Difficult Lessons Read online

  “That sounds wonderful,” Cynthia smiled. “I haven’t been kayaking in years and you know I love to swim. Sounds like a great time.”

  ***

  Mel’s was not as packed as the last time they were there, but there was a good crowd. Sara saw a few people that she knew. She proudly introduced Cynthia as her new girlfriend. Several of the people that she saw knew her as Keri’s ex-girlfriend. Sara knew that word would get back to Keri that she was seeing someone. It really did not bother her. Cynthia was what had finally gotten her completely over Keri.

  “Sara, are you uncomfortable?” Cynthia asked after about an hour at Mel’s.

  “No. Why?”

  “You keep watching the door.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sara said turning her back to the door. “I was actually hoping that Griffin would come back in here tonight. I would love to confront him.”

  “I don’t think you should do that. I agree with you about not letting them control you, but you don’t want to be confrontational. That could hurt you in the end.”

  “You’re right. Beauty and brains, could I ask for more?” Sara put her arm around Cynthia and kissed her. “I am not going to think about him tonight.”

  ***

  Sara saw the patrol car when they walked out of Mel’s. It was parked two rows over from her car.

  “Does he think that he is hiding from us?” Sara grabbed Cynthia’s hand as they moved through the rows of cars. She knew he was watching. Without looking, she could feel his eyes on her.

  Sara kept looking in her rear view mirror as she drove through the deserted streets. She wondered if he saw her watching him. He stayed behind her for several miles before turning off on a side street.

  “I guess you are a little disappointed,” Sara said smugly to the reflection in the rear view mirror.

  Reluctantly, Sara declined Cynthia’s invitation to stay the night. There were a lot of things that she needed to get done before Monday. She also wanted to think about what she would do if this led to another summons to the office.

  Chapter 12

  The thick envelope waited for Sara in her mailbox. It was contract time. Every year it was the same thing; a form letter thanking each teacher for their service for the previous year or however long they had taught there and the contract for the upcoming year. Sara thought they used the same letter each year and just changed the dates and years of experience. Sara did not open hers until she had gotten everything together for her classes.

  She sat at her desk and opened the envelope. She read the attached letter to herself.

  Ms. Carson:

  I would like to thank you for your fifteen years of

  dedicated service to Mills High School. I have always

  been able to depend on you to perform well above your assigned duties.

  Your dedication is something that is not seen often. That is

  why the decision that I have made was a difficult one. After

  meeting with the members of the school board, we have decided

  that it is not in the best interest of the students and the school to

  offer you a contract for the upcoming school year. You will find

  the reasons for our decision attached to this letter.

  Sincerely,

  Mr. Michaels

  Attached was a copy of the employee handbook. Sara flipped through it to see what this could have to do with her contract not being renewed. On the tenth page of the handbook was a highlighted area. It was the section on moral conduct. Sara suddenly felt ill.

  Sara pulled her emergency lesson plan folder out of her filing cabinet. There were assignments in the folder that a substitute could give to her students. She picked up her bag and headed back to the front office. Mrs. Hamilton, the secretary, was just opening her office. Sara explained that she had suddenly fallen ill and needed a substitute to cover her classes for the day. It was a believable excuse since obviously all of the color had drained from her face.

  Mrs. Hamilton asked, “Are you all right to drive? I can call someone to come pick you up if you like.”

  “I am fine, Mrs. Hamilton. I just need to get home and lie down.”

  Sara was well away from the school before she burst into tears. She could not hold them back any longer. She thought she had prepared herself for everything. This was the one consequence that she had not considered. She had been there so long, she thought there was no way they would withhold her contract over this.

  Before she realized where she was, Sara was at Cynthia’s house. Cynthia had the front door open before Sara could even get out of the car.

  “Why aren’t you at work? Are you okay?” Cynthia had walked to the car and grabbed Sara by the shoulders.

  Sara could not speak. She just handed Cynthia the envelope. Cynthia guided her inside as she opened the envelope. She read it silently and quickly. She flipped the pages of the handbook until she found the same highlighted area that Sara had read.

  “That son of a bitch! He can’t do this to you.” Cynthia’s face was crimson with anger.

  “Obviously he feels he can. I have got to find someone to help me. I thought I was ready for everything. I never expected to be fired. I’m just in shock I think.” Sara had managed to stop the tears.

  After searching the Internet and making several phone calls, they finally found an attorney that would meet with them that afternoon. Sara just had to calm herself before the appointment. She had to be thinking clearly when she walked into the attorney’s office.

  ***

  Karen Jameson’s office was in a storefront downtown. It was scarcely furnished. There were three straight chairs in front of the window on the right side as they walked in. Four filing cabinets were on the left side of the door. There was a small oak desk in the center of the room with a computer. The receptionist was seated behind it talking on the phone. She held up one finger to acknowledge Sara as she entered and looked around.

  “Can I help you?” The secretary’s voice was soft and polite as she hung up the phone and addressed Sara and Cynthia.

  “I am Sara Carson. I have an appointment with Ms. Jameson.” Sara’s voice was slightly shaking.

  “Just a moment.” She picked up the phone again. “Ms. Jameson, your one o’clock appointment is here.” She replaced the receiver. “She will be right with you. Have a seat.”

  Sara and Cynthia had just sat down in the chairs as the door on the left side of the back wall opened. The woman that appeared in the doorway was about fifty. She was at least six feet tall and had very broad shoulders. She was dressed in a black suit. Her short black hair was streaked with silver. She handed a folder to the receptionist and said something that Sara did not hear.

  “Ms. Carson?” Her voice was deep and coarse.

  “Yes. I’m Sara Carson.” Sara stood as the woman crossed the room to her.

  “I’m Karen Jameson.” Her handshake was firm. She directed Sara into her office. “Would you like some water or a soda?

  “No thank you. I am fine for now.” Sara lied. She really could use some water, but she was so nervous she did not want to have to hold on to anything.

  “How can I help you, Ms. Carson?”

  Sara began her story when Ms. Jameson had gotten out a pad and pen to take notes. She started with how long she had worked at Mills and continued right up through the letter this morning. She recalled the encounters with Officer Griffin and the meetings with Mr. Michaels. Karen listened intently and took extensive notes as Sara spoke.

  Sara paused a second before asking, “What should I do, Ms. Jameson?”

  “First of all, call me Karen. Secondly, do you want to keep your job there?”

  Sara looked a bit puzzled at the question. Karen picked up on it quickly. “I ask this because most people would not, but I get the feeling that you do.”

  “I grew up in this town. I have never taught anywhere other than Mills. I love the students and most of the teachers. I really don’t want to move or chan
ge careers at this point in my life.” Sara was a little calmer than when she first arrived.

  Karen leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Do they have anything else against you? Is there anything that might have come up in the past that they could use as an excuse to not renew your contract?”

  Sara thought for a minute. ”There is nothing. I have always had perfect evaluations. My students perform well on the state assessments. I have never had a complaint from a parent, at least not until now. The only thing that they have is the fact that Officer Griffin saw me in a gay bar and complained to Mr. Michaels.” Sara started to shake again.

  Karen moved from behind her desk. She knelt in front of Sara and took her hand. “Don’t get upset. After listening to you, I think that you have a definite case of discrimination here. I will need to look at your school’s non-discrimination statement, but I will bet it covers everything except sexual orientation. If you want me to represent you, I will be happy to do so. It isn’t going to be easy though. It will go public, and it will get ugly. The hard part is there are no state laws to protect you. We will basically have to use scare tactics and hope they bite. If they don’t and we go to court, it’s going to be an even longer road. We are looking at appeals and setting precedents to change state laws. Are you ready for that?”

  Sara thought for a minute, taking long slow breaths to calm down. “I think I am. I can’t let them get away with this, not just for me. I have to think about people in the future. Where do we start?”

  “We will start with a letter to Mr. Michaels and the school board members. I will explain to them that you feel there is no just cause for your non-renewal and that you also feel you are being discriminated against due to your suspected orientation. I will strongly encourage them to reconsider their position. I will explain to them also that we plan to take further action if they do not. If we have to take it that far, we will file a civil suit against them. Once you do that, you do realize that you probably will not have any hope of a job there, right?”

  Sara laughed nervously. “Evidently I don’t have one now so what do I have to lose?”

  “Let’s hope the letter does the trick and we do not have to take it that far. Even though we have no laws protecting us from discrimination, most people don’t want to take things like this public. The majority of my cases like this have been resolved without going to court. Unfortunately, that has not led us to any changes in the law, but it has worked out well for my clients. Most of them have walked away with monetary awards to keep things out of court.”

  “I am not interested in money. It is principle. I want my dignity. I want other people to be secure in the knowledge that they will not be fired for the people they choose to date or live with. My girlfriend will be a teacher there next year. I don’t want her hurt by them.”

  “All right. I will prepare the letter and get it out to them tomorrow. If anyone tries to discuss this with you, just refer him or her to me. Don’t discuss anything with anyone at the school. And get me copies of anything that shows you in a positive light; evaluations, letters from parents, articles from the newspaper, and anything else you can find. Get it to me as soon as you can. Whatever you do between now and the time this is settled, do not resign from your position. They cannot terminate you before the end of your contract. They have to pay you, but if you resign, your salary ends immediately. Understand?”

  “I had not thought about that. I understand.”

  Sara felt much better after meeting with Karen. She felt as though she might have a small chance at keeping her job and a good chance to make it better for others in the future.

  Chapter 13

  “Ms. Carson, Are you trying to intimidate me?” Mr. Michaels walked into her classroom and closed the door behind him during her planning period.

  Jumping at the sound of his voice, Sara looked up from the papers she was grading. “Sir?”

  Mr. Michaels tossed an envelope on her desk. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Sara opened the envelope as if she had no idea what it was. She quickly read through the letter and slid it back into the envelope. “It seems pretty self-explanatory to me, Mr. Michaels. I feel that I am being discriminated against because of the suspicions and narrow-mindedness of a few people. I also feel that you have no justifiable reason not to renew my contract. You have twisted the morality clause in our employee handbook to attempt to justify your actions and degrade me. I cannot say anything more to you on the subject, but Ms. Karen Jameson will be happy to speak with you on my behalf. If you don’t mind, I have some things to do. I am still responsible for my students. I am still a teacher here for at least two more months.” Sara turned her attention back to the papers in front of her and Mr. Michaels left her classroom, obviously not pleased with the situation.

  Sara had developed a new determination. The old Sara would have broken down after that confrontation. She had told her parents and Cynthia that she planned to stand up for herself and she intended to do just that.

  Instead of being upset, she was angry. She was angry that they were trying to damage her career and her reputation, and angry that Mr. Michaels would come into her classroom and demand an explanation from her. Sara felt that she was the one that deserved the explanation.

  Sara calmed herself and went to the teachers’ lounge to call Karen. She told her exactly what had just happened and assured her that she did not say anything else to Mr. Michaels. Karen told her that she would take care of it. Looking at the clock, Sara realized it was almost time for sixth period to start.

  ***

  Sara pushed the play button on her answering machine as soon as she was inside the house. The first message was from Cynthia. “Call me as soon as you get this.”

  The second message was from one of the school board members, Terry Lyons. He asked her to call him at home. Sara left his message on the machine. She might call him. He had always been very friendly with her and he might be an ally.

  The third message was rather shocking. “Ms. Carson, This is Kendra Breeden, with The Times. If you can, please give me a call this evening. I have a rather important matter to discuss with you. My number is 397-6438. “

  “What the hell? A reporter?”

  The next message was Cynthia again and it was more urgent than the last.

  The final message was from Karen. “Sara, it is urgent that I speak with you. Call me at the office as soon as you get this.”

  Sara called Cynthia first, who answered on the first ring.

  “What is going on?” Sara asked almost in a panic.

  “You haven’t heard yet?” Cynthia sounded surprised.

  “Heard what? I just got in from work. I have quite a few messages on my machine. As soon as I listened to all of them, I called you. Tell me what is going on?” Sara was sounding annoyed.

  “Who all has called you?”

  “You left me two messages. Terry Lyons called. He is a board member. Karen called. Then some reporter called. I don’t have a clue what that is about. Your messages sounded so urgent I had to call you first,” Sara explained.

  “Hang up and call Karen. She can explain everything to you. You really need to talk with her as soon as you can. Call me back after you talk with her.”

  Sara dialed Karen’s number. Her secretary answered and immediately transferred the call.

  “Someone has leaked a bit of your story to the newspaper. It isn’t a positive side, from what I gather.” Karen went on to explain the rest. “I think it might have been that parent that you told me about. Ms. Breeden called me this afternoon. She wants to meet with you to get your side. I told her that I would try to set something up this evening. I know it is Friday evening, but can you be here in two hours?”

  Sara’s head was spinning. She was trying to absorb all of this. She did not expect this to happen this fast. “Yes. I can be there. You will be right there with me won’t you? I don’t want to say anything that I shouldn’t.”

  “Of course
I will be. I wouldn’t be much of an attorney if I wasn’t there to support my client, would I? Oh, I almost forgot. You have an ally that you might not know anything about. Terry Lyons from the school board called me after he got the letter. He is backing you one hundred percent. I will call him and ask him to be here also, if that is all right with you.”

  “He left a message on my machine. I was not sure what it was about so I did not return his call. I need all of the support I can get right now. Should I call him back?” Sara’s head was beginning to pound.

  “I’ll call him for you and have him meet us here.” Karen’s voice was very reassuring.

  ***

  Cynthia put her arm around Sara’s shoulder to steady her as they walked into Karen’s office. Sara felt like she was going to pass out at any second. Her stomach was in knots and her head was aching. She was glad Cynthia had agreed to be there with her. Sara had called her parents on her way to Karen’s office. She wanted to let them know what was happening, but she did not want them there. They did not need to be subjected to any of this, but it would come soon enough.

  Mr. Lyons stood and hugged Sara. “Ms. Carson, I wanted you to know that not everyone is against you here. I was one of two dissenting votes when Mr. Michaels brought this to us. Mrs. Susan Caine was the other one. She had family obligations tonight or else she would be here also. She did give me a written statement to give to the reporter. Ms. Jameson has it if you would like to read it.”

  Sara smiled weakly. “Thank you for the support. Please relay my appreciation to Mrs. Caine also.”