A Necessary Struggle: Fall Semester

Part 7

Lela sat outside Dean Richards's office waiting for only God knows what. She nibbled her fingernails wondering why she was summoned to the western-style decorated office from her sociology class. She eagerly stared at the secretary, a middle-aged woman floating somewhere between fifty-four and fifty-seven. Lela read the glowing time on her cell phone anxiously waiting to be ushered into the office.

Lela wasn't a troublemaker but she wasn't an angel either. She got into her fair share of problems in school. There was the fight in second grade with a boy that stole her pencil. Then, there was the incident was Rachel Perkins accused her of flirting with her senior boyfriend during sophomore year at Verde High School. During Lela's teen years she had a tardy problem that landed her detention for two days. Unfortunately, later her smart-mouth earned her three more detention days. Thankfully, somewhere around junior year, she tapered off, catching her rhythm. That was also when she started dating Chris Barnes.

"Ms. Emery, You can go in now." The Secretary instructed as she hung up the phone.

Lela stopped biting her nails. She clenched her backpack strap as she entered the Dean's office where the western theme continued. The floor was lined with a Navajo red and ivory patterned rug. A black and white framed picture of a longhorn hung on the wall behind the Dean's big bulky desk. He rocked back in a tufted leather chair as his cowboy boots poked from behind the desk and his black cowboy hat hung on the coat rack in the corner.

Dean Richards was back on the phone. He gestured for Lela to take a seat in one of the brown cowhide chairs in front of his desk. She warily dropped into the chair placing her bag by her feet. She wondered how the cow died as she nervously tapped her foot; maybe the animal died from natural causes. She hoped she wouldn't die of natural causes when she left the office. A heart attack perhaps but then again she hadn't done anything that warranted expulsion. Granted, she did peek at her neighbor's test in Trigonometry but that was for only one answer and who didn't need a little help on an equation or two.

"Sorry. My wife's trying to guilt me into seeing the doctor." Dean Richard spoke hanging up the corporate desk phone.

"Are you okay?" Lela asked genuinely concerned for the man's well being.

"Of course. He gave her an assuring smiled. "She just thinks I need a check-up because my fifty-eighth birthday is quickly approaching."

"Happy Birthday." Lela lightly smiled. Hopefully, her kindness would earn her some leeway.

"Thank-you but enough about me. We need to talk about you." Dean Richards swiveled his chair toward her. He sat erectly, clearing his throat; getting serious. His courteous smile faded, the wrinkles in his forehead deepen from wells to creeks.

"What about me? I didn't do anything" Lela started defending herself nervously stroking her braids. "Is this about Trevor. I was not involved. I don't condone buying grades."

"No. No. No." Dean Richards said shaking his head easily. "This is not about that debauchery. I'm not accusing you of anything. This isn't a disciplinary visit." He assured with a head nod but his wrinkles didn't fade.

"It isn't?" She questioned narrowing her eyes, scrunching her eyebrows perplexed.

"No." He clenched his hands together and placed them on top of the open planner littered with black, blue, and red pen scribblings. Surely, there was a system, each color meant something but from Lela's angle, it all looked like chaos. The same chaos her nerves were havocking on her body.

"Then what kind of visit is it?" Lela leaned closer to the desk.

"It's a serious visit" Dean Richard's swiped his hand along with his red tie. "Being an educator I don't like talking about these things." He grinned his teeth, tensing his jaw. "But this is an institution and it calls for immediate situations to be taken care of so the educator in me can concentrate solely on educating."