Rebuilding Rob

This year, I got to attend not only Kid 1’s graduation, but my school’s graduation as well.

Of course, this isn’t the first graduation I’ve attended as a teacher, but somehow I’m feeling this one more than others. Maybe it’s because I’ve now experienced a high school graduation as a parent.

My school still has final exams scheduled for this week. Most of my students are exempt from my final; and I’m sure that several of those who have to take it won’t bother showing up. That’s the way it goes in an alternative school.

I couldn’t help but feel proud of our students who graduated today. They made it. As students in alternative education, they’ve all face some sort of adversity – or else they wouldn’t be at my school. They persevered. Some of them squeaked by; but that’s our job: getting them to the finish line.

Kid 1 is going to France next week. The trip was a joint graduation gift from his mom and I. I couldn’t be more excited for him. I’ve written a few posts before about my trip to France during the summer after my sophomore year of high school. I’m excited because I know this trip will be a life-altering experience for him. He’s wanted to travel abroad for years. I know that seeing how people halfway around the world live will help change his perspective of life here America. Even as an awkward 16 year-old, I felt that same thing myself.

Stranger than Fiction

I had an experience on Saturday that o couldn’t make up if I wanted to. Before I get into that though come and let me give a little bit of background

Back in the fall, I was taking to 3 women I met in the dating apps. I dated Title Writer briefly. It the truth is, I wasn’t attracted to her. I told her that I needed to break things off as other things in my life (like dealing with Mother’s declining health) were occupying too much. We started talking again recently. She has admitted that she still has feelings for me but I’ve made it clear that I want to be friends.

The second, Betty, I broke things off with about 1 month ago. We were keeping things casual one days sh asked me if I wanted to take things further or just be friends. As I I wasn’t really to her, I old here I would like to at least be casual, but certainly not lose each other as friends. In the same breath, she goes in to tell me that she had a lunch date with another guy for the next day. We haven’t spoke since

The third, Veronica, has been the one who I’ve really wanted to pursue exclusively. We’ve kept things pretty casual but I think we both sense that it’s tiring into something deeper.

Title Writer invited me over to watch the baseball game Friday night. I did and I thought it went well. Then she invited me to go to a baseball game Saturday night. I told her I had other plans which I did. However, what I didn’t tell her was, I had plans to go to the same game with Veronica.

Saturday afternoon rolls around and I get a message from title writer, telling me that she got tickets to go to the game with her daughter. Just out of curiosity, I asked her where her located and she tells me.

At the same time, I’m also carrying on a texting conversation with Veronica. And again, I ask where the seats are.

They got seats right next to each other

Let me say this again. In a stadium that holds an early 4000 people, Both the woman I like, and the woman who likes me ordered tickets to the same game and they’re right next to each other

Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up.

So I ended up bailing on Veronica. I forgot the only way out of what would’ve been incredibly awkward encounter was to bail on the situation altogether. I may be interested in a relationship with title writer, but I wouldn’t have even put my own worst enemy into a situation like that.

But it’s not like I’m dating both of them. I told Title Writer that I only wanted to be friends. The only thing I’m guilty of is not telling her that I’m dating Veronica. But now that I weathered the situation Saturday night, I know that I do have to come clean with Title Writer.

What are we going! It actually has me looking forward to Monday 

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Teacher Armor and the Saturday Clearing
• The Extra Day: A Ten-Year Memory
• Of Training Wheels and Christmas Lights
• Charity Starts at Home (And I’m Back in My Childhood One)
• The Muscle of Empathy

The article “Commencement part 2 and a situation stranger than fiction” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.