Unexpected Love

Chapter Thirty Three

"Quieten down, please! I'd like a pile of your completed homework in the middle of your tables!" I told my class, beginning to walk over to collect them. There was only fifteen minutes left of the final lesson of the day and keeping their attention on a Thursday afternoon was not an easy task. "Okay, quick quiz. Hands up if you know the answer. Who wrote 'The Great Gatsby'?" I asked, looking around the room. Several hands went up in response to my question. "Yes, Samuel?"

"Fitzgerald, sir," he said with confidence, a smile on his face when I nodded and praised him.

"Next question, can anyone remember what year it was written in?" A couple of children looked down at their desks, hoping I wouldn't ask them. "I'll give you a clue, it was the same year as Ernest Hemingway's 'In Our Time'." A couple of hands slowly began to rise, and I smiled at a child in encouragement. "Charlotte?"

"Is it 1925?" she asked, not sure if she was right.

"Well done! I knew you knew it," I smiled, looking at the clock to see how much time we had left. I sighed, still ten minutes.

"Sir," I heard someone say, "can I ask you a question?" I nodded, smiling in their direction. "How are you feeling now?"

"How am I feeling?" I repeated, leaning on the front of my desk, a confused look on my face.

"Yeah, your partner went to London and you seemed sad about it," she asked, showing concern.

"It's sweet of you to remember, Darcy. I know I didn't look my best at the weekend," I chuckled, causing her to laugh a little.

"You looked terrible!" she exclaimed, the rest of the class laughing too.

"Alright, alright, thanks for that! To answer your question, Darcy, I miss him and it's very strange." My eyes immediately widened as I realised what I had said. I had always tried to be honest with my class, I'm a firm believer in 'you get back what you give out', and have always tried to incorporate that into my teaching by answering their questions and showing them respect, but I had never mentioned my sexuality before. I quickly scanned the room, hoping they hadn't noticed what I said, but the way they were looking at me told me they had heard every word.

"Him?" a child whispered to their friend, a slight murmur beginning to make its way around the room. I stood there, not sure how to handle this situation. This felt too personal, but I knew I couldn't backtrack now. I took a deep breath before the words fell out of my mouth.

"Yes, him. I never planned on telling you but yes, my partner is a man. His name is Harry." The class stayed silent for what felt like forever before I noticed a child at the back slowly raise his hand. "Do you have a question, Oscar?" He nodded shyly; Oscar very rarely raised his hand, so this was a shock to everyone.

"How did you know you liked boys?" I thought about how I should approach this question. I decided that honesty was the best policy.

"When I met Harry, I was drawn to him straight away. I was scared to admit my feelings to begin with, I had a girlfriend and liking another man was not something I had ever thought about before. As most of you know, I took some personal time off last year. During this time, I realised my feelings for Harry. It took me a long time to come to terms with this, but admitting it was a huge relief, and my family and friends were all incredibly supportive. Liking someone of your own gender is nothing to be ashamed of, it is no different than any other relationship. You're all very young, but if any of you are having thoughts that you don't understand, please do not hesitate to talk to me. My door is always open for you lot," I said, looking around the room at the thirty students all sat at their desks. Their eyes were fixed on me, apart from Oscar who was looking down at his lap.