To Love and Obey (4 page)

“As a professor, you’re held to a higher standard,” Zerrin pointed out. “People can misconstrue what you’re doing and say you’re taking advantage of the students. Aren’t you afraid you’re going to be fired and your reputation will be ruined?”

“Not really,” he countered.

Nick was either smug or overly confident about himself, Zerrin couldn’t decide which it was. She also didn’t like how his arrogance was attracting her to him. “Are you serious?”

“Any sexual activity that occurs was because the woman approached me, not the other way around.”

“You don’t approach them?”

“I never do. If a student wants to give me a blow job to bump up her grade a little, I’ll let her.” Nick sipped his cappuccino. “If she got a C on her paper, it doesn’t mean she’s going to get an A by sleeping with me. It just means she won’t get a C.”

“You grade that harshly in bed as well?”

“I’m very fair in many aspects of my life, Zerrin. I most certainly don’t grade my male students any worse than my female ones. I offer extra credit to everyone, and it’s up to them if they decide to pursue it. I’m not particularly harsh because I don’t like a certain student or if she’s a bad lay.” Nick leaned in closer to Zerrin, “Can you honestly say every person you slept with deserved an A?”

Zerrin cleared her throat. “Point taken.”

“I won’t compromise our working relationship, and I’ll be strictly professional with you at all times. I’m very respectful of a woman’s private space, and you can be rest assured I won’t flirt or make any sexual innuendos toward you.”

A slow smile grew on Zerrin’s face. It was mainly to keep the frown from forming. It was her luck that one of the sexiest men she had ever laid eyes on would only have a strictly professional relationship with her.
My life is just chock-full of irony.
“I never thought you would, Nick. But it’s nice to know we’re on the same ground.”

“I think we’ll have a great working relationship, Zerrin,” Nick grinned, “I see us having a wonderful partnership.”

Nick’s smile was infectious and Zerrin smiled broadly. “I believe we will.”

Two

“Do I know you?” Nicola D’Amato greeted her oldest son. “You kinda look like my Nicky, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen your face, I’m not sure if it’s you.”

“I’m sorry it’s been a while since I’ve been here, Mamma,” Nick greeted his mother with a kiss and a bouquet of roses. “I brought a gift.”

Nicola looked at the roses and wasn’t impressed. “You know, Nicky, if you’re going to give me roses, you could at least get them from my shop. Impress me a little, why don’t you?”

“You’re the only woman I know who isn’t impressed by a dozen roses,” Nick commented as he took off his jacket.

“Because I’m the only woman you know who has good taste,” Nicola winked. “Go wash up. We’re going to start dinner soon.”

Nick went upstairs to wash up and headed back downstairs to join his family and mother. After they said grace, Nicola lightly tapped her glass with a spoon.

“I brought all of you here tonight because I have an announcement,” Nicola began, “and I thought it was important that you hear it from me first.”

“Oh?” Eli commented. “What’s up, Mom?”

“I decided that after years of looking after all of you, and you’re all grown and have your own families and interests now, it’s time I start taking care of me and my needs.”

“I don’t think I like where this is going…” Nick began.

“And with some encouragement from my wonderful daughters, I decided it’s time for me to start dating,” Nicola smiled. “So that’s my big news!”

Not one of the brothers smiled or showed any type of joy at their mother’s announcement. Instead they stared at her. “Give them a moment, Nicola,” Faith cleared her throat, “they’re in shock.”

“You put that silly idea in her head?” Eli asked his wife.

“Your mother is fifty-two years old, Eli. She needs a companion,” Faith argued.

“She can get a dog,” Joey interjected.

“Wait a minute…does Kieran know about this?” Tony asked.

“What’s wrong with me dating?” Nicola asked.

“Um, everything?” Nick replied.

“Yo, K! Yo, K!” Tony talked into his phone. “Yo, you need to be on the first flight back to New York, man. Yo, mom just announced she’s going to start dating again! Dude, for real!”

“Why in the hell are you brainwashing my mother?” Eli asked his wife. “You don’t see me brainwashing your mother.”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?” Faith quietly asked.

“Hell, no!” Eli brushed off his wife. “I know how men are and…”

“You’re afraid I’m going to date someone like you all?” Nicola smiled.

The men looked at their mother aghast. “Mother, we’re angels!” Joey blinked.

“Oh, you need to get out of my house with that noise,” Nicola replied.

“Yo, Mamma,” Tony held the phone out. “Kieran wants a word with you.”

Nicola grabbed the phone from her son. “It’s none of your business. See you soon,
mio figlio
,” she hung up on Kieran. “Kieran will be here in a few days.”

“Oh, he said that?” Faith asked.

“No, but he didn’t have to,” Nicola grinned. “He’ll show up anyway.”

“I’m going to talk to you when we get home,” Eli warned his wife.

Faith was annoyed with her husband. “I
wish
you would,” she taunted.

“Ooh…ooh…woman…” Eli held out his index finger to his wife. “You’re lucky I love you. You’re lucky I love you.”

“I’m dating and that’s final,” Nicola put her foot down. “I don’t care what you think or what you have to say about it. I’ve been talking care of all of you for the past thirty-something years and it’s time I have my fun and I’m going to. At least you all know I won’t get pregnant.”

Nicola’s last comment caused groans among her sons.

****

“Is everything okay with you? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, I was wondering what was going on?” Nicola asked her son.

After everyone had left, Nick had stayed behind to help his mother with clean-up and talk with her privately. “Everything’s fine, just busy.” He helped put food away. “I’m up for a promotion, so I’ve just been really busy trying to make sure I impress the right people to get it.”

“Well, you’ve been there long enough,” Nicola mentioned, “You should be the president of the school.”

“It doesn’t quite work like that, Mamma,” Nick grinned. “I have to work hard like everyone else and pay my dues.”

“Well, I’m happy for you. It seems like everything is settling in with your life,” Nicola paused.

Nick picked up his mother’s silence. “I’m not dating anyone.”

“You should! Now I know this nice girl who would be perfect for you! She’s tall, curvy, has this long, black hair…oh my God, you should see this woman’s hair! So perfect! And she is really smart!”

“Mother, I’m not interested in dating anyone.”

Nicola scoffed. “Can you at least humor me by going out with her once?”

Nick gave a half-grin. “Mother, my life is academics. If I’m not at the university, I’m doing research and focus groups. I just got back from my sabbatical, and I have a fresh crop of students I’m trying to educate.” He chose his next words carefully. “I also have a new teacher’s assistant.”

“Oh?” Nicola became interested. “What’s her name? Is she pretty?”

“Why are you so interested in setting me up with someone?” Nick asked. “I didn’t see you this busy with my brothers?”

“Because your brothers are hound dogs!” Nicola replied and Nick smiled. “C’mon, Nicky, you know it’s true. Between the rest of them, one would think I owned a brothel here when you were younger.”

“How did you know about that?” he asked.

“I have neighbors,” Nicola nodded. “They talk.”

“Besides, Mamma, it’s just not that simple to go out and date someone. I need someone who understands that I’ll spend most nights grading papers and working on lesson plans in addition to everything else I do. Not many women are that understanding that my work comes before seeing them.”

“You never did tell me if your new assistant was a girl…” Nicola prodded.

Nick relented. “Her name is Zerrin.”

“Zerrin, huh?” Nicola nodded in a way that suggested she approved. “Zerrin D’Amato…”

“Mother…”

“Tell me more about this Zerrin,” Nicola sat down at the dining table. “I’m interested.”

“We’re just colleagues, Mother. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I just want to get to know the girl who’s working with my son,” Nicola defended. “Is that a crime?”

Nick let out a sigh and leaned against the kitchen counter. It didn’t matter if he told his mother to politely butt out of his personal life; she would always find a way to get him to talk about it. She was a sneaky little thing. “She’s very smart. She loves sports, but I haven’t figured out which one. She’s into music and art shows. She’s been a great advisor to the new freshmen every year and does a lot of grunt work in addition to her research. She’s incredibly bright and seems to have a good head on her shoulders, despite how tough and grueling the graduate program can be,” Nick smiled. “She’s an all-around solid person.”

“A-ha! Got it!” Nicola glanced down at her cell phone.

“What did you do?” Nick asked. He felt his mother was up to something.

Nicola stood up and showed her son the picture she took. “I wanted evidence of you smiling about a woman you’re in love with but won’t admit it yet.”

Three

“So talk to me about
Romeo and Juliet
…” Zerrin wrote on the white board and turned to face the class of fifty students. For the past several weeks, she had watched intently as Nick instructed his classes, taking notes and studying his methodology. After going over her lesson plan time and time again, it was now her turn at the reigns while Nick watched. “You watched the 1968 movie and the most recent one with Leonardo DiCaprio. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to be with someone but circumstances prevented you from pursuing a relationship?”

A student raised her hand. “I was dating a guy in high school who my parents hated. We still dated anyway and just found ways to be together.”

“And what did his parents think about it?” Zerrin asked.

“His mother loved us together,” the student shrugged. “We usually got together at his house.”

“Now let’s say you were in a position where both of your families hated each other but you wanted to be together?” Zerrin asked the students. “What would you do then?”

“Yo, that sounds like some mafia shit!” another student commented to laughter.

Zerrin nodded. “I guess it could in a sense. Explain.”

“Well, like let’s say the Gambinos are ruling New Jersey, right? And the Samarcos are ruling Philly, okay? And let’s say Girl Gambino and Boy Samarco attend NYU but they don’t know each other’s families hated one another, right? And then they get together and boom! It’s like World War Three in this bitch!”

Zerrin smiled. “Good analogy. But couldn’t one also say that race relations can play a part? What if the girl and the guy came from families that didn’t approve of interracial relationships? That could also be a Romeo and Juliet situation.”

Another student raised her hand. “That happened to me. My parents hated the fact my boyfriend was Mexican and his parents didn’t like I was Black.”

“So what happened?”

“We broke up to please them but we loved each other too much. We got back together and we’re getting married soon,” the student rejoiced to applause around her.

“That’s great!” Zerrin smiled. “I’m glad it worked out. How are your families dealing with it?”

“They’re still not cool with it,” the student shrugged. “But they can’t do anything about it. I’m pregnant as well.”

“Well, grandkids always seem to smooth over any animosity,” Zerrin grinned. “Okay, that’s it for class today. Your assignment is reading the first act of
Othello
. Have a great weekend, everyone!” The students piled out of the classroom.

Nick approached Zerrin once the students left. “Very, very impressive, Ms. Campbell.” He was very pleased. “Very impressive.”

“Thank you,” Zerrin breathed a sigh of relief, “I was wracking my brain all weekend to come up with that lesson plan.”

“You’ll find lesson plans are the easiest,” Nick advised. “It’s getting the students to comprehend what you’re saying is always difficult. But I have to say, you did very well in your pop culture references. You should be proud.”

Nick’s reassurance gave Zerrin a much needed confidence boost. “That means a lot coming from you, Nick.”

“Hey, I’ve been in your position before and not too long ago,” he mentioned. “The first time is always the hardest but after a while, it’s a no-brainer.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” she smiled.

“Say, if you’re free tonight, a few of us are going out to Happy Hour. You can join us if you like?” he extended the invite.