Twenty-Five
Winslet
My palms felt sweaty, and my stomach was in knots as I walked into Principal Clairton’s office. He had stopped by my classroom the last hour of the day and asked me to please come to his office once school was over. There had been no smile, no reassurance in his expression. He’d seemed very well…severe. As if I had been caught doing something wrong and was about to be scolded.
I knocked and waited for a response.
The door opened, and the knots in my stomach morphed into dread and fear. The president of the school board, Dr. Voy—who wasn’t a medical doctor, but held that title for his PhD, although I didn’t know what it was in—was seated in one of the high-back chairs opposite Mr. Clairton’s desk. To make things even more dire, Mrs. Warlow—who was also on the board and a former principal at this school—stood, holding the door open for me with such a displeased expression that I wanted to turn and run.
“Come in,” she said to me, her tone cold.
The only other time I had spoken to the woman was during my initial interview. She’d been businesslike then, but nice. This was a completely different experience.
Stepping inside the room, I felt all three pairs of eyes on me, and the weight of it was suffocating. This had to be about Perry. Someone had told them. There was no other reason for a meeting with all three of them in attendance. Was it legal for them to fire me over something my brother had done? I didn’t think so, but I felt sick nonetheless.
“Have a seat, please, Miss Gerard.” Principal Clairton’s words sounded like a command rather than a request.
I swallowed, straightening my shoulders and trying my best to remain calm. I hadn’t done anything to break the rules. I was a good teacher and employee. This was going to be fine.
I sat down in the chair farthest away from Dr. Voy, leaving the one beside him for Mrs. Warlow. Not only did I notice her black leather clutch purse on the floor at its feet, but I also had no desire to be that close to the man. He was maybe five foot nine and bald, and there was a rather large mole that sat on the left of his nose and another on his right ear. He shouldn’t be intimidating, but seeing as he held the power to fire me, he was.
“I assume you know why you’re here, Miss Gerard,” he said in a condescending tone.
I had an idea, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to blurt that out just yet. What if they didn’t know about Perry and this had something to do with someone else? I was just here for questioning on what I knew. Betty Joyce’s pregnancy sprang to mind, and I tensed. They knew. Poor Betty Joyce.
I shook my head, deciding to remain silent until forced to admit anything. If they had me in here to confirm her pregnancy, they were going to be sorely disappointed. I never saw a pregnancy test, and I was not a doctor. I knew nothing. Who had found out? She was too trusting. She’d probably told the wrong person. I had my guesses, but I wouldn’t point fingers.
“It would be best, Miss Gerard, if you were honest. It is the best policy after all. We are all adults here, and seeing as this affects the integrity of what we stand for at MCS and how the community sees us, then I would hope you understand that this has to be dealt with,” Mrs. Warlow informed me, sounding put out that I hadn’t told them whatever truth they were expecting from me.
I smiled at her the best that I could under the circumstances. “I will be honest as soon as I know what we are talking about.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head. “I was the principal here for fifteen years. I am aware how gossip spreads through these halls among the staff. There is nothing that remains a secret. You are well aware of what we are talking about.”
No, I wasn’t. What gossip? Wait…was this about me and Toby going to the festival together? That hadn’t been a date, but even if it had been, there was no rule against it. I decided that if I was going to admit to anything, it would be that. We’d been seen and not tried to hide it.
“Is this about Toby?” I asked, my eyes shifting from her to Dr. Voy, then Mr. Warlow.
His eyes went wide with surprise.
What was going on?
“Are you insinuating that he is the father?”
The father? Of who? Betty Joyce’s baby?
I sat there, saying nothing for a moment. Hoping someone would fill in the missing pieces, but they all were looking at me with a trace of horror in their expressions.
“Okay,” I finally said. “I am confused. What baby? I meant that Toby and I went to the Corn Husk Festival together on Saturday. As friends. Only as friends.”
The relief on Mr. Clairton’s face was immediate. I could hear his sigh from here.
Mrs. Warlow’s lips pursed, and the wrinkles around them made her look like a lifelong smoker, although I would guess they were from years and years of using a straw.
“Your pregnancy, Miss Gerard,” she snapped at me as if her patience had worn thin.
My eyes flew open wide, and a laugh filled with disbelief burst out of me.
“What?!” I shook my head. “I’m not pregnant. Why would you think that?” I was floored. I glanced at each one, looking for some sign or understanding.
“A trustworthy source came to meet with me this morning in tears. This person had been holding your secret for you and was very remorseful. She was doing what she believed was the Christian thing to do and will not be held accountable for that mistake. It was out of her kindness she did it,” Mr. Clairton informed me. “She said word had leaked, and the gossip was flying through the staff. She had hoped you would come to me before that happened, but since you had not, she did not want me to be blindsided and the school to suffer because of it.”
My mouth was agape as I listened to him. He was serious. Someone had told him I was pregnant, and it was going around school.
Who would do something like that, and why? The looks I’d gotten today. The pity. Oh God, they all thought I was knocked up.
That was breaking a big rule here. I was unwed. This was a Christian school, and they held their employees to a higher standard—or that was what I had been told when I took the job. Although Christians do not judge, we must be examples of Christ.
“Well, what is your explanation for that, Miss Gerard?” Mrs. Warlow demanded.
I shook my head. “I’m not pregnant,” I said. “I don’t know who told you I was, but I swear to you that I am not and have never been.”
Mr. Clairton wanted to believe me. I could see it in his eyes. But there was also the sympathy there telling me he did not. This Christian who had come to him—he believed their word over mine.
“Considering that the entire staff believes differently and we have been assured by a source that we trust, you can see how you telling us you are not isn’t enough,” Mrs. Warlow said, her shoulders straight as she looked down at me over her nose—her head was held so high.
“I don’t care how trustworthy this person is, but they were misinformed. I am not pregnant,” I stated firmly, growing more irritated by the second.
This was not a fair situation. Where was the other party? The one who had told them? If I was going to be held in this trial of theirs, I had some questions of my own for the person who’d claimed I was.
Dr. Voy cleared his throat. “This wasn’t expected,” he informed me. “Pregnancy can only be hidden so long. You are aware of that. Denying it would be a short-term fix.”
“If I were pregnant, it would be, but I’m not!” My words came out with all the frustration and anger building inside me.
He flinched. “The school’s reputation is at stake here. Parents will hear of this and flood this office as well as bombard us all with calls. They pay a lot to put their children here. Because there is no reason for the one who informed us of this to lie about it and there is reason for you to lie about it, you will understand that we must investigate further into the matter. Until you can prove that you are not with evidence that we can share with the concerned and upset parents and staff, we are asking you to take a leave of absence.”
Was he kidding me? No. The man was completely serious. This had to be illegal. I didn’t care if they were a private school. This was not fair.
“I can go buy a pregnancy test and pee on it right now,” I informed him.
“There is no call for crudeness, Miss Gerard,” Mrs. Warlow snapped at me.
“I’m afraid that isn’t sufficient. There is also the fact that you could have had an abortion. We will be questioned about that as well. Seeing as the church’s stand is that the Lord is pro-life, we would also not be able to keep you here on staff,” Dr. Voy stated.
I paled. How did I prove that? I felt helpless.
They had all turned on me, and I hadn’t done anything wrong. I enjoyed my job. I had just started to really bond with the kids in my room this year. And a lie was going to have this all snatched from me. Who hated me that much to have done this?
My throat clogged with emotion, and I dug my nails into my palms to draw out some pain that would distract me. I could not cry in front of these people. I had already been humiliated and demoralized.
“How do I—” I paused, taking a deep breath. “How would you like me to prove that I am not pregnant, have never been pregnant, and did not have an abortion?” I asked, my voice wavering. I was close to falling apart.
Mrs. Warlow looked to Dr. Voy. His forehead wrinkled, and he licked his dry, thin lips.
“That is up to you. Legally, you do not have to share your medical records with anyone. We can’t demand them. However, it is the only way we can tell the concerned people whose money keeps these doors open that you aren’t pregnant and have not had an abortion.”
I laughed. It was hard and as cold as I felt. “No, it isn’t legal. Just like you firing me over a lie isn’t legal.” When pushed in a corner and tears threaten me, I tend to bow up and fight back. It was a product of surviving my mother.
“Might I remind you, Miss Gerard, that this isn’t just a private school; it is a Christian one that is owned by the church. Laws that apply to other institutions do not apply to us. The law allows religious institutions to hire and fire employees based on their adherence to our religious beliefs and practices. This is all clearly stated in the contract you signed when hired,” Dr. Voy informed me, sounding like an attorney.
“But I am not pregnant. I haven’t broken any of your standards,” I stressed.
“Miss Gerard, without proof of this, others will believe what they want. This will put a dark cloud over the school and our environment. It will affect the children. Parents will pull their kids out, and we will lose enrollment. This accusation wouldn’t have been placed without a firm belief. It is up to you as an employee to keep your name free and clear of any such questions on your integrity. You have done something to led others to believe this is true. We have the right to let you go, and if you fight to keep your job, you’ll only be ostracized. The parents of the kids in your classroom will pull them out. You will have no classroom to teach.”
This lie, whoever had said it—they had me in a corner, and they knew this would be the outcome. It wasn’t that I had anything to hide on my medical records. They would prove my innocence. It was that they had the power to overrule my rights because of religion. They claimed that they didn’t judge, yet I had just been judged thoroughly and found guilty without any proof.
I sat there silently. The entire staff believed this. To keep my job and get back my reputation here, it would require I hand over my medical records for them to see. The right to my privacy snatched from me. Why was one person’s word more powerful than mine?
I stood up. I looked at each one of them directly with my shoulders back and my head held high. I wouldn’t walk out of here a victim, although that was what they had made me. “While I have nothing to hide from you, you’re asking that I give up the rights that I am given as a United States citizen. I don’t know if I want to work under leadership such as this one. Where one person’s word is more powerful than another. When something is shared and it is repeated and spreads without evidence or facts, such as this has, it’s called gossip,” I told them.
“‘ Do not spread gossip and rumors’ ,” I said with a tight smile. “It’s in Leviticus. Maybe you should all go read it because you seem to have forgotten. Whoever came to you had no evidence. No recording of me saying it, not my medical records, not even a text. So, they were spreading gossip, yet it is them you believe.” I stopped and saw something flicker in Principal Clairton’s eyes that I believed was remorse, but he said nothing.
“I’ll see myself out and get my things from the classroom. My lesson plan is uploaded to the server, and all the copies for this week are paper-clipped and in order on my shelf before my desk,” I said before walking to the door, opening it, and leaving.
None of them called me back.