Difficult Lessons (10 page)

“What happened?” Cynthia’s voice was close to screaming.

“Some asshole just walked out in front of my car. I almost hit him. I think it was one of those news people. It looked like he was carrying a small camera.”

“Just get out of there and get yourself over here. I’ll be waiting on you.”

“All right. I am going to hang up so I can put all of my attention on these idiots. I would hate to hit one of them on top of everything else.”

Sara took a side street out of her neighborhood and drove straight to Cynthia’s. Sara was glad to see her waiting on the steps.

“I don’t think anyone saw me or followed me. I can’t go back to my house right now.  I would get no peace. I feel like a fugitive.  They have run me out of my own home.”

“They can’t come on your property, hon.” Cynthia tried to be reassuring.

“I know, but they can damn sure line the street in front. Anyway, how much do you think I would rest knowing all those people were drawing attention to my house? I bet my neighbors are pissed. We have such a quiet neighborhood.”   

“I’m sure they know it’s not your fault. I am pretty certain that they know you wouldn’t bring this kind of attention to yourself.”

“Yeah, but…” Sara’s voice trailed off.

“Look, you can stay here tonight. If you want, I can go over there and get some of your clothes. You can stay right here and not have to worry about it.”

“Would you mind?” Sara asked almost childishly.

“I certainly would not mind having you here with me tonight, or any night for that matter.”

“I meant would you mind going to my house.” Sara giggled a little as she clarified her question.

“Would I have offered if I minded?”

Sara tried to relax on the sofa while Cynthia was gone to get her things. She decided that she might need to call her parents and let them know what was going on in case they tried to call or go to her house. 

Her mother was frantic when Sara told her what was happening at her house. “You need to come here and spend the night, “You can’t stay at your house with that going on outside.”

“Mom, I’m at Cynthia’s. I’ll be fine here. She has gone to the house to get some clothes and a few other things for me.”

“You just make sure you stay there and I hope no one follows her back.”

“We’ll be okay, Mom.  Don’t worry.”

The conversation with her dad was worse.

“I should go over there and give those people a piece of my mind. They have no right invading someone’s privacy like that.”

“Dad, they are not invading anyone’s privacy. They are just making things difficult by being out there on public property.”

“Well, they should not be allowed to do that.”

“Dad, it’s okay. I am staying at Cynthia’s tonight. They are not going to bother me here.”

“I still think I ought to…”

“No.” Sara cut him off. “You do not go anywhere near my house. Don’t give them anything, Dad.”

“Sunshine, you know I won’t. This just pisses me off though.”

“Me too. Maybe if I don’t show up there tonight they’ll give up and leave.”

Cynthia returned just as she was hanging up from talking with her dad. 

“Was it still crazy over there?” Sara asked timidly.

“As soon as I got out of the car, people started calling to me. They wanted to know where you were and if they could talk to you. I told them that it was none of their damn business where you were and if they wanted to know something they should call your attorney. You probably need to call her and let her know what is going on.”

You’re right.” Sara reached for the phone again.   

Chapter 16

“You need all of the support that you can get,” Cynthia protested. “They need to see just how many people you have behind you.”
             
“I understand that, but you do not need to put yourself in a position to have this turned on you. You are not even settled in good here. I don’t want anything that is going on with me to hurt you. Please protect yourself by staying home tonight. I will come by as soon as the meeting is over. I will tell you everything. I promise.”

“I am not happy about this, Sara. I want to be with you to support you. If you want me to stay here, I guess I have no other option, but you know I’ll be a nervous wreck by the time you get back.”

“Just try not to worry about me. Mom and Dad will be there. I am sure there will be a few others on my side. I’ll be all right. I promise.” Sara put her arms around Cynthia and hugged her reassuringly.

***

The special called meeting was being held in the conference room at the school board office. There would be nothing on the agenda other than Sara’s complaint. 

People were already waiting outside when they arrived. Sara recognized several students and their parents. Officer Griffin glared at her from the crowd when she got out of Karen’s SUV. Karen saw him also. She placed her hand on Sara’s back and ushered her on into the building. 

Robert Williams, the chairman of the school board, directed Karen and Sara to a table on the left side of the brightly lit room. “We will get started promptly at seven. We plan to let the general public in about fifteen minutes before that. When the room fills, we will lock the doors. Mr. Michaels has asked to speak first.  Is that agreeable with you?” Karen nodded affirmatively at Mr. Williams. “When he finishes, you will have your opportunity to address the board members. We would also like to hear from other people in the audience that wish to speak. I will tell everyone in advance that the entire proceedings will be kept civil or they will be asked to leave. Fair enough?”

“Fair enough,” Karen said as she shuffled papers onto the table. Sara skimmed them as Karen laid them out. Her parents were sitting quietly at the end of the table. 

People filed into the room quickly and quietly when the doors were opened. Approximately twenty students, along with their parents, seated themselves behind Sara. Officer Griffin moved quickly through the crowd of people and took a seat at the table on the right with Mr. Michaels. A wave of nausea overcame Sara. 

Mr. Williams called the meeting to order and explained the purpose of the meeting and how it would be conducted. He introduced Mr. Michaels to the crowd. Mr. Michaels stood and faced the board members as he gave his statement. It was his standard rhetoric; immoral conduct, inappropriate behavior and insubordination. Sara had heard it so much that she felt as though she could have recited it for him. She grew more ill as she listened to him. 

Karen stood when it was her turn. “Thank you all for this opportunity. I am Karen Jameson, Ms. Carson’s attorney. I would like to address the issues that Mr. Michaels has brought up to support Ms. Carson not being offered a contract for next year. I hope that you being the distinguished, fair-minded board members that you are will reconsider this decision and allow Ms. Carson to continue working in the school in which she has dedicated so much of her life. Mr. Michael’s seems to think that Ms. Carson exhibits immoral behavior. What exactly does that mean? Immoral behavior is behavior that does not conform to what is considered normally right. Also, immorality is considered wickedness, evilness, and many other synonyms. What is immoral about a person sitting in an established legal business socializing with friends? Is it inappropriate to have an alcoholic drink? Ms. Carson is of legal drinking age. The establishment has a valid serving license. There is nothing inappropriate, much less immoral in this behavior. There is no documentation of insubordination in Ms. Carson’s fifteen years of employment with the high school. Mr. Michaels has tried to say that her insubordination stems from her patronage in the mentioned establishment. An employer cannot dictate what an employee does on his or her personal time, as long as it does not violate any laws. Ms. Carson clearly did not break any laws here.”

Karen then picked up the papers that she had arranged on the table. She handed a packet to each board member and Mr. Michaels. The packet contained Sara’s job performance evaluations, letters from parents, letters from students, test scores of the students and letters from other teachers that Sara had worked with over the years. She carefully went over each item, emphasizing the fantastic job that Sara had done at Mills High School. 

“Now that you have everything laid out before you, you can see that Ms. Carson has dedicated herself solely to this school and its students. She loves her job and the community. It would be doing a disservice to her and to the students of Mills High School to not allow her to return to her job next year. I will give you ladies and gentlemen some time to look over these documents that I have given you before we take any further action. Please do not take too long though. As you well know, time is slipping by quickly for teaching contracts. It would be a great loss for everyone if Ms. Carson has to take her skills and her dedication to another school system.” Karen sat down confidently. 

Each one of the students that were seated behind Sara stood and gave a moving account of how they had succeeded in her class because of her dedication and encouragement. Their parents also spoke very highly of her.

Several parents from the other side spoke of how they worried about their impressionable teens being exposed to her lifestyle.  They were uncomfortable knowing that a person with so much influence over their children was gay. The final person to speak was Officer Griffin.

“I was appalled that the school would have such a person influencing children. I have witnessed Ms. Carson on several occasions in a bar known to serve gays. This type of person has no business around our children. I requested…no… I demanded that my daughter be removed from her class as soon as I found out what kind of person she is. Many other parents feel the same way I do, but they do not want to rock the boat. They are afraid to speak up because they do not want their children suffering undue consequences. I am not afraid. I do not want Ms. Carson trying to recruit my daughter or anyone else’s child, nor do I want her offering her homosexual views to any child. It is in the best interest of everyone that Ms. Carson not be allowed to return to Mills High School next year. If she does, I will remove my daughter from there. I am sure that many other parents will also.”

As Officer Griffin finished, Karen requested to speak one more time. “I left something out of the packet of information that I gave you. I just realized it and would like to distribute it to you.”

Mr. Williams allowed her to give each person this last page. It was the letter that Shelly had sent to Sara. Sara saw the look on Officer Griffin’s face when he realized what it was. She could not decide if it was a look of horror or anger.

Mr. Williams spoke up after a few seconds. “Ms. Carson, would you like to say anything?”

Sara knees were weak and shaking, but she stood. “I think Ms. Jameson has conveyed my feelings quite well. I have dedicated my life to this town and school. No one has ever had a problem with me until Officer Griffin brought these accusations against me. I feel that it is a personal vendetta on his part and many others are blindly following him because they do not know me. A person’s personal views should not influence professional decisions and I feel that is what is taking place here. Mr. Michael’s, along with all of you, are aware of my job performance. My performance in the classroom has nothing to do with my personal life, regardless of how you feel about it. I do hope that you will reconsider this matter and allow me to continue doing what I truly love, teaching the students of Mills High School.”

Sara sat down quickly, feeling that her legs were about to disappear from beneath her.

“I promise you that we will give this matter all of the attention that it deserves,” Mr. Williams spoke solemnly. “Both sides have presented strong arguments. We need to look over everything and see what is in the best interest of our children, school, and our community. We will be in contact with all parties involved as soon as a decision is reached. This meeting is now adjourned.”

Sara had hoped that the protests would slowly fade away, but they continued.  Some days the groups were larger than others. Occasionally, there would be small groups of people outside her house in the afternoons, but they would leave when she asked them to do so. Her phone would start ringing almost as soon as she walked in the door. When she could no longer tolerate it, she turned the ringer off. Nothing seemed to be settling down. 

Her answering machine was overloaded with messages every day. Most were positive, but some were threatening.