Chapter 15 #2
“Put out whatever fires you need to. I’ll hold down the fort and will call if I hear anything more.” He shooed Conrad out of the office, and he pulled on his coat and headed out to his car, where he drove as quickly as he dared before pulling into the school.
He knocked on the door, and the principal let him in with a scowl. “We need to talk,” Conrad said before Harlon could lock the door behind him. Conrad found Forrest seated in the office.
“It seems we have quite a situation here,” Harlon said.
Conrad was not going to be chastised like he was a seven-year-old.
“How so? Yes, Forrest and I have been seeing each other. I like him, and he likes me. That is none of your business. It’s a private matter.
” He leaned over the desk. “As for Lizzie, she isn’t aware of it at all.
He and I have kept it quiet for her sake as well as the school.
” He turned to Forrest. “I’d like nothing more than to tell everyone that we’re dating, but we haven’t. Neither of us has said a thing.”
“Then how did Lester Drovers know?” Harlon asked.
Conrad wanted that same answer too, but all he did was shrug. “Doesn’t matter. Maybe he saw us together on the few times that we’ve been out together and made a lucky guess.” He was determined not to give an inch where this was concerned.
“Okay. But I still have a conflict.”
“Maybe. But it’s not a big deal. I had already spoken to Lizzie, and I was going to speak to you as well.
After Christmas break, Lizzie can move to Mrs. Wood’s class.
That will remove the conflict and allow everyone to move forward.
And during the break I will explain to Lizzie why the move is being made. ”
Harlon groaned. “And what do I tell the parents of the other children when they ask why one of my kindergarten teachers is gay?”
“I suggest you don’t mention it, and if you are asked, then answer is that it’s irrelevant,” Conrad said flatly.
“Forrest is an amazing teacher, and I hate to pull Lizzie out of his class. She loved it, and that has nothing to do with the fact that I’m dating him.
It has to do with his abilities. If he can instill a love of learning in these kids at this age, then maybe they’ll keep it. ”
Harlon put his head in his hands. “I did not get up this morning expecting something like this on the last day of school before Christmas vacation. But I will do anything I can to support you,” Harlon told Forrest. “We work hard to recruit good teachers.”
“Thank you,” Forrest said.
“I will make all the arrangements to change Lizzie’s classroom. You’re right—that will remove most of the conflict. But the parents are going to talk.” And Conrad knew Forrest was going to have to find another room parent, but any conflict with the school should be alleviated.
“Let them,” Forrest said. “I’ve been the subject of talk before. But I won’t back down, and I’ve done nothing to warrant dismissal or even a reprimand. I do my job, I look out for the kids, and I treat everyone with respect. I think I have a right to the same in return.”
“That is true. I just wish you had told me,” Harlon said.
“We didn’t know if things would work out, and the last thing we wanted was for Lizzie to be the one to pay the price for us.
” Conrad turned to Forrest. “We figured if we made it to the end of the year, it wouldn’t matter.
But it’s gotten more and more difficult.
So Mom and I had a talk with Lizzie and let her decide. I didn’t want her to be miserable.”
“And how did she take it?” Harlon asked.
“I think she’s more resilient than the rest of us,” Conrad told him. “So let’s all have a good holiday break. People may talk, but they are going to be busy with Christmas and New Year’s, and they’ll have better things to do than worry about whatever Lester said.”
“Okay,” Harlon agreed, and they left his office.
“I know you probably have things you need to do, but come on over once you’re done if you like. I have to go back to the office for a little while to check on things, and then I’ll be home.”
“What about Lizzie?”
“I think we need to explain to her what’s going on and why. She needs to hear it from both of us. If there is any fallout, then we’ll need to deal with it.”
“Okay. I’ll be about an hour,” Forrest told him and headed off down the hall toward his classroom. Conrad left the school and went back to the office.
“I TAKE it you had one heck of a day,” Mom said when he picked up Lizzie. “You look like—”
“Yeah, Mom. Got it in one. Lester apparently has decided that today is the day for him to go off the rails completely. The police are after him, and he outed Forrest and me at his school. I was in the principal’s office, so we need to talk to Lizzie tonight.”
“Do you need me to be there?” she asked and made a face.
“No.”
“Good. I think you can handle this on your own.” She patted his shoulder, and Conrad got Lizzie bundled up and they left his mother’s to walk next door.
“Is it Christmas tomorrow?” Lizzie asked as snow fell around them.
“Not until Tuesday. So you have a few more days. I have to work part of the day on Monday, and then I’ll be off the rest of the week. You and I can play together.”
“Okay.” She pulled away and skipped down the sidewalk, trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.
“At least you get to see your daughter.” Lester’s gruff voice startled him, and Conrad reached for Lizzie and held her to him.
“What do you want?” He wished he had his phone in hand so he could call the police.
Conrad did glance back toward his mother’s as the front curtains parted.
He met her gaze for a second, hoping she got the message.
Thankfully she held up her phone, and Conrad nodded slightly as the curtains fell back into place.
“I want my life back. I want to see my daughter and have my family and my job back.” Lester’s eyes were wide, and he seemed jittery. “I didn’t deserve this.” He stepped closer. “I know you did this to me.”
“I don’t even know your daughter,” Conrad said, figuring he had to concentrate on the most outlandish part of what Lester was saying.
“And I’ve never met your family. So how could I have taken them away from you?
” he asked. Lester’s mind seemed to get off track, because he blinked and looked at Conrad like he was suddenly lost.
“You took my job away from me,” he blurted out and smiled slightly, like he just managed to remember what he was so angry about.
“Daddy,” Lizzie said and pressed closer to him.
Conrad held her close, ready to protect her with everything he had.
He couldn’t see a weapon, but that didn’t mean that Lester didn’t have one.
Still, he watched him closely. Lester’s left hand shook a little and he had his right jabbed into his pocket.
He hoped the police got there soon. Carlisle wasn’t that big, and he could sure use some help.
A car pulled to a stop across the street, and Forrest got out. “What’s going on?”
“Lester here was just airing all his grievances, because apparently I’m to blame for all the stupid things he did in his life.
You see, he lost his job because of me, and not because he talked all the time and never did any actual work…
or maybe it was because he broke into the email server to delete messages.
” He glared at Lester as sirens sounded in the distance, getting closer fast.
Lester seemed to panic, and he ran across the street and through a gap between two of the houses.
The police vehicles pulled to a stop, and officers got out.
“I believe you have been looking for Lester Drovers. He just ran between the houses right through there,” Forrest said as he put an arm around Conrad and drew Lizzie into the hug as well.
“It’s going to be okay. Why don’t you go into the house? It will be warmer.”
Conrad nodded, not able to believe that he’d popped off like that to someone who was clearly deranged.
He should have kept his mouth shut, but Lester made him so angry.
Still…. He went inside and closed the door.
Forrest stayed outside with an officer for a while.
Then he joined them out of the cold. A knock told them that the police were ready with their questions.
“You can go play if you want,” Conrad told Lizzie, who shook her head and sat right next to him on the sofa, unwilling to be separated from him. “It’s okay. He isn’t going to hurt you.”
Forrest let the officers inside, and they went through introductions before Conrad explained what Lester had told him and their history together.
“Did he seem like he had been taking anything?” one of the officers asked.
Conrad hesitated. “Not that I’m an expert, but yeah, he might have been. His one hand shook, and his eyes seemed kind of wild. A few times he forgot what he was saying and sort of stood there.” Conrad hugged Lizzie and looked at Forrest.
“Why don’t you come with me? You and I can make something to eat.”
Thankfully, Lizzie went with Forrest. “Is Daddy in trouble?”
“No. He’s helping the police. It’s going to be okay,” Forrest told Lizzie as they went into the kitchen.
Conrad felt some of the tension release inside his gut.
“I don’t know if he had a weapon. I didn’t see one, but he kept his hand in his pocket, so it was possible.
Lester was fired from his job a week or so ago.
He wasn’t doing the work and broke into one of the servers.
So they let him go, and he blames me because I got the promotion he wanted.
” Now that Conrad had started, he let everything out.
“His daughter is in my daughter’s class, and this is a small town, so I know there were issues between him and his ex-wife. ”
The officer, a man of middle height and weight who said his name was Carter, nodded slowly. “Yes. We are aware of his family situation. Did he give you any indication of where he might be staying or what his plans were?”