Torches

5

October 3, 1983

Don and Stevie were chatting idly when Lindsey walked into Psychology Capstone. Stevie knew it was his birthday as he had asked her to stay the night at his and watch Clara so he could go out to a bar. She agreed, saying that she was probably just going to stay at his house anyway to study for her midterms. 

"Good Monday Afternoon Everybody!" Lindsey calls. 

"Good Afternoon." The class bellows back.

"That's what I like to hear, how is everyone?" He inquires. 

"Fine." "Tired"

"Tired, Della, why are you tired?" Lindsey questions. 

"I'm working three jobs and I'm a full-time student." She states.

"I'm sure there are a lot of you in that same situation," Lindsey replies. 

"Maybe so but I was up all night." She yawns. 

"Alright well, I'm about to make your lives harder..." Lindsey smirks. 

Groans appear throughout the classroom and Don leans into Stevie. The two of them had been rather close in the past two months since School's started. He's even come into Big Boy and has brought her some coffee, even a couple of cookies from the bakery down the road. They've met at the library several times before Psychology to study for the small tests Lindsey had strung out throughout the course and she's learned so much about him. She's learned that he was in the Army where he focused in with the on Base Psychologist helping him out with patients and things allowing him to pull the string to get into the doctoral class. She wasn't necessarily developing feelings for Don Henley, but she knew that he was developing feelings for her and she didn't know how to feel about it. 

"He can't make our lives any harder this is one of the hardest classes here," Don whispers.

"He's just doing his job. Leave him be." Stevie whispers rolling her eyes. 

"I like the guy but he's one of the harshest graders I've met." He explains. 

She goes to say something and then she nods. "Yeah, you're right." 

"MS. NICKS, MR. HENLEY I SUGGEST THAT YOU PAY ATTENTION!" Lindsey calls as Stevie pulls her shoulder away from his and sits up straighter her attention falling to Lindsey who's glaring at her which she doesn't necessarily understand but at that moment she's too scared to question him about it. 

"Sorry Dr. Buckingham, my bad." Don holds his hand up. 

"This class is entitled Psychology Capstone. But as I'm sure you ALL know. A Capstone is what you do to complete an undergraduate degree. I know there are I think at least a couple of you who DO have to complete a Capstone so you'll be scheduling a meeting with me after class to figure out your Capstone. I'll give you all that information separately. But on top of the Capstone for my few undergrads that are in here, you will be completing a Formal thesis and a Research paper. A paper is going around with the requirements and the information that you'll be needing to complete this thesis statement effectively. I'm letting you out of class early today so you have time to think about what you want to do and create a presentation about your thesis on Wednesday. During your presentations, I will be up here at my desk and I'm going to write you down feedback. Feedback such as if it's weak if it's strong if it sucks in general, or if it's really good. If your paper has the words Weak or No you will have the weekend to revamp your topic and then you'll have to make an appointment to come to my office and we will be doing this until you get a decent thesis. Am I clear?" Lindsey states.

Murmurs of an agreement are heard throughout the classroom and then Don turns to Stevie, "Della and I are the ones that have to do a Capstone...Della's going to struggle with it immensely ontop of this Thesis paper. Do you think you could help us out?" He asks.

"I can't do your capstone for you...but yeah, I can help you do some research, and then when the time comes I'll help you guys set up your posterboards and everything." Stevie nods.

"Gee, thanks Steves. I'll go tell Della. Dr. Buckingham freaks her out so we're going to go up and talk to him together." Don smiles pulling her into a hug and then going towards Della. 

***

Stevie returns from work at nine-fifteen and Lindsey meets her in the living room. "Alright, Clara's down...I shouldn't be gone long...I have to be to work at nine tomorrow so maybe like no later than midnight. But feel free to go to bed if you need to."

"We'll be fine...I wish I had you at my disposal a little bit longer, I have no fucking idea what to do about your stupid Thesis paper." She groans.

"That's the point dear...have fun studying." He smirks brushing past her as a car pulls up outside. Stevie blanches at the term of endearment that came out of his mouth but at the same time, something flutters in her stomach. 

It's around eleven-forty five when she throws her books on the coffee table and pushes out of her cross-legged position on the floor and traipses up the stairs. She checks on Clara who's sleeping peacefully her dark eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. 

"Hey, baby girl...I know you're sleeping and you can't hear me. You're so cute...your eyelashes are dark, maybe your hair is going to go dark like your daddy's hair...speaking of your daddy, what am I going to do about this stupid thesis...I can't think of a good one. My favorite is inspired by you, What is the psychological impact on children growing up with one parent due to the death of the other. Because if you think about it, your daddy is still grieving your mommy and that's disrupting his psyche so even though he's trying to give you his best he subconsciously-well maybe he does as he's a psychologist-doesn't know that he can't because of the ever-present grief. And then there are follow-up questions. What impact does it have on a child when their parent died really young but their living parent remarries say when the child is between the ages 5-10 and you could ask the same question for teenagers and adults even...but I don't want to present that to your father because he'll know that it's about you and I don't know if that would go over well." Stevie sighs kissing the baby's little forehead and disappears to her own bedroom. 

Her room at Lindsey's house is much more comfortable than the one in her apartment. She has a proper king-sized bed with Egyptian cotton sheets and it's slightly homier with the matching dark wood furniture compared to her mixed matched thrift store furniture. It's almost warmer and maybe that's why she will spend all week at Lindsey's but go home-home after her shift on Friday and stay in her apartment through Sunday. Sharon and Lori miss her and worry about her, sure they do and none of them have met "sexy professor Lindsey" but she's an adult and they aren't going to question her. She's paying her share of the rent and utilities so that's all that matters. 

When Lindsey gets home, he sees Stevie's notebooks on the coffee table and he's normally not one for snooping but he's curious. She color coats things. Her Psychology notebook is purple and her other three notebooks are red, blue, and black. Seeing that the Psychology one is open he looks down at it and reads her elegant curly cursive. 

Effects on a child's Psychology when the mother does drugs, he quickly writes a quick NO overdone. 

Effects on a child's Psychology when a family is considered low-income, He writes-you can't study this because it's prying. While it's a good topic no family is going to tell you their income status it's an invasion of privacy and I think you could get arrested for it. 

Effects on a Child's Psychology when parents divorce. Closer but no cigar. 

Effects on a Child's Psychology when they've been abused or suffered a traumatic event. Now, Traumatic is getting closer, but this is also overstudied significantly. 

He sighs and then he neatly gathers her stuff and places it on the Island where her purse and the giant bag she uses as a backpack is discarded on the corner.