Their Teachers

“Ms. Thomas’ got to be gay,” a teenage girl states with conviction, “She never talks about a boyfriend or husband.”

“Yea, and she doesn’t have any kids,” a second teen agrees.

“You know, my brother had her four years ago and she used Miss,” a third continues. “She went from Miss to Ms., not Mrs.”

“What do you think about Ms. Ayers?” one of the teens continues, changing the subject slightly since there was no longer any doubt about Ms. Thomas’s sexual preference.

“She’s sooo married to Bill Nye.”

“The Science Guy?” The girls all laugh.

I lay on the beach listening to this conversation, thinking, It sure would be nice to be across the lake. But, the warm sun felt so good as it bathed my body.

Finally, after listening to the point where my IQ seemed to be dropping, I suggested to Adolfo that it was time to move on.

As Adolfo and I walked to the truck, I thought to myself, These are the kids I used to write for.

Perhaps I’ll pick a career that doesn’t involve teens next time.