Vow of Silence

L comes into 1st period and shoves a $5 bill in my face. He flutters his hand.

"What?" I ask.

He continues motioning, pointing to his mouth and back to the bill. He wants to buy chips [they are bane of my life, by the way]. His friend walks in and informs me that he has taken a vow of silence, and also lets me know L wants Hot Cheetos.

A few minutes later L grabs my chalk and writes "gay rights" on the board. "I can't break the vow," he writes.

L has posted two questions on the board: "Are the products that hair stylists use harmful?" and "Are gay people born unique, or do they chose to be that way?"

Earlier this year, L submited a story about his first kiss with a boy. He almost didn't turn it in, afraid of my judgement about him. For once, the uncanny sense that I'm only beginning to develop as a teacher told me what it was about even before I read it. "It's okay," I reassured him. "I can probably handle whatever you're writing about."

After school, L stopped by my room to say hello, as he does nearly every day. The vow of silence had lasted until 7th period.

Yes, L. Unique. We must choose it every day.