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Julie was the one in charge of overseeing the gate today and despite not liking having to stand there and be the reluctant victim of too-talkative parents, she appreciated the opportunity that it gave her to do some people watching and gossip with the french teacher with whom she shared the task.
"And the dad came to pick her up today, which is the first time he's done so since the start of the semester.'' Quentin huffed quietly enough to not give away the topic of their conversation to the pupils and parents uselessly swarming the gate.
The number of people had dwindled gradually since school had ended 20 minutes ago but there were still a good chunck of students and adults lingering to chat, blocking the way for the few children still coming out of the school.
"Please don't stand there ! You are blocking the way, let other people get out !" She called, her voice loud but not shouting, as it usually was when she had to reprimand her students.
She then turned back to the other teacher and picked up the conversation back where they had left off ''Don't they both work the same hours ? Why is he only showing up now ? We're four months in.''
Quentin nodded, ''I know right ? Do you think he's trying to look good in front of the judge?"
At that, she frowned and threw a concerned glance towards the man in question. He was struggling to put up the booster seat that he had taken from his trunk correctly in the backseat for fuck's sake ''Do you think he's going to try to fight for custody? Look at him, he doesn't even look like he knows what he's doing !"
He huffed once more, indignant "Well he doesn't really look like the kind of guy who would want to pay child support. I really hope she goes with her mom, people that don't take care of their children piss me off.''
"You can say that again.'' She agreed, eyes still transfixed to the poor excuse of a father struggling with something he should've been accustomed to do for his 8 years old daughter.
A slight comfortable silence takes place between them for a few minutes before it is broken by a familiar and friendly voice.
"Ms.Conrad, Mr.Herman" Mr.Grace greets, walking through the gate as he takes his very flashy, very yellow coat out of his bag. What a fitting color for him. "Have a nice weekend. Better enjoy before the field trip. I heard it was going to rain all throughout next week.''
''Really ? I better get my raincoat and mud shoes ready then.'' Julie answered pacifically.
Quentin raises an eyebrow and asks him ''Are you coming too ? I thought it was only sixth graders but you know how information gets around in here. I must've missed an email or something.''
He then unfortunately starts huffing and mumbling about how the importance of communication was always taken too lightly in today's society.
She prefers to ignore him. Quentin had recently developed a weird fixation on communication and how to create a non-toxic work environment. Julie pondered if it was related to his change in therapist but wasn't bothered enough to ask, as long as his healthy work environment views didn't interfere with their gossip sessions, she could overlook the rants and overly dramatic huffs and puffs.
"Oh no I'm uh...." Mr. Grace started awkwardly, one arm in his coat and the other halfway through, struggling to slide down the plastic sleeve. ''I'm staying here, uh, teaching. I have a test- well, my students have a test...'' finally through with the coat, he puts on his biking helmet much more efficiently, probably because that didn't require as much coordination. ''So yeah, I'm gonna be here... teaching.''
Mr. Grace presses his lips together in a fine line and exhales through his nose before nodding to himself and almost running to his bike a few meters away.
''What an awkward, beautiful man.'' She says, her statement half sung.
''I know right ? I heard the new Spanish teacher is still trying to make it happen.'' Quentin sighed. ''Poor woman.''
Julie nodded compassionately. They had all gone through their Grace-crush phase but the man had never seemed to take a hint. It came to a point where half the staff thought he was completely clueless and couldn't read the room whereas the second half of the staff believed it was just his kind hearted way of letting them down softly.
Julie was of the first opinion.
She had not known the man the longest but she was certain he wouldn't know flirting if a dictionary sized step-by-step guide hit him in the stomach.
She watches on as the man grabs his bike, unlocks the padlock, puts it in his bag, and the chain falls off. Mr. Grace freezes, seems to try to take big breaths before raising his hands to the sky and plopping them down in a defeated manner.
''Aw, his chain fell off." Julie passes on the information to Quentin who wasn't looking, still engrossed in his rant. ''But on a better note, Mr.Irresponsible-Father over here seems to have finally conquered the evil booster seat.'' She continued.
Quentin interrupts his rant to inspect the two scenes. After a few seconds, he speaks up. ''I think it's broken.''
''What ?"
''The bike chain, look at it: it's broken.''
She frowns and looks closely. "You're right... Does that usually happen ? It's the first time I see a bike chain break in half like that.''
The french teacher only shrugs before squinting in the direction of the tragic event. ''First time I've seen that as well. I think the bike is kaput.''
They both stay transfixed to the scene as Mr. Grace squats and holds his head in his hands in despair.
''Poor guy. Can't catch a break it seems.''
Julie nods and stays silent, still observing.
After a few seconds, the physics teacher gets up, takes his phone out of his bag, fiddles a bit with it and places it to his ear, his posture even more awkward than when he is the one stuck talking to parents at the gate.
They can identify the exact moment the call connects by the way his shoulder slump slightly in relief, and the lines on his forehead disappear at the same time as his frown.
He stays on the phone for a bit less than a minute before hanging up, a small smile at the corner of his lips.
Julie purses her own lips. Despite not knowing the man that well, she knew Mr.Grace to be very attached to his bike. Whether it meant being subjected to rain in autumn, snow in winter, hail in spring, or the burning California sun in summer, he always opted to ride his bike, which she found in equal parts pitying and adorable.
Now she finds it more sad than anything, she really hopes he can get it fixed.
"They're finally leaving, look.''
Interrupted, she turns to her conversation partner before following the direction to which he is pointing: Mr.Why-Would-I-Spend-Time-With-My-Daughter and sweet Emily are finally both buckled in and leaving the parking lot.
''He's such a shit driver too. I hope he gets a ticket.'' Julie mumbled, not willing to admit that the man's driving wasn't that bad and she was just searching for another flaw to attribute to him.
The french teacher only acquiesces and turns back towards the school. "It's been twenty-five minutes, should we head back ?''
''We usually only stay twenty minutes.''
''Yes but I wanted to see if he would be able to put the booster seat on correctly or if he would just give up.'' Quentin, who was usually the first to want to go back inside explains without fanfare.
She hums. ''I don't know; I kind of want to see if Mr. Grace..." Julie trails off as a beautiful vintage car pulls up near the gate as two or three students pass by.
''Holy shit.'' she hears next to her.
"Language." She responds automatically, without much conviction because she had internally had the same reaction.
The marvel of a car slows to a halt a few feet from the science teacher and the man smiles brightly before closing the distance, a spring in his step.
Quentin tries too speak but she shushes him immediately, not willing to pass on any opportunity to learn more about her colleagues' private lives (and gossip material).
Her efforts pay off when they realize that they are near enough to hear Mr. Grace smile through a delighted ''Hey beautiful.'' as he pulls the door open and sits before closing it, the tail end of his coat catching and sticking outside of the vehicle.
The car stays still for a few seconds before the blinker turns on and it starts moving again.
Both of their gazes stay stuck to the dual-colored rear until they turn at the corner of the street, at which point the two turn to each other, eyes wide.
"Did you hear that ?"
"Of course I heard that. Did you ?"
"Obviously."
''Just making sure I wasn't hallucinating.''
''...''
''...''
''Does that mean Mr. Grace has a girlfriend ?!'' She exclaims.
Her voice came out a bit too loud apparently because a boy around the age of thirteen turns to her, sighing, his head raised up to the sky and his hands floppy around him.
''Man, my mom's gonna be so sad to hear that.''
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