The invisible bugs may be coming

I, despite what some who know me think, am not a hard person. In fact, I very much want to make everyone happy. And please them.

I hired a faculty member who I later decided was not so much on the preferred (culturally speaking) side of the sanity line in the sand. And while I know sand shifts and with it the winds of crazy and while I like crazy of a certain type, delusions are not so much my cup of tea.

Some years ago I was teaching a class on gender at night. It's one of those classes here at Commuter State that fills without trouble. Women liked to take it. And like many commuter states, we have a larger percentage of women in our students body than men. Anyway, because the class was at night, I had office hours at night. When it was dark. And a woman came to see me to tell me she wanted to drop the class. The reason she said she needed to drop the class was that she was unable to sleep at night. I didn't ask why. She told me anyway. She said that despite repeated attempts to rid her house of them, the invisible bugs were eating her alive. She had had the house tented five times. She was suing three exterminator companies. But none of them could find the invisible bugs.

"They're coming for you, too," she said glancing at me sideways. "the only way to protect yourself is to sleep in the car. They can't get through the door seals. Sleep in your car, if you know what's good for you."

I don't remember how I extracted myself from that conversation. I do remember glancing out into the dark hall and wondering what I would, should things get more odd. I still sleep in my bed, despite (because of?) her warning. For all I know they're still coming for me, those bugs. I'll keep you updated.

Back to today... there had been talk from the faculty member about audiences with the King of Kenya. About AIDS "babies" who were actually teenagers from Denmark who were being adopted, perhaps on the way to or from Kenya.

I was worried for our students. Today a neat solution presented itself. And I was able to "bump" the person in question. It was the right decision.

And yet, I felt bad. Pit of the stomach bad. Even though 25 students would have suffered. And complained. And maybe filed grievances.

It was the right decision. Still, I can't help but wonder, are the bugs going to come for me now? The King of Kenya could have some sway.