necessary for Mary to know.
"We need to arrange a date for Hamish to take the test, some day after school." John said after a while of thick silence.
"Well I could..."
"Would it be okay if I took him?" John asked suddenly, not daring to look his wife in the face.
"Well, um, sure, if that's what you want." Mary said, John could hear the confusion in her voice as she said it though. It was a request that had popped out of nowhere, truthfully, something just came over him. John wanted to be there for Hamish, that was all, not for the idea that he and Mr. Holmes would be alone in a room together after school for an hour. For Hamish.
"I'll take him next Monday." John decided. "Work should be slower then."
"That sounds fine for me, I won't cook anything special, we'll get take out, something special for the big test."
"Pizza!" Hamish exclaimed excitedly.
"I could do pizza." Mary agreed, much to Hamish's excitement.
"Do I need to study or anything?" Hamish asked.
"I don't know." John admitted. "I'll email him after the dishes are done."
"Oh, now you've got his email address too?" Mary asked, leaning forward on her elbows and raising her eyebrows, as if accusing John of something.
"Is that a problem?" John asked.
"No, not at all, just thought that he gave you his phone number, now his email address, is he going to invite you over for fish and chips anytime soon?" Mary joked. John simply stared blankly, if only right?
"I don't think so." John muttered. He hoped so, but he doubted it. Even if he did 'rock Sherlock's world'.
"He's such a creep." Mary decided.
"I don't think so." John debated. Hamish watched them talk, but both adults kind of forgot that it was the boy's teacher they were talking about. Mary just chuckled, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You're kidding right? Let me guess how today went, he ran through the sidewalk, practically trampling children and stuck his head right into the window right?" Mary asked. John nodded stiffly, that had been what happened. "And then he's like come into my office where we'll talk about your child, but then he does no talking and just stares at you, right?"
"How'd you know all that?" Hamish asked with a laugh.
"Mommies know stuff." Mary assured. John couldn't help but crack a smile, it was true.
"How did you know all of that?" John asked.
"Because he's creepy, and that's what creepy people do. You saw him at that play last night, he was like a creepy teenager that wanted to keep in touch with a girl he just met, running through the dark and scribbling down their phone number to 'keep in touch'. You'll call him and he'll track the number to our house and next thing you know they'll be an inconspicuous flower delivery van outside our window with an antenna sticking out of the roof." Mary laughed. John couldn't help but laugh as well, because he didn't have trouble imagining that.
"Maybe that's why I should go with Hamish to take the test then, so he doesn't creep you out even more." John insisted.
"Oh definitely, I'm not going anywhere near that thing again." Mary agreed.
"Why do you think Mr. Holmes is creepy Mommy?" Hamish asked.
"I'm not calling Mr. Holmes creepy, it's another man, you wouldn't know him." Mary insisted. "Go up to your room, you don't have to help with dishes." Hamish took that opportunity and ran with it, literally. He bolted up the stairs before anyone else could call him down with more chores to do or any last second requests.
"He doesn't actually worry you, does he?" John asked. Mary sighed, shaking her head.
"No, he just gives me that feeling you know? When you meet someone and you can kind of tell they'll cause you trouble later on down the road?" Mary asked. John thought about that for a second.
"No, I can't recall anyone like that." he decided. It was a lie though, Mr. Holmes gave him a feeling, maybe not the same feeling Mary had, but he could tell that this teacher was going to be more than just Hamish's teacher; he would reappear, whether it be tomorrow or when Hamish was out of college, either way John sort of knew that he would come back.