Chapter 6
Kaitlyn sat irritated looking at the big vase of flowers, with the fancy vase in front of her. Will Chip get the hint and back off me please! Kaitlyn thought, looking at the flowers. She did think they were beautiful, but that was spoiled, knowing who she believed they came from. Chip was the balding biology teacher. His pursuit of her was relentless. Maybe she would have joined him for a coffee, if he wasn’t so un-self aware of how rude he was. Kaitlyn loved to run, and he always told her how pointless running was. Jules loved her R&B music, and he would make sure to tell her how superior country music was, interrupting their conversation. Kaitlyn would talk of traveling and living different places, and Chip would inform her how he never wanted to leave his home town, and traveling is expensive, and useless. Yes, Chip would never win any charm awards. Not to mention that he would send on occasions, cheap unwanted flowers to her, delivery from the local flower shop, embarrassing her in front of students who would chant ‘Ms. Smith’s got a boyfriend’ and ‘Chip loves you!’ When the bell rang, Kaitlyn grabbed the flowers, and marched down the hall. Keeping them would give him the wrong impression of interested on her part, and it was time for Kaitlyn to tell him to stop once and for all with the flowers.
“Not to be rude Chip, but here,” Kaitlyn said, plopping the vase on Chips desk, as some early students for the next period came in, nosily listening in, but pretending to be listening to their i-pods.
“Well thank you, but you shouldn’t have,” Chip said laughing and snorting at the same time, rubbing his protruding belly.
He sounds like a pig, and looks like a horse when he laughs Kaitlyn thought while observing Chip still laughing a little too long over his quip, and every last one of his small baby teeth showing, along with all of his gums. Yep, looks like a horse, Kaitlyn thought again.
“Seriously Chip,” Kaitlyn said, now lowering her voice, as more students entered the classroom before the bell rang. “I’m just not interested. Please quit with the flowers.”
“Whoa, whoa little lady! I didn’t buy these flowers. Look at that vase.” Chip whistled, stroking the vase, and taking a whiff of the flowers. “Looks like you got an admirer here."
“You didn’t buy these?” Kaitlyn asked confused.
“I’m a teacher you know, in case you forgot. These here probably cost,” Chip turned the vase around on his desk, stepped back a little and appraised it, while scratching his chin, “ Oh at least 80, maybe 100 bucks. Look at that vase!”
“Oh. Well I don’t know who bought these.”
“Just look at the card silly.”
Kaitlyn really wanted to smack Chip. Clearly if it was a card to identify this now mystery, she wouldn’t be in the room with him.
“There was no card,” Kaitlyn dryly replied, stating the obvious.
“Oh, it has to be a card,” Chip said, now leafing through the white roses, before pulling out a drumroll please! white card. “Here we go,” Chip said, flashing the card in front of Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn began to grab it, but Chip snatched it back, and opened it.
“How are you going to read my card?”
“You march in here and accuse me of something. I should get the honor of seeing who upset you with flowers,” Chip said wryly.
“Read,” Kaitlyn snapped.
“Thank you for the run, and after run date. See you on the trail Kate. Chase Brock.” Chip looked in the sky, perplexed. “Your names not Kate. Must be a mistake."
“Thank you Chip, and goodbye,” Kaitlyn said, snatching the card, and flowers from his desk, and scurrying out the door.
