Chapter Text
Simon felt a little surreal to be back in California. Especially since he had sworn to himself time and again he’d never return to this god forsaken state, but circumstances had left him no real choice. It was either return to deployment and continue to be yanked around by the US Military, mindlessly following horrific orders that would haunt him endlessly, or retire his uniform and return to civilian life.
That was the one good thing enlisting ever did for him. The cons of enlisting at the ripe age of eighteen far outweigh the pros, but it’s not like the pros weren’t there at all. His college education was paid in full by the US government per his contract. Sure he didn’t get to go to an Ivy League, or fulfill much of his education in an actual classroom, and there was that three year gap he was forced take when he was deployed to Myanmar of all places, but he fucking graduated college. Simon Lim was now the proud owner of a BA in world history.
Had been for a while really, but now he could use it. Simon had been living out of his old 1998 Dodge Durango since he was discharged, and decided against his own better judgment to drive the beater cross-country on what he called his “Final Freedom Tour.”
That was another pro of military life. It taught him how to live on the road with few possessions. The trip was easily the happiest time of his life. No one to tell him how to be or where to go or when to be there. He was on his own clock as he traveled and he could just simply enjoy himself. He saw the Grand Canyon, camped in Big Bend, went swimming in the Florida Keys, explored Carlsbad Caverns, hiked across the Smoky Mountains, skinny dipped at Virginia Beach, ran from the cops, canoed on Lake Lanier, capsized a canoe on Lake Lanier, went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, got cussed out by a stripper in Vegas, almost mugged by a teenager in Chicago, was mugged by a woman in New York, had the best barbeque in his life in the middle of bumfuck Texas, went snowboarding for the first time in Colorado, and so much more. For the first time ever, Simon was able to just live. And it was amazing and beautiful and he had never felt so free. Until his savings started to shrivel up.
He had only been on his cross country trip for about six months when he realized he had not at all budgeted properly and that he would have to get a job sooner than he planned to. Luckily he was in a town in Oregon that had a local library with a working computer, so Simon got to work browsing for job listings.
Nothing.
He expanded his search.
More nothing.
Well, there were actually plenty of job offers, but nothing that fit his requirements.
He expanded his search one more time.
It was a single listing, posted just ten minutes prior.
URGENT: HISTORY TEACHER NEEDED
He didn’t even look at the requirements before submitting his resume.
The call came the next day. He was washing his clothes at a laundry mat, fighting with the quarter slots on a dryer, and picked up his phone with a little more aggression than normal.
“Yeah, hello?”
“Is this Mr. Simon Lim?”
“Speaking, but if you’re selling something I’m not buying and you need to lose this number.”
“Oh, no not at all Mr. Lim. My name is Brenda Hoffman and I work for the school board, I'm actually calling you in regards to the resume you submitted for the position available at Grover Cleveland Middle yesterday.”
Simon was suddenly very alert. He cleared his throat and stepped out of the building. “Yes! Yes, excuse me, I didn’t-”
The woman on the other end chuckled softly. “It’s no problem at all Mr. Lim. I just have a few questions for you if you have the time.”
“Of course, I’m free now.” Simon leaned against the wall and tried not to fidget, not that she could see him.
“Right. Well, first of all, can you explain the six month gap in your resume since your discharge?”
“Yeah.” Simon chuckled. “I needed a vacation. Spent my whole life on the go, and never had time to stop and take in the scenery, so I made sure that was the first thing I did once I was discharged from service.”
“Okay, do you have reliable transportation?”
“Yes.”
“Can you be at the school at 9:00 a.m. on Monday for an in-person interview?”
“Uh, yeah. Yes.” Simon jumped at the offer. “Can I just ask you to confirm the address?” He searched his pockets for a pen and scribbled on his arm as she rattled off the address. “Okay fantastic. Thank you so much for your call Miss Hoffman. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you.”
It was only after he hung up the phone and celebrated for a few short moments that his brain processed what she had said.
California.
He had to go back to California. To work. To live.
*****
The interview went well. Much better than Simon was expecting it to go honestly.
They asked about his extended vacation, verified his degree with USC, and then it ended with them handing over new hire paperwork for him to fill out and sign.
That was it. Simon knew they were desperate to fill the position, but not that desperate. He was sure several steps had been glossed over or outright skipped as he handed back the signed forms.
He couldn’t help but voice his concerns to his interviewers, which consisted of Mrs. Hoffman who he spoke with before, a Mr. Kevin Neunan, and Ms. Eva Stratt. “Isn’t this all a bit hasty?” He squirmed a bit when three pairs of eyes bore into him. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic to be offered the job so quickly and I’d love to work here, but this is a middle school isn’t it? Shouldn’t there be a more rigorous process to hire someone to work with children? A background check for example?”
“Have you been convicted of any crimes Mr. Lim?” Ms. Stratt spoke.
“Well no-”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.” She took the papers and handed them off to Mrs. Hoffman. “You needed a job, we needed a teacher, you’re sufficiently qualified for the position, there’s no need to delay the process with unnecessary bureaucracy.”
Simon blinked. “Right. Got it.” Did she really just call a background check ‘unnecessary bureaucracy’? When hiring a middle school teacher?
“The school year starts in two months. You have one week to submit your curriculum plan for the first semester. Mrs. Hoffman will show you to your classroom, you can spend the next two months decorating it however you like.” She stood and headed for the door, her short heels clacking with each step. “Oh and, welcome to Grover Cleveland Middle School Mr. Lim.”