Part 2

Photo by Alex Shuper on Pexels.com

“Professor Kirk!”

The loud yell startled Jim out of whatever trance he’d been in. That had been happening more often lately. He’d be in the middle of something and then he’d zone out. He wondered if he was losing his mind.

He plastered on a smile as he faced the student who’d just shouted at him. “No need to yell, Adam.”

Adam had the grace to blush. “Sorry, Professor. It’s just I’d been trying to get your attention for a while.”

Jim was a physics teacher at Riverside College. It was nearly the end of the day and he was in his office at the college having finished teaching two classes that day.

“I’m sorry. My mind was wandering.”

 “I was just wondering if you’d had a chance to go over the papers we submitted last week.”

“Not yet,” Jim admitted. “I will this week though. See you in Thursday’s morning class.”

An effort to dismiss Adam and send him on his way. He seemed a little too eager to spend time with Jim and Jim certainly didn’t want to encourage any student crushes.

Beyond Adam, through the glass of his office door, Jim spotted a man walking by wearing a woolen beanie pulled down low well past his ears. It was the second time he’d seen the tall, slim man walking by. He couldn’t recall seeing him before and looked older than most of the students there. A new instructor?

“Sir?”

Jim blinked and glanced at Adam again. “Yes?”

Adam sighed dramatically and pushed the glasses he wore up his nose. “Nothing, Professor. See you in class.”

And he was gone.

Jim was relieved. He closed up his briefcase and prepared to leave his office to return home.

It didn’t really bother him to live alone at the farmhouse. He’d considered asking Becky to share the place with him but given what she’d just said to him, he was no longer sure.

He made his way out to the parking lot where staff members parked and got into his Escort.

He thought of the man with the beanie again. It was a warm day. It was the time of year where days were nice and nights chilly but either way it wasn’t the weather for wool beanies.  

And if he was a new instructor it seemed strange as the semester had begun some weeks earlier, at the beginning of September. But then again he could be a substitute instructor, Jim guessed. It wasn’t as though the dean of his particular science gave him any inside information about goings on.

Jim guessed what made him the most curious about the stranger was that each time he’d walked by Jim’s office, he had stared into the office to look directly at Jim. And somehow, Jim had gotten a sense of de ja vu each time.

With a shake of his head, Jim started up his car and left the college. It was nearing four and though it wasn’t yet supper time he decided to go through a drive-thru for some hamburgers rather than cook for himself.

At home, there was nothing unusual. His front yard of pumpkins and scare crows looked untouched. Nothing was knocked over by the trash either. He would have thought he’d imagined the crash the night before except that Becky had heard it too.

His answering machine had a message so he pushed the button. Of course it was Becky.

“It’s just me. I’m in New York now for the night. I’ll let you know how I am tomorrow too when I get a chance. Bye, Jim.”

He felt no particular warmth at her message. No particular emotion at all. It was like she could have been anyone. A stranger even. What was wrong with him? Shouldn’t he be happy to hear from his girlfriend?

Jim just didn’t know and he began to worry about himself. Scratch that. He was already worried. It was just something to add to the list.

He’d just finished watching an episode of Dallas and was preparing to go to bed when a light flashed outside.

Jim grabbed the crowbar and a flash light of his own and headed outside once more.