Perilous Assurance

  ******

  Mattie walked over to the chalkboard.

  "Now, I'm giving you a list of specific chapters from art history books that I've selected from the campus library for you to read. The librarian will have them at the front desk. You may not check out the books, so read the chapters indicated, and write a brief summary in your notebooks. These notes will aid you as we look at the slides in this next series." She turned from writing the list on the wall-length chalkboard behind her desk. "We're going to jump back from our little detour into modern art and return to the medieval period and cover the role of religion in architecture during that time." She smiled as she stood by her desk, and tapped her cane lightly on the floor, as the students quickly copied the list. "That's all for today, then. If there are no questions, you're dismissed once you've finished. I'll see you in class Wednesday." She placed the chalk on the runner, and brushed the white chalk dust off her cream-colored turtleneck and brown corduroy skirt. As the students filed out slowly, she gathered up her materials and organized them on her desk. She looked up and as the last student exited the room, another figure came into view. She stopped, papers in hand, and watched him enter and pause inside the doorway.

  "Hello again.....Mattie."

  She eyed him warily. "Why are you here?" She continued to organize her desk.

  "May I come in?"

  "I suppose."

  "Are your classes finished for the day?" He walked a few steps closer. She glanced at him and saw that his black peacoat was open and he had on a rust turtleneck sweater over his blue jeans, and he was holding his knit cap with both hands. She bit the side of her lip, and sighed.

  "No, I have a class at two o'clock." Mattie shifted her left leg, and glanced at her watch. "In an hour."

  "That's perfect."

  "Perfect?" She tilted her head at him. "In what way?"

  "Perfect in that you can join me for a late lunch, or early dinner, whichever you prefer, at, say...four o'clock?" He had a very slight smile on his lips, and his beard looked as if it had been recently trimmed.

  "Why should I?"

  "I feel that there are serious questions you have about me that I can answer more thoroughly in a pub setting."

  She smiled slightly despite herself at that, but returned quickly to a serious expression as she continued to organize her papers, refusing to look at him.

  "By the way, that was very admirable of you...at the sit-in last week. What you did on the students' behalf."

  "I wish I could have done more." She did turn to look at him now, and noticed that he had moved a little closer. "As an employee of the college, my hands are tied. Several of my students have already been expelled. Now that the draft is in effect, those young men will probably be in boot camp and then Vietnam as quickly as the government can get them there."

  "I believe we are of kindred minds." His voice was thoughtful.

  "Perhaps." Mattie stared at him seriously. "Although, you still haven't told me why you're at our college."

  "Ah..the perfect reason for you to join me at four."

  She laughed softly at his persistence, and pulled a strand of hair back behind her ear as she returned to organizing her papers.

  "I have a proposal." He moved a little closer to her. "I'll wait for you in front of The Freebooter Pub. Do you know the place?"

  "Of course." She'd been there several times with Jerry and Fran, the last time, during the unfortunate protest. It was not frequented by students since they knew their professors liked to dine there.

  "I'll be there at four." He had moved even closer, and she looked up at him as she lifted her face, squinting her eyes at him. "If you choose not to join me, I'll understand. Well," he laughed. "No, I won't. I'd like the opportunity to explain myself." He peered into her eyes seriously. "I sincerely hope you'll join me."

  She eyed him thoughtfully and nodded. "I'll think about it."

  "What more could I ask, eh?" His broad smile was so engaging that for a moment, she was taken aback. "I'll leave you then, and hope to see you at four." He nodded, and turned and strode out of her classroom, glancing back and smiling at her just as she looked toward the door. She watched him until he disappeared, then raised her hand to her forehead and smoothed back her hair as she sat down at her desk. What had she just done? Why hadn't she just told him no the moment he'd asked her out? Well, she hadn't told him yes - just that she'd think about it, so she had over an hour - almost two - to decide.

  The hour before her next class seemed to drag by, with still no decision, and finally, she spied her students filtering into the classroom and taking their seats. She half expected now, as she looked toward the door to see his tall, broad-shouldered silhouette backlit by the hall lights as before. Strange. Well, how would it hurt to have lunch with him? She flipped the light switch and prepared to start the slideshow and lecture. She was curious about him, that was true. She glanced at her watch several times during the next hour as she tried to keep her focus on the lecture at hand, as a sort of trepidation grew in her chest. Should she? How exactly would he take it if she did show up? A vision of his dark eyes appeared in her mind and she shook her head.

  "I'm sorry, but where was I?" Mattie turned around and laughed as she realized that she'd forgotten her last sentence.

  "You were discussing the Catholic Church's role in everyday life and the money spent from poor parishioner's tithes to build churches." A voice answered from the back of the room.

  "Oh, yes, very good, Samuel. Thank you." Mattie turned back to the slide and pointed to the rendition of a peasant's crude two-room structure. "This was a typical peasant's home in the twelfth century. And this..." She clicked and the next slide came up. "...is, as you may know, the Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England. This is what their tithes to the very powerful Catholic Church built. The engineering skills had improved dramatically so that the buildings were higher, less heavy with thinner walls, and they could support larger windows filled with breathtaking stained glass renditions of Bible stories." After instructing her class to copy the list of books in the library and write a summary for their unit, Mattie checked her watch in the dim light and saw that it was almost three o'clock. If she were going to go, she'd have to stop by her apartment first and freshen up. She clicked off the slide projector and turned on the lights.

  "That's it for today, class. I'll see you Wednesday." She dismissed them curtly and began organizing her desk as the students filed out, and she found herself feeling a little frustrated, noticing that several students had lingered and were chatting in front of the door. "Bye...see you Wednesday," she called out to them again, hoping they would take the hint and leave quickly so she could make a decision in solitude, never mind that she couldn't make it the entire hour alone before class. She sighed as the last student waved to her as they left the classroom, and she rested her cane against her desk, sat down and stared at the wall behind the rows of desks.