The Professor and the Manny Read online

  The Professor and the Manny (Gay Romance)

  By Trina Solet

  Copyright © 2016 by Trina Solet

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locales or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  All sexual activity takes place between persons eighteen years of age or older.

  This novel contains material intended for mature readers.

  Cover image is only for illustrative purposes. Any person depicted is a model.

  The Professor and the Manny

  Gay Romance

  Trina Solet

  Chapter 1

  "We're going to class today, Mina," Ned told his four-year-old daughter while he helped her pick out something to wear.

  "Anderson," Mina said. That was the name of the college where Ned was a professor. She knew the place well already. When Ned was working, he liked to have her nearby. Most of her babysitters had been students and they could watch her right on campus, sometimes between going to their own classes.

  "Today is different," Ned told Mina. "You're going to watch me teach a class."

  Mina peered up at him with a look he couldn't quite read. Sometimes she got that look when her knowledge of English had reached its limit and she didn't understand what he was talking about. Other times it just meant that she wasn't sure how she felt about something.

  While Ned was trying to figure out this tiny puzzle he had adopted, Mina turned to her closet and tugged on the hem of a pink and white striped skirt with a ruffle on the bottom. Next she picked out a t-shirt with a big, loopy M on it.

  "M is for Mina," Ned told her and helped her put the outfit on. "You look so nice. The whole class is going to be impressed."

  Ned didn't usually take Mina to class with him. Having lost his babysitter and his backup babysitter in the same month, he was in a bind. He had to teach a class and he couldn't line up anyone to watch Mina. One of her babysitters had a family emergency. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, the elderly couple who sometimes watched her, had a doctor's appointment. Every other possible babysitter was either in class or at work.

  Ned didn't feel good about dropping the ball like this. He wondered if he would get better at being a dad once he had more practice. Mina had been his daughter only for six months. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could and not leave her at home with a babysitter. When he was working in his tiny office in the Economics Department, keeping Mina with him was no problem. Mina was exceptionally quiet for a four-year-old, or for a child of any age. She had suffered three major losses in only a short time. The tiny child was somber and watchful when any other child would have been running wild.

  That's why Ned was going to cross his fingers and take Mina to class with him. After all, she was as quiet as a mouse. She wasn't likely to cause any kind of disruption. And maybe he could inspire her to follow in his footsteps.

  Mina was cheerful as they walked from the parking lot and then down the lanes that connected the different buildings on campus. Ned had liked the look of the place the very first time he set foot there. Mid-century modern appealed to him. The angles typical to the style were especially noticeable in the more prominent buildings. The library was a monument to Space Age ideas. With its sweeping lines, the place looked like any minute it might take off and fly away.

  This was all stuff Mina had seen before. The walkways crisscrossed among the greenery. And now that it was early summer, there were plenty of flowers for Mina to fuss over like they were her little friends. Ned remembered how the appearance of the newborn spring flowers had sent her into a frenzy of happiness.

  She loved to explore the campus, but she didn't like to go anywhere where it was crowded. That's why Ned was a little worried about taking her to class with him. But he figured that she would be OK since the students wouldn't be crowding around her.

  Stopping by his office first, he grabbed a few things. The office was very cramped, but it did have a tiny window. The window was so high that the only one who could see out was Mina, once Ned put her to stand on his shoulders.

  The two of them said hi to his colleagues and then it was off to class. As they went down the corridor that led to the lecture hall, Ned noticed that Mina gripped his hand tighter.

  She was still fine until he walked her into the lecture hall. That's when she saw his twenty-eight or so students. All of them had their eyes on her, and Mina promptly turned her back, hugged Ned's leg and shut her eyes tight.

  Still hoping to turn things around, Ned introduced her and the class greeted her with various versions of hi. She still stayed turned away and didn't open her eyes. In fact she wouldn't move from the spot even when Ned wanted to take her back to his office. In the end he had to pick her up to take her out of the class. Ned left with her curled up in his arms, accompanied by a chorus of "Bye, Mina."

  "Come back and see us soon," someone yelled.

  Ned conferred with his TA real quick and had her start the class. He carried Mina to the department offices while telling her, "I guess there were too many big kids in there for a little kid like you."

  So much for that brilliant idea. Once they were on familiar turf at the office, Mina seemed more relaxed so Ned set her down. He poked his head in Glen's office. Luckily he had come in early today.

  "Oh good, you aren't busy," Ned said while Glen's huge frame was bent over a stack of papers he was grading.

  "Very observant as usual, Conway. What are you up to?" Glen said in his booming but jovial voice.

  "Me? Nothing. But Mina wants to hang out with you," Ned said. Glen was one of the few people who could put her at ease, though most of his students were scared to death of him.

  "Still no babysitter?" Glen said. "No problem. Take a seat, young lady, and watch the master at work."

  "Thanks a lot, Glen, I owe you," Ned said as he ushered Mina into his office. She was already looking around at all the books.

  Glen wasted no time threatening payback. "I have four at home. When can I drop them off at your place?" he asked pointedly.

  "Ouch."

  "Ouch is right," Glen agreed. "Even when they're asleep, none of mine are as quiet as your Mina."

  "Be good for Glen," Ned told her and blew her a kiss.

  After his class, Ned made sure not to get caught up in any discussions with students and rushed to go and pick up Mina. At the department office, Glen was talking to a student a few feet away from his door. Ned waved to him and went to his office to see what Mina was up to in there.

  Was she in there raising hell? Of course she was. Surrounded by floor to ceiling books on every side, she was sitting quietly on the floor of Glen's office. Mina was flipping through a book so she must have found something she liked among all the dry, academic stuff that lined Glen's shelves.

  She smiled as soon as she saw Ned and showed him the book. "Cartoons," she said.

  Curious, Ned leaned down for a closer look. It was a book about the earliest TV ad campaigns and there were quite a few cartoons among them.

  "Looks good," Ned told her. That's when he noticed Glen motion him over for a talk.

  "How was she?" Ned asked him.

  "She was fine, but always looking at the door, wondering when you would be back." Glen nodded in her direction and told Ned, "I think your quiet little girl has something on her mind."

  Ned sighed. "I'm not su
rprised. She had a little bit of a meltdown when I took her to class with me."

  "I guess she's not college ready. Like way too many of these kids," Glen lamented. "At the beginning of the year, I heard this guy begging someone to show him how to use a washing machine. Can you believe it?"

  Ned made a noncommittal noise. When he started college he didn't know how to use a washer and dryer either, but no one needed to know that.

  "A kid starting college should have some basic life skills, don't you think?" Seeing that Mina had come to join them, Glen had turned to her for her opinion.

  Mina shook her head, her favorite answer to almost any question.

  "She thinks I'm being too hard on these kids," Glen said.

  "Unfortunately she can't debate you right now. She has to eat lunch with me and help me write a whole new lecture on postcolonial British economy," Ned told him.

  Mina nodded in agreement but she was probably just agreeing to lunch.

  During lunch Mina still looked troubled. They were in the cafeteria and she was munching on tater tots.

  "So you got to meet the class. Sorry they scared you," Ned said to her.

  That's when Mina told him her worry. "I wasn't nice to class. Class say, 'Hi, Mina'. But I don't say hi back," Mina said in her halting English and her bright blue eyes looked mournful.

  "We can fix that. No problem. I know how you can say hi to the class twice. That will make up for it, won't it?" Ned told her.

  He could see that Mina was intrigued. With her sitting across from him at the table, Ned made a video of Mina saying hi to the class in both English and Russian. She threw in a little wave too. Ned promised to play it for the class next time.

  Mina did better when she interacted with Anderson College students one on one. Most of her babysitters were students, though Ned never hired anyone who was in any of his classes at the time. Currently he didn't have anyone who was willing to commit to babysitting on a regular basis.

  And that wasn't the only problem. It wasn't easy finding the right person to watch Mina. Mina was painfully shy with everyone at first and warmed up to only a few people. Several prospective babysitters didn't work out because Mina hid from them under Ned's desk and wouldn't come out. She just didn't feel at ease with most people.

  Because of that, Ned was left trying to piece together a babysitting schedule with different part time babysitters. He didn't want that kind of uncertainty for Mina. She lost her parents and her aunt so recently, and she was living in a whole new country.

  Thankfully, she could speak some English. What she didn't already know, she picked up fast. Ned wished he could say that about his Russian. His knowledge started out as comically inept and remained there. At least he had a surefire way to make Mina laugh. All he had to do was say good morning in Russian and he would have her giggling. There wasn't a better way to start the day than that.

  Mina was doing her part to brighten up his life. One day, Ned hoped to see every trace of sadness gone from her eyes. Finding the right person to help take care of her would be a step in the right direction. Ned really needed someone he could count on.

  Chapter 2

  Jeff never passed up the student center without taking a good look at the fliers that were tacked up on the message board. If there was a new job on there, he wanted to be the first one to snatch it up.

  Most of the fliers were offering tutoring in various subjects. He wished he was that good at something. Jeff did OK in his classes, but not well enough to help anyone else. There were some new fliers offering to share rides and apartments, and even for shared beachfront rentals for the summer. That sounded nice. No new jobs though.

  Every day without work made him more anxious. Paying rent had been out of his reach for the last few months. He was basically a charity case. A new roommate had taken his place at his old apartment a while ago. The guys let him crash on the couch until recently. Now the building manager had started to notice and complain.

  Jeff found places to sleep on friends' couches or on the floor. During the day, he could sleep at the library or on one of the benches on campus. One way or the other Jeff had his mind set on finishing out the term. As long as he earned at least some money, Jeff could keep attending classes.

  Unfortunately he hadn't had any work for days now and what little money he had was running out. That's why he was waiting to talk to his Chemistry Professor. It was a desperation move.

  Jeff did some babysitting for Professor Alvarez before. That kind of work didn't pay enough for him to find a place to live, but it might help to tide him over. There was a painting job that was supposed to come through any day now. If not, he had to find some other, better paying work. Until then, babysitting money would keep him fed for a little while.

  When Professor Alvarez arrived at her office, she didn't have good news for him. "Sorry, Cici and Noel's grandparents are in town for the month. They both just retired and now they're monopolizing their grandkids' every waking moment. I don't know if we'll ever get them back."

  "That sounds nice," Jeff said though it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

  "Sorry," Professor Alvarez said noticing how his face fell. "I do know of someone who needs help with his kid. Professor Conway just adopted a little girl a few months ago. Do you know him?"

  "No," Jeff said though he thought he recognized his name from that time when Jin was telling him who was gay among the college faculty.

  "Well it's better if you're not in any of his classes as far as hiring you is concerned. I'll talk to him for you and give you a good reference. He has his daughter, Mina, with him here on campus all the time, so you'll probably get to meet her to test the waters. But I have to warn you, Ned's little girl is so shy, don't take it personally if she doesn't take to you right away."

  "I won't," he assured her.

  "Once I've talked to Ned, I'll let you know how it went."

  "Thank you so much."

  Jeff tried not to get his hopes up too high. It wasn't even the kind of job he was after. Since Jin already gossiped about Professor Conway, Jeff texted him to see if he knew anything more.

  Jin texted back, "Is someone going after the furry faced daddy of my dreams?"

  "It's about a job," Jeff told him.

  "Hand, blow, or rim?"

  Jeff sighed. Getting a serious answer from Jin was impossible. "None of the above. A job job."

  It looked like he wasn't going to get any kind of useful information from him. But the way Jin described this Professor Conway did make Jeff curious. Maybe they would be some perks to this babysitting gig. Not that Jeff had time to ogle guys. No place to live, no steady job, he had enough to deal with.

  "So you still living on the edge?" that's what Jin called it.

  "Yeah, my life is an adventure," Jeff texted back.

  It scared him to think that he was homeless. Most of the time one of his friends found room for him. He had just enough work to keep him fed. For now he was still managing to scrape by even if occasionally he spent the night sleeping on campus.

  Moving in with his mom wasn't an option that he wanted to consider until he finished out the term, and maybe not even then. After grieving for his father for so long, she was finally finding some happiness. Jeff didn't want to mess that up for her.

  She had remarried recently. Her stepdaughters liked her. They lost their mother around the same time Jeff lost his dad, and they were so little. The oldest one was nine. Jeff's heart just broke for them. He was seventeen when his dad died and he didn't know how he managed to get through it. He and his mom kept each other strong.

  Now Jeff just had to be strong on his own. His situation wasn't hopeless. Any day he might find a decent job. And judging by Jin's description, babysitting for this Professor Conway might have some interesting benefits. Jeff was already looking forward to meeting him.

  *

  "I have a guy for you," Sarah Alvarez told Ned as soon as he answered her call. He was at home, making dinner.

  "
Since when are you a matchmaker? I'm kind of busy with Mina these days, you know. I don't really have time for a social life," Ned told her.

  "What? No. I mean a babysitter."

  "Oh, that I can use," Ned said as he mixed some green beans, strips of red and yellow peppers and carrot sticks into a colorful stew.

  "His name is Jeff Snyder. He was babysitting Cici and Noel when I was doing that seminar, and he did a great job, helped them with their science projects. He was wonderful."

  "Sounds like they would give him a great reference, but they're older than Mina," Ned pointed out.

  "Older isn't better. No, not even when it comes to kids. Noel started my car in a closed garage. Do you think that's something Mina is likely to do?" Sarah asked, horrifying him.

  "God, I hope not."

  "I caught him before he did anything crazy or inhaled any exhaust fumes. After that, having someone responsible like Jeff watch those kids was a load off my mind."

  "But you know how Mina is." Through the glass doors, Ned could see her playing in her dollhouse in the back yard. Looking at her right now, no one would be able to tell how many troubles she carried in her little heart.

  "I know. And I know how overprotective you are. If you want to test him out, Jeff can start babysitting her only on campus where you can keep an eye on him. I know some of the other students did it that way," Sarah suggested.

  "They did," Ned confirmed. He liked to have Mina close. She didn't take to most people, and she got scared so easily. "OK. I'll give him a shot," Ned decided. After talking to Sarah a bit more, he set up the meet and greet for tomorrow. He and Mina would meet Jeff on neutral ground, at the cafeteria.

  Chapter 3

  Ned liked to take Mina to lunch when the cafeteria wasn't too crowded. He didn't want her getting spooked. As they went to wait in line, Ned kept his eye on the door. Not that he knew who he was looking for. Mainly he had to tell himself to keep his expectations low. Most of the possible babysitters who came for a meet and greet failed the Mina test. It wasn't their fault. Mina just didn't warm up to most people.