Free Winter Jacket: New Beginnings by Eliza Lentzski

anymore inappropriate student dreams in two days. I’d chalk that up to a win.
    “No, no. Come in.”
    She walked into my office and started to shut the door behind her. “You can keep that open,” I said, almost desperate.
    “Are you sure? It’s pretty loud out there.” She gave me a peculiar smile. “Are you guys having a party and starting the weekend early? English professors gone wild?”
    I shook my head. “English professors don’t go wild unless there’s a Renaissance Faire or something in town.”
    She laughed a little too loudly. “I’ll have to remember that for the future. Busty wenches, mead, and jousting, right?”
    I cleared my throat and moved to sit behind my desk, determined to keep things professional. There was no way I was going to flirt back and let my idiot mouth betray me.
    +++++
    I unlocked the front door of my house, feeling emotionally exhausted. Even though it was just past 6pm, the sky was already dark due to the late winter month. I’d stayed later on campus than I’d originally planned because of the drama over Dean Merlot’s new totalitarian regime. After my brief one-on-one meeting with Loryssa, I’d penned a letter to the Dean’s office, protesting the re-allocation of funds for Kathy’s sociology course. My words would probably fall on deaf ears, but I’d been inspired to do something to stem this power-trip the new Dean was on. It had been a dismal way to spend my birthday afternoon, but it wasn’t as if any of my coworkers knew today had any special significance. The only people at work who had record of my birth date were in Human Resources because it was filed away on my I9s and W2s .
    I’d received a few rambling texts throughout the day from Troian teasing me about my advanced age and a simple “Happy Birthday, lady!” text from Nikole, but beyond that I hadn’t heard from anyone else. E ven though I always vehemently insisted that my birthdays go unrecognized, there was still a tiny part of me that wanted some kind of recognition – a balloon, maybe a single cupcake at my desk, a bouquet of flowers. Anything. I’d even entertained the thought that maybe Penny’s “Emergency Meeting” had been code for a birthday surprise for me. It was silly though, and I knew it.
    I entered the front foyer and was greeted by silence and darkness. I reached around, fumbling for the light switch I knew was there. When I flicked the toggle up, however, nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing.
    I cursed and to ok off my snow boots in darkness. I hung up my jacket and allowed my eyes to adjust to the limited light coming in through the front windows from the streetlamps outside.
    “Hunter?” I called out.
    I could make out the sound of footsteps traveling down the darkened hallway. Sock-covered feet padded in my direction. I tensed momentarily until I recognized Hunter’s familiar gait. As she came closer, I could make out the smiling features of her beautiful face.
    “Hey, birthday girl.” Hunter greeted me with a warm hug. “How was your day?”
    I kept my face buried in her shoulder. She smelled like her coconut body wash.
    “Uneventful.” I didn’t want to rehash all the Dean Merlot drama.
    Hunter pulled away and held me at arm’s length. “That’s a good thing, right?” she asked with a quirked eyebrow.
    My mouth scrunched up, and I blew out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I guess so.”
    “Why is it so dark in here?” Hunter asked, noticing the lack of lighting for the first time.
    “I think there’s a fuse blown or the bulb in the front hallway burned out,” I remarked. “I thought that maybe…maybe you’d planned a surprise party , and that’s why it wasn’t working.”
    “But you told me you didn’t want me to do anything.” Hunter’s eyebrows scrunched together. “You also told me you didn’t want a birthday present.”
    “I know,” I agreed, feeling unwontedly crestfallen. “I just…I didn’t think you’d actually listen to me.”
    Hunter