26 Sept 2026
I want to live kindly, correctly and as unselflishly as possible.
"As possible", because I am a teacher and I make just enough money to pay my mortgage, car payment and insurance. I donate at the holidays, both time and money.
And that's all I can do.
I have to fight the instinct to stop at every intersection with a person in need, invite them into my car and bring them home. Let them shower, feed them, see how I can help get them back on their feet.
I fight it because my husband would divorce me.
So when I sense an opportunity, I stop and think.
Friday was that moment.
I don't generally wait until 4 pm to leave. I do not have a 7th period, and I've been known to sneak out to avoid teenagers in the parking lot.
Also, remember I'm in 233 now on the second floor. I can't just scoot out the dock door to the parking lot. I Can Be Seen.
Friday morning the front office called and asked if I'd sub seventh period on the fourth floor. I have no reason to say no, and they pay me, so...sure. I have no real reason to say no other than "I don't waannnaaaaaa".
Friday was a scheduling mess due to Homecoming. Dude, I've been at this 24 years and if you're going to schedule a parade and an assembly on Friday, just call it at noon and send everyone home.
Right. That would make sense.
So during first period, there was a knock on my door. It's a hooligan ghost door that will lock itself. As only three students showed up for class, I assumed it was a fourth. It was not, it was the sub from next door.
If she was anywhere south of 70 years old I would be shocked.
She wore a golf visor, and had an easily answereable question about when we were supposed to take the kids down to see the parade. Her name was Nancy.
I didn't see her the rest of the day, until I was leaving the building at 4pm. I had to schlep back to the second floor from the fourth floor, and gather my effects. The point of this is I am generally not leaving the building with other teachers.
So as I'm gathering, the lightning flashes and the skies open up, pouring buckets of rain. The thunder shook the building, and one flash I swore hit the parking lot.
I trundled down the two flights and saw Nancy standing, looking at the quickly puddling parking lot. She had her phone out, and she casually and calmly looked up at me. "Are you going to Englewood by chance?"
I live west, in the opposite direction, but I paused. I assessed the very real possibility she was going to have to take a bus, and had her phone out to get an uber. Which would cost her her day's earnings as a sub.
I paused. "I'm not going to Englewood, but I can give you a ride."
Flustered a bit, she said "The hub is in Englewood, I live in Highlands Ranch."
Which is even farther, and south, and a drive I hate almost as much as I hate I -70 to Aurora.
"No biggie. I'll give you a ride. C'mon."
As we ran to the car between pummeling rain drops, she repeated how much she appreciated it and how kind I am. She told me she lived at the Audrey senior living in Highlands Ranch Town Center and the bus ride is only an hour, but the rain had her thinking about an uber, or just waiting, so she just asked me.
Once in my car, she said "I tell stories". I said "Cool, that'll be a nice ride." I stopped for gas nearby and got her to give me the address of our destination. It predicted 31 minutes but it took 45 due to stupid traffic at Santa Fe and C470 and the rain. But I didn't care. I wasn't going to the Homecoming game, just home to watch a horror movie with Jim. No Big Plans.
On the drive, she regaled me with her life story.
I did not get her age but 70 may be a low estimate.
She has two cars, but one is a classic she does not drive, and the other she avoids because it needs work. She'd rather take the bus and use her sub money to travel than use it to repair the car. Which she uses to drive to the foothills to take photos, as an amateur photographer.
She lived in Canada, attended the same college as Martin Short who is two years younger or older than she is---(I looked it up, he's 76)-- I can't remember if she mumbled he was behind her or ahead of her at school, only that it was two years. She has a degree in psychology and worked in "What they used to call 'Bedlam'". Fell in love, got married, moved to Germany---her wife was German---then to France and Italy, and then grew apart and divorced.
She travels A Lot.
She spent the summer in Morocco, Italy, Greece and Spain.
She was bitten by a cat in Morocco and spent the day with three 30 year old men running around trying to find a vaccine clinic.
She likes to work out, and is not afraid to walk to and from bus stops.
She explained that the roads in the US are horribly kept, and when you drive from Ontario to the US you can tell when you're in the US by the way the roads are maintained.
She is a tall woman, and a bit mumbly. I'm afraid once or twice I didn't quite catch everything. She said she subbed in a middle school where a girl screamed at her relentlessly, demanding to know if she was a woman or a man.
Which brings us to the age thing, you guys know how that can go---is that an old man or an old woman? The height and golf visor can add to the confusion if you're not a fully realized human. Full Realized Humans could care less which one you are.
I think she said "I identify as female but I'm ( mumbled 'gay' or 'male' or something else?)" but cannot confirm. She is very kind and was patient with the kid as long as she could be before calling admin. Admin removed the kid (I want to know what school this was, because THANK YOU YES) and it was a two day assignment, so the second day they gave her an honors class with a better sort of pupil. She had a lovely second day there. She is not mad at the screaming child, she seemed confused. She's been subbing for 10 years so this can't be the first time she's encountered a middle school demon.
I told her the kid was not an outlier, there are too many entitled jerks who think they can talk to adults like that. She did agree that she sees that behavior, but loves being around kids, loves subbing. She had no children of her own, this is a way to connect.
She studied sketch writing in Canada and writes "a little bit". I think she worked as a writer on a show for a minute, but again; mumbly.
She loves to golf, which is evident by her golf visor.
She lives in a senior living apartment, which is not assisted living or a home. It's independent living she pays $1200 a month for. Her neighbors are a variety of mobile and not-so -mobile folks, and one travels with her. Many of them also travel. She swears by travel and cannot imagine being still. She literally subs to travel.
She asked if she could buy me a coffee or something for giving her a ride, and I thanked her but begged off since it was getting late and as much as I enjoyed listening to her, I was out of spoons.
I left her with "You are living your best life. Good for you." She smiled and shrugged and I sharpened my tone "I will never retire, and I've never been able to travel. You are doing this for those of us who cannot. Accept it gracefully and live fully."
I hope she subs at Kennedy again. I hope to see her, and encourage her to write or to let me write about her. Her stories are fascinating...at least the parts I can hear are fascinating.
She is 74 or 78 years old, traveling, writing, taking photos and subbing.
Scene.
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