Teenage Fever

Meet the Parents

"Do you and.... her..... groups get end of the year trips?" I ask Jackson.

He was wearing reading glasses with a white dress top tucked into black pants. He always dressed professionally or fancy. One of the reasons I liked the guy.

"Yeah. I think her group is going to a theater performance out in California and then to an expensive restaurant. And my group is going to the San Diego Zoo."
"Damn. They go all out here."
"They do, last year I think your group went to Cedar Point."
"Wow."

In walks two girls from Jackson's group. They go to talk to him so I turn back to my computer screen.

I've been puzzling over one of Tahj's last messages to me. We hadn't seen or spoken to each other since yesterday after his last text to me about working with his dad, but today we did message each other good morning. His message about working for his dad bothered me because it wasn't specific. I kind of feel like I'm either bothering him or intruding if I ask what he does specifically.

I was probably thinking too much of it, I'm sure his dad has a great job and Tahj must enjoy working for him, I can't really imagine what that would be.

My eyes adjust to Jerome walking in and to the calendar I have up in front of my desk of the staff's work schedules. He smiles and nods at me before picking up his color post-it sticker and thinking, long and hard, about where to place it. I watch him the whole time. I can't get not one, maybe besides Brie, to work a full week here. Granted, I haven't been here long enough but from the two weeks I have been I found it ridiculous.
Jerome finally sets his post-it on this coming Friday. Which is tomorrow. I give him a look before he leaves.

I decide to leave out early today, not too much early but early enough to see the commotion in the halls with all the kids leaving at the same time. I decided to spend this time introducing myself to some of the parents, even if they were just parents of Group A and B kids. Hardly any of the Group C's parents show up.

"You're adjusting quite well and fast," Triana says to me as I rest my elbow on the counter.
I nod and smile but then do a double take.
"What you still doing here?"
She actually gives me a small smile.
"I'm usually part time but I'm covering Isabella's shift."
"Oh, so that's her name, okay."
"So you only mess with me then?" She says in turn with her elbows on her desk, face resting in her hands looking at me with intrigue and amusement.
I laugh.
"It's only because you seemed so stand off-ish and I enjoyed bothering you."
She rolls her eyes.
"Hmmph! You ain't got to worry about that no more but you gonna wish I would have stayed stand-off-ish. Now I'm going to bother you every second."
I fully face her.
"Is that right? Damn."
"Yep! Starting with these."
She shoved a bunch of loose leaf pages at me. On closer look they looked like letters.
"Parent complaints."
She fully cheesed at me with her eyes shut. She wasn't joking. I mentally groan.
"I'll come back for that," I tell her and start to walk outside.
"Nuh uh, they'll be on your desk tomorrow morning," she calls after me.

When I get outside I make sure to hold back any swear words. It was blazing out. I noticed some of the guys from Group C standing around talking with no shirts on.
"How's it going, fellas?" I ask.
Finally, I can get some talk in with the students.
"Hey! Mr. Les!" Some of them call out.
"You finally crawled out of that cave?"
"They got you working like a slave."
"You missing on all the fun shit."
"In due time, guys," I tell them. "I will be on the field trip, though."

A few of them I was never introduced to but they still seemed to put one and one together as to who I was. But I still formally introduced myself and they in turn told me their names. I did want to get a good look at all the students that were going to be on the field trip. I made a mental note to call for a Group C meeting on that.

But I continued on moving through the crowds and briefly introduced myself to more parents.

"Hi, Mr. Les," a bunch of Group C girls seemed to moan to me.
I gave them a straight nod and kept it pushing.

My eyes eventually land on someone that causes me to stop in my tracks. The person looked like Tahj. He was bent down in front of a younger boy who I believe was in Jackson's Group A. He was talking to the boy right beside the curb. I started walking towards them.

It was Tahj.

"Tahj?"

He looks up and over at me and sure enough it was him in a backwards cap, black shirt and black jeans with white sneakers. He looks startled to see me. He looks me up and down, taking in my suit, most likely, while standing up. He looked confused.

"Les."
So he always spoke like that.
"Yeah, I didn't realize that I never told you where I work."
I indicate to the center. He looks around it then back at me.
"What do you do?" He asks in a voice above a whisper, I almost didn't hear him.
"I'm the Program Coordinator for Group C. Working with a bunch of high schoolers."
I look down at the little boy who stares at me silently. He looks just like Tahj.
"Really?" Tahj beats me in speaking.
I couldn't read the look on his face or the tone in his voice. But I got a vibe that he didn't want to be seen with me. But still I couldn't help to ask, "Who's this little man?"

Tahj looks down at the boy. This whole time my mind is thinking that this is his son. But that sounded kind of crazy.

"This is my brother, he goes to the after school program. I'm just here to pick him up."
I was silently relieved.
"Awww, he looks just like you. Hey, what's your name?" I ask him.
"Bryson."
"Well, hi, Bryson. I think I might have seen you around. You're in Group A."
He nods to my statement.
"He's cute," I say to Tahj.
"Thanks," Tahj smiles.
"Are you busy later on?"
He hesitates but before he can answer a car pulls up.
"Daddy!" Bryson calls and runs for the car.

Oh.

His dad steps from the car to help Bryson into his car seat. I figure to introduce myself seeing as how he's a parent of Bryson's

"Hi, I'm Mr. Thompson, I work alongside your son's Program Coordinator."
He shakes my hand. I realize I don't know Tahj's last name.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Thompson. Name's Tyson Morris."

Tahj Morris.

I look back at Tahj who's fidgeting. He isn't necessarily looking at us and I still couldn't read him.

It's probably too soon to be meeting the parents. I could see how awkward this is for him. But I think I should still inform him that I have interest in his other son.

"Mr. Morris, you can actually call me Leslie. I happen to also be acquainted with your son, Tahj. He's a nice young man and if you don't mind I would like to actually take him out sometime."

I figured that would score me some points. I'm being respectful like my mama taught me and I'm letting Tahj know that I'm pretty serious about trying to get to know him.

But that thinking is shot out the window when I notice Tahj's expression. He had his eyes closed shut and I could tell he didn't like what I just said. I look back at his dad and notice him giving Tahj a funny look.

Fuck! It didn't even cross my mind that Tahj might not be that open with his dad. Shit, my parents didn't even know either.

Tahj eventually takes me gently aside by my arm. We walk some ways from his dad.

"I'm really sorry, Tahj. I'm an idiot. I didn't know—"
"It's cool, Les," he gives me a small smile. "I really like the gesture, and I don't mind going out with you sometime as you know but we should probably get going. Don't want to keep my brother out too late."
I nod.
"I'll definitely call you," he tells me before walking back to his dad.

His dad watches me but still continues to get back in the car and drive away.
I still feel like an ass though. I happen to look back near the entrance of the building and see the group of high school boys in no shirts staring at me.