Living Is Reason Enough To Avoid Dying

I have been "gainfully employed" (as my Dad calls it) for a week. Well, I've been working for a week. It seems like I've actually had the job for a month now. It's going pretty good. If you don't remember, I'm one-on-one in a exceptional education class with a guy who is non-communicative, has Cerebral Palsy and displays Autistic characteristics. Certainly it is frustrating to hang out with someone for six point five hours a day who cannot talk. But I enjoy it, I think. I've only been hit a couple of times and bit once. Not too shabby. It's a lot better than Laurel Oaks, but probably equal with daycamp. You know how those New Orleans city kids are.

So as the story goes, today I was in the teacher's lounge during lunch. This was a crazy-earth-stilling moment for me in itself. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would be sitting in the teacher's lounge at Eau Gallie High School. Even as a teen, I would see myself in a band or a millionaire before a teacher's assistant. Anyway, I'm sitting there eating my lunch and a younger-looking guy comes in and starts talking to me. After a few minutes of banter, I gather my belongings and throw my trash away. My intent was to inquire his position within the school, but I asked him his name first. He told me his name was Mr. S and that he was a substitute. Cool. I introduced myself and said I had to get back to class. He then asked what class I have. I informed him that I'm a teacher assistant in an ESE class. Mr. S chuckled for a second and then told me he thought I was a student. I looked dumbfounded for sure. All I said was, "Nope" (I actually said more but that isn't really here nor there). He told me to take it as a compliment. I told him I would when I was fifty. The other day the cafeteria lady thought I was one of the special ed. kids. She asked the teacher, "Does the new student want breakfast?" Now I ask you, how should I take that?