Read The_Amazing_Mr._Howard for Free Online Page A

“You’re gonna be late, Professor.”
    And you are going to dead in five years. Mr. Howard waved. “Keep running, Brian, but you will never catch up to your dreams.”
    “Mr. Howard, Mr. Howard,” a voice called behind him. He cringed and turned around. Van Adams jogged in his direction. Pudgy and balding, dark eyes hidden behind thick black spectacles, he projected neither confidence nor authority. To Mr. Howard, Van Adams was the kind of man you’d like to kick in the nuts, if for no other reason than to wipe the stupid grin off his face. He was a clown in need of a circus, a monkey in need of a hurdy gurdy man. Despite his Harvard education, he only landed his job at the university because his wealthy grandfather donated vast sums of money to construct monuments to himself such as Van Adams Hall. Van Adams passed himself off as a righteous man. He dragged his millstone to church every Sunday morning, gaining forgiveness before the ink dried on his check. But he was no saint, as evidenced by his licentious behavior at the last faculty Christmas party. Mr. Howard made it a point to gather information on anyone he considered a threat. He had enough dirt on Van Adams to bury him.
    “Luther, you are out of breath. Have you been chasing sorority girls again?”
    Van Adams grimaced. His attraction to female students was a poorly kept secret, not that it bothered Mr. Howard. A rumor whispered amongst professors told of a naked coed who ran bleeding from Van Adams’s home. It took a million persuasions to ensure her silence. Mr. Howard didn’t give a damn what inspired the bumbling academic as long as he stayed out of his business.
    Unfortunately, this was not the case. Three years prior, when Van Adams name came up for the position of assistant dean, Mr. Howard protested the promotion most vigorously. “There are candidates who are better qualified,” he told anyone who would listen. His advice went unheeded and Van Adams got the job. Now he made it his mission to get Mr. Howard’s position eliminated. Twice, he proposed letting him go due to budget constraints. Twice, Leslie had saved his job. Who would save him after she left?
    “Mr. Howard, you are a pompous ass.”
    “Come, Luther, you did not run after me just to tell me that.”
    Van Adams gestured toward the building. “We’ll talk on your way to class.”
    He grunted under his breath and fell in alongside Van Adams. “So, what are we to talk about?”
    “By now you are aware of Dean Harris’s retirement.”
    “Yes, most unfortunate. Are you planning to retire as well?”
    Van Adams eyebrows pulled down. “Of course not.”
    “Also most unfortunate,” Mr. Howard said.
    Van Adams held the door open for him. “There will be changes at the University with a new Dean.”
    “You are referring to budget cuts.”
    “I’ll discuss your position with Dean Tolliver.”
    Mr. Howard stopped outside his classroom. “Luther, let us be frank. You do not like me. I do not like you. That is the way of things. You will try to convince Dean Tolliver that my position is expendable. She will discover after spending five minutes in your company that you are an asshole. Let us hope she has the good sense not to be swayed by your lineage.”
    Van Adams pulled back, chin toward his chest, lips quivering. “What are you suggesting?”
    “We understand each other too well to dance around the truth, yes? Either I stay on in my current position, or I leave. Is that not how it goes?” He opened the classroom door but paused. “Tell me, Luther, considering your education and family background, why do you think the Board of Trustees decided not to promote you? Perhaps they too share my doubts regarding your capabilities? I will leave you to ponder that question. Good evening.” He stepped into the room and closed the door before Van Adams had an opportunity to reply.
    Mr. Howard smirked as he walked to the desk. The students stopped talking and followed his movement. They