Page 85 of Falling Slowly
She smiled the sweetest smile I’d ever seen, one that crinkled the corners of her eyes and painted her whole face with sunshine. “Oh, Charlie! You’d be wonderful.”
“I hope so. I haven’t had the best role models. Except Gran.”
“Me, neither,” she admitted. “My father lives in Dublin with his new family. I barely see him.”
My heart squeezed. “That sucks.” I pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you for believing I could do better.”
“Easily.” She breathed deeply against my chest.
I inhaled the flowery scent of her hair, now mixed with pine and earth. I could smell the entire forest and mountains embedded in my Bess. She was my greatest adventure, and one day she’d accept it. I wanted to stay there forever, but we both knew the time was running out.
Reluctantly, I turned toward the door. “Shall we?”
She halted, looking at me for one last time. Silently acknowledging everything that had happened and that it’d be there, even when we found ourselves back in the real world, separated by work and responsibilities. At least that’s what I chose to believe.
I cracked the bathroom door, peering into the hallway. At first glance, it seemed empty. Whoever had been out there had become tired of waiting and left. But as I swung open the door, it hit something. Someone.
We rounded the door and discovered Ilme, our Estonian art teacher. She must have been running down the hallway at that exact moment, blindsided by the opening door. Her long, paint-adorned lab coat was open and her top knot had unraveled,hanging over her shoulder. Her eyes were red-rimmed, matching the color of her nose that appeared to be bleeding.
“Oh, my God! Ilme?” Bess hopped to the side to lean on the wall so I could help the teacher.
“I’m sorry!” I popped back into the bathroom to get her some tissues.
“Thank you.” She stuffed pieces into her nostrils to stop the bleeding. “It was my fault. I wasn’t looking. I’m quite upset.”
“Why? What happened?” Bess asked.
I sighed. There were only so many people whose problems I could handle at that moment. My troubled ladies’ dance card was full. But I could tell Bess had a soft spot for the Estonian teacher. And if she cared, I cared.
“I was fired.” Ilme sniffed. “I wasn’t pushing their products and catalogs. I told you guys to pick things from nature. Apparently, that’s not good for business.”
“That’s terrible,” I said lamely, lending one arm to support Bess and the other to pat Ilme on the shoulder as we made our way back to the dining hall. “I’m sure you’ll find another teaching job. There are lots of art schools.”
“So unfair!” Bess huffed. “Why would they do that? Why?”
The dining room was empty now, the buffet cleared away. Bess’s mom and Celia sat at the corner table, looking at something on a phone screen.
“Come sit with us,” Bess told her. “Let’s talk.”
Ilme nodded gratefully and joined our little table. Bess introduced her to her mom.
“Kathy,” she said, offering her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’ve never met anyone from Estonia.”
“That’s understandable. There are only 1.3 million of us.”
Kathy laughed a little, noticing her bloody nose, red eyes, and general shakiness. She exchanged a quick glance with us. Bessnodded at the same time I did, vouching for the misunderstood artist.
“I’m so glad you got back safely!” Ilme cast us a grave look. “They said it was my fault. If we’d ordered those expensive items from the catalog and never went outside, you wouldn’t be lost in the mountains and eaten by a bear.” She added a rare half-smile. “I’m being dramatic, sorry. I added the part about the bear.”
“It was definitely not your fault!” Bess’s eyes burned. “We didn’t get lost because we were collecting leaves or pinecones. We got lost because we were reckless.”
“I was,” I added, earning a sharp look from Kathy.
“But to lose your job over that... it doesn’t make sense!” Bess frowned, eyes flashing with the injustice of it. “I’d be furious.” She paused for a beat and the color drained from her face. “I’d be screwed.”
I swallowed a swelling lump. If she was this worked up over someone else’s temporary teaching job, what would she do when she found out about hers?
“It’s okay.” Ilme patted Bess’s hand, sensing she’d triggered something. “I’ll get paid. I’ll be fine, but I won’t be asked to come back. They don’t feelcomfortable…” She flashed her eyes, elongating the word.
