Page 21 of Cullen
Jayden was excited about the new schools.He was still principal of the grade school and loved every minute of it.It had been better when his kids were going there, but since they were all grown and moved on to high school, he was still thrilled to be a part of the school’s activities.
He and Hazel had four children, and he couldn’t love them any more than if he’d only had the one.As soon as they were born, he started teaching them how to hug and to say ‘I love you’.He thought that was the only words that a child should know when they were growing up.He wanted the best for them and thought that he’d achieved that easily.
“I heard that the schools may go up as soon as next year.Cullen has been looking into all kinds of grants that can defer some of the cost of the building.”He told Hazel that he’d been looking into it for years now and thought that he had a good handle on what was going on.“He said that there are government subsidies that will pay for a lot of the things that the new school will need, too.”
The two of them talked about Cullen running for Mayor and thought that if anyone could do the job, it would be him.He was not just smart, but he also knew the laws about government facilities, which would help him.Plus, the fact that he’d been looking into the project since his kids had been in grade school.Jayden said that Cullen loved to research things and would find anything that he needed to get the project done in a timely manner, too.
“I believe it.Remember when he wanted to put in a garden park for the people who didn’t have room to have a garden?He got that project up and running in less than a month.It’s wonderful too to see all those people out there working their soil.And then at the end of the year, the trade or sell things off to one another, and that helps everyone too.”Jayden remembered the fresh green beans that he’d been able to pick up for nearly nothing at the end of the year.Tomatoes too.“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get some more fresh vegetables too.I swear they tasted better than the stuff from the store.I know that it lasted longer.”
They talked about all the things that Cullen had been doing around town, and was pleased that he was now going to be running the mayors office.Waylon, who owned the hardware store in town, said that he’d run with him as his assistant.The two of them together would make a great pair, he thought.
Waylon was well-liked around town, too.He used to have the granddas work for him in the store, but they were off doing other things now.He thought it was because of the new cash register that he’d changed out again.The first one had them writing down everything that they sold, and Waylon would have to put it all in the computer register at the end of the day.It had been a lot of hard work, but he’d not trade them working for him for any amount of extra work he had to do.He often told him that they would give away more than they sold, but he didn’t mind that either.It was great to have them around.Now his kids worked for him along with the other high school kids who needed a few bucks for gas or something.
“Did you hear that old Mr.Appleton passed away?”Hazel said she’d not heard that.“I guess he was at work when he passed.I think he was like eighty-nine years old and still went to work every day.He was a good old man, and I loved talking to him about the town when it first started to grow.I’m going to miss him.”
“Me too.He would forever tease me about staying with you as your wife.He was an outrageous flirt, too.His wife had to put up with a lot with him having women in the store.”He ran the grocery store after Mr.Collins had retired.He’d been an old vampire who found his mate late in life, and that’s what he’d been doing.He wondered if he’d come back now that the store was going to be put up for sale again.“We should buy it.That way, I can have something to do in the evenings.Even duringsummer break.What do you think?”
“I think you have enough on your plate right now, other than running a grocery store that’s too small for this town now.It should have expanded decades ago, but he never did.I think he liked the old-time feel of the small country store.I know there were times when I loved going in there, too.”He told her that he always had the things that you’d not be able to find anywhere else.“Much like Waylon.He even has that old-fashioned key maker that still makes keys that you can’t find anywhere else.I love that about that hardware store.”
After lunch, he walked back to school.Most of the kids were on the playground, and he loved watching them having fun.As soon as the bell rang for some of them to go back into the school, he followed them inside.There was still a lot of work for him to do, and he only had about five hours to get it done.He rarely, if ever, took work home from school and thought that was an excellent plan to have.Jayden was home just in time for supper and was happy that his entire family was there to enjoy it together.
At ten, he was ready for bed.He’d spoken to his parents several times over the evening.The grandkids were going to meet at his mom’s house for a weekend of fun.Since they were all about the same age, being right around fifteen to eighteen, they enjoyed whatever activities she had planned, and it gave the adults time to themselves, too.The only one who couldn’t enjoy the fun was Dallas, but he was sure that he found himself something to do while alone in the big house.
He was also able to talk to Booth.He taught Spanish and Latin at the high school where he used to teach until he took the principal job.His brother could teach any language to the kids as he’d always had an ear for it.Once he learned one, he could pass for a native of the language, and that saved them a lot of time at the police station, too, when they needed a translator.Actually, anywhere he was needed for translating things for people.He’d been known to go to the hospital, too, when they needed help.Jayden loved his family and the way that they stuck together when they were needed.
After getting ready for bed, he decided to look to see what new things he might be able to count on when they got the new school building built.There were all kinds of things that they could use to teach a better class, and he was looking forward to being able to utilize those things to help the kids.He didn’t know what kind of money Cullen could get for them, but it would go a long way in getting the schools in better shape than they were right now.Some of them were nearly fifty years old; he’d gone to one of them when he’d been a kid, and they were in dire need of some upgrades if nothing else.Even the buses were getting to the point where they needed to be replaced.But one step at a time, he told himself.He didn’t want to be overwhelmed when trying to think of things to make the school a place that would bring them up to date with this century.
It didn’t take him long to fall asleep.He’d been working hard in getting ready for school, and now that it was going, he didn’t have time for anything else.Not that he didn’t enjoy it all, but sometimes he wished that he’d been a stay-at-home dad like Cullen had been.
He’d been able to go to every meeting, play, and even ball games when they played.But he also knew that Cullen had worked hard all his life as a special forces guy and deserved the time off more than anyone.He was proud of his family, but especially proud of Cullen.He’d worked hard for everything that he got, and no one couldn’t say that he didn’t deserve it more than most.
Getting up the next morning, he was out the door before the kids got up.Sometimes he liked the quiet, but there were times, too, when he wanted the chaos of the morning to make him appreciate the day at school.He seemed to be putting out fires all over the place, and he thought that it was something that he loved.
He thought about his brother Falkner too.he seemed to be on his mind a great deal lately, and he couldn’t figure out why.He’d been successful in his career as a doctor and was being looked at for the position of president of the hospital.He would be good at that job, too.Falkner was organized and had a good head on his shoulders for getting things done that needed to be done.
He and Falkner were close, closer than he thought any of the others were.He was close to his brothers, but it was Falkner that he’d go to when he needed to vent.He wouldn’t offer much in the wayof advice unless he asked for it, but he was a good sounding board when all he wanted to do was get something off his chest.It wasn’t all that often, but enough that he would go to him when he needed it, just like the other day.
He’d been having a bad day at work.And it seemed to compound into more and more shit as the day had gone on.Then one of the brilliant kids had pulled the fire alarm, and that set everyone off.He’d barely been able to stop the police and fire trucks from coming over before they shut the school down.
Having to discipline the kid had been hard.He remembered when that had happened when he’d been a kid, and they’d gotten the entire rest of the day off because they had to look for the fire.The only reason he’d been able to stop them is that he’d seen the kid do it.Having a three-day suspension plus three Saturday schools had been the worst that he’d ever given a kid.If anyone deserved it, it had been this kid.He’d been trouble since he’d transferred to the school three months ago.He couldn’t wait until he was able to transfer to the next level up in school so that he’d be someone else’s problem.Rude?Yes, but he’d been a pain in the ass since he’d been going to the elementary school.Someone knocked on his door, and he bid them welcome in.
“Do you have a moment, Mr.Dixon?”He would forever look around for his dad when someone called him that.“I wanted to talk to you about giving my notice.”
“Oh no.Is there anything I can do to make you want to stay?”She said that she was going to have a baby in the fall and wanted to be able to stay at home with it for the first years of his life.“What wonderful news.But I hate to see you go.The kids really love having you teach them.”
“And I love teaching them.But my husband has a really good job now, and he said it would be good for us not to have to pay a sitter.Like I’m the sitter instead of the mom.”She looked embarrassed and said she was sorry.He told her it was all right.“I don’t really want to stay at home all the time.It’s why I became a teacher in the first place, so that I could be around people.They don’t have to be adults, but children are smart enough to have a conversation with sometimes, and I’m going to miss that.”
When she burst into tears, he had to remind himself not to go and comfort her.It would be a breach in protocol, and he wasn’t going to be accused of sexually abusing his power over her as her boss.Handing her a box of tissues that he had on his desk, he waited until she had herself under control.
“I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble about your job.”She said that she’s just emotional.He didn’t think it was all that, but didn’t say anything about that.“Have you told your husband how you feel?”
“Yes, he keeps going on about babysitters and paying them more than I’m making right now.I don’t know what his problem is.This is just as much his child as it is mine.”She looked more embarrassed, and he smiled at her.“I’m sorry.I don’t mean to be a pain in the bottom but I’ve been thinking about this for several days.I just don’t want to quit my job.I need to work.”
“I don’t know what to say to you.”She nodded as if she understood, and he smiled at her.“If I were you, I’d talk to him about your feelings.I mean, that’s just me.My brother has been a stay-at-home dad since he got out of the service.I’m not saying that he needs to quit his job; it sounds like he’s making more money than you, but perhaps if you told him how you really feel, you’ll feel better.At least make him aware of how you feel.”
“I should but…well, I’m not afraid of him, but I think he might think he’s right.He’s always right anyway.”When she laughed, he smiled again at her.“I’m going to talk to him tonight.I can’t be the babysitter and have a good life too.I need to have something to do with my time when the baby comes.”She stood up, and so did he.“I won’t mention talking to you.I don’t want him mad at you over this.But I will talk to him.”
After she left, he made notes for himself not to get involved.He didn’t need some husband coming into his office and telling him to butt out.He might need to speak to Falkner again before this was all over.He should know better than to give out advice when it was none of his concern.
