Meeting the men

As the meeting breaks up you take your time gathering up your stuff. Several teachers approach with personal words of welcome, some sounding much more sincere than others. You note that several pointedly do not approach you or any of the other men, simply leaving the room as though oblivious to your presence.

As Ms. Considine walks away, you scan the room. It's not until you determine that Diana has left that you even admit to yourself that you had been hoping to talk to her. Monica is trying to catch your eye as she is being swept away by her two compatriots and you give her a quick wave as she disappears. To your right a cluster of the other three male members of the staff is forming and you start drifting in that direction.

"-teresting meeting." Mr. Sharp is speaking to Coach Watts and Mr. Carter with a good-natured chuckle. "I thought there was going to be a riot in here for a while, not what I was expecting." You smile softly at that understatement. You remember how Diana had introduced Mr. Sharp as having noteworthy experience, and you wonder if he had ever worked in a school this much in flux.

"Me neither," Coach Watts looks relieved to see he wasn't alone in his reaction to this meeting, "although I don't have much of a frame of reference. This is my first teaching job." Mr. Sharp seems to sense the new teacher's reaction and he slaps the young man on his shoulder.

"We've all got to start somewhere, some of this was new on me too." WIth this natural pause in the conversation you close your folder and set it on a nearby table so you have your hand free to shake the other teacher's hands in greeting.

"Gentlemen, good to meet you. Kyle Hawkfeather." As you shake Coach Watts' hand you notice the thick corded arms and strength in his grip. Diana hadn't been kidding when she said he was a ballplayer. His voice is warm and has a pleasing tenor timber that is going to go over well with the young women of the school.

"That was quite the performance, I've got to say I wasn't expecting that." The other two teachers nod in agreement and you feel a sense of relief having at least these three men who are willing to give you a chance. Other than Monica, Ms. Considine and possibly Ms. McCray you sensed that you had very few people here who were willing to give you a chance.

"If I learned one thing in the Corps," you tell them, "it was that discipline should be enforced by the book and not by whim." You see Mr. Carter cover his mouth with his hand but Mr. Sharp and Coach Watts nod in understanding. With that small encouragement you decide to put all your cards on the table. "They hired me to do this, and they may come to regret it, but until they change the book I'm going with it."

"It seems reasonable to me," Mr. Sharp says with a grin. "It sure got some of the ladies in here upset though."

"I expect I haven't heard the last of it," You chuckle, suddenly relieved to realize you had passed the first challenge in this unfamiliar role. "Good to meet you gentlemen. I've got to go, but we should get together soon."

"Sounds good," Mr. Carter says. "I have a hunch we may be somewhat isolated here and it would be wise to stick together, if possible." You nod in agreement and break into a grin as the others smile in agreement at this small alliance.

Leaving the meeting in much better spirits than when you entered the hall almost two hours ago you make your way back towards your rooms in the Mellon building. The three others turn away onto the path that leads to the cottages and you wonder if maybe you should have accepted Diana's initial offer to have you room with Mr. Sharp. It might have been useful to have someone with his experience and level-headed approach to bounce ideas off of.

As you go up the steps to the Mellon building you realize that you'll have to walk right by Diana's suite to get to yours and you hesitate as you approach her door.