THE TEACHER

Chapter eleven

"We should tell Mrs. Lingerman," sighed Melissa, dropping her bag onto the floor, exhausted from a long day at work. "It's best that she finds out from us and not because someone is gossiping."

"Do you think she'll approve?" Abigail murmured.

"She will..." she stared back at Abby, from the comfort of the puffy couch. "Or else we'd better start applying for some other job. And whereas you're still young and useful, I'm not, so I'll end up throwing away my life of sacrifices and retire before I even turn fifty."

"Stop it," Abigail rolled her eyes, pouring her girlfriend a cup of coffee. "You know that she'd be an idiot to fire you, you're the best math teacher at school. If one of us will be asked to go, it'll be me because I haven't yet made a name for myself."

"Oh, please. The students love you. I hear them in the hallways, always saying how beautiful and smart and perfect you are."

"They used to do the same with you when I attended, and I'm sure they still are now," smiled Abby, taking a place next to Melissa and handing her a cup of coffee. "If you want, I can ask to schedule a meeting with her and HR."

"Hopefully it all goes to plan," cried Melissa, in a useless attempt to sound hopeful.

"I think it will."

In the many years she had known Melissa, Abby had never seen her so serious and concentrated. She had chosen even more formal clothes to wear, she was stoically standing still in front of the door, hiding very well the anxiety and nervousness that the whole situation was causing her.

Abigail, on the other hand, was quiet and calm. She wanted to freak out badly, but one of them should have stayed put together or the entire situation would have imploded, and since Melissa had started freaking out long before her, she had no choice but to be the rock.

"Mrs. Lingerman will see you, now," Mrs. Cook smiled at them.

One of the last times Abigail had been in that office she was still a student, after she had punched Dickson during the first two months of her senior year of high school. Mrs. Cook was there that time, and she was there still, welcoming Abby and Melissa with a knowing expression on her face.

"Thanks," quietly said Melissa, walking past her.

"Abby, what'd you do now?" asked the secretary, recalling the day of the roughhousing.

"I think I fell in love, Mrs. Cook."

"Call me Fiona," the old woman winked back. "Good luck, dear."

Melissa was already sitting in front of Mrs. Lingerman when Abigail closed the door behind her back. They were having some sort of staring competition, and no one was moving; even Mrs. Taylor from HR was motionless, just waiting for Abby to take her seat.

"So, why'd you two call this meeting?" asked Mrs. Lingerman, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence that had taken over the room.

"Ms. Bennett and I have something to discuss about," answered Abby.

"Well, get on with it."

"Ms. Brooks and I are dating," finally spit out Melissa, all in one go. "It's been months now, and we're currently living together, and since we're colleagues we thought it would be best to tell you."

"I appreciate you coming to me. Though – if I may – weren't you engaged to someone else? A man?" the principal questioned Abigail.

"I was. We broke up."

"I see."

The awkward and uncomfortable silence fell in the room once again, as both Mrs. Lingerman and Mrs. Taylor pondered about how to handle the situation.

"Did you have any kind of relationship when you were still a student here, Ms. Brooks?" asked Mrs. Taylor, slightly disappointed.

Aware that some things are better off as secrets, Abigail shook her head vigorously.

"This started when I moved back here. Before, our relationship was one that a teacher and student normally have," she clarified.

"Is it serious?"

"We're living together," repeated Melissa, annoyed.

Before she could say something she'd have regretted later on, Abigail jumped in to save the conversation, just as Mrs. Lingerman's expression tensed up.

"I think we could say that our relationship is serious, hence the fact that we've been together for a few months now and we have amicably agreed to share a home."

"How are you handling this on the workplace? Not only you're colleagues, but you're in the same department," Mrs. Taylor continued the interrogation.

"Melissa and I act as professionally as possible, setting our personal life as a couple aside and only focusing on our work as long as we're inside these walls," explained Abigail. "And I firmly believe that we have done a good job, since no one suspected a thing."

Another lie. Great, she thought, already regretting her choice of words.

"We won't let this interfere with our jobs, I can assure you this," Abby added one last time, trying to win the principal's favor.

"No one has to know," sighed Ms. Lingerman, lowering her voice. "Not the students, not the parents. If the other teachers know, they must keep it down as well."

"Why all this secrecy?" demanded Melissa, getting closer to the desk.

Between her and Mrs. Lingerman there had never been a loving relationship, at least from what Abigail could remember. Sitting in front of each other, Melissa was more tense than she had ever been with anyone else, and Abigail immediately understood that she was supposed to be the mediator, or her girlfriend would have jumped at the chance of raising her voice.

"You're not only two teachers dating each other, but you're two women as well. If this situation is known to someone outside this office, we could face complaints."

"Complaints for what? Not that I want to absolutely scream my own business to the world, but if at the end of school I want to kiss my partner in the parking lot, I should be able to do it. When Mr. Brown's wife picks him up I don't hear anyone complaining about them kissing," she replied.

"It's different. We've never had a case of two lesbian teachers in this school, and the parents surely won't take it well."

"Oh, is it a problem for the parents or is it actually a problem for you?" Melissa slightly raised her voice. "And who told you we were lesbians? Previously, we were both in relationships with men."

"I'm sorry for my usage of inappropriate language, I assumed, and I was wrong," sighed Mrs. Lingerman, struggling to keep her cool. "I don't have a problem with any of this, but since people might, I'd appreciate it if you kept it down."

"Thanks, that'd be great," Abby once again jumped in to save the conversation. "We promise that we'll be discreet and that we will keep working as we've always done, ma'am."

"Good. You can go now."

Outside of the office, Melissa was back to her old grumpy self, barely keeping it together and using her hands to communicate her rage and annoyance.

"Woah, what's with the sign language?" chuckled Abigail, while her girlfriend very passionately complained about the meeting.

"I'm Italian, love. It's what we do," she sighed. "I can't believe that woman!"

"I can't either, but it was probably just the shock of having two teachers dating. Let it go," said Abby, trying to calm down her very fierce spirit. "Tell you what, dress the best you can and tonight we'll have an unforgettable dinner."

Immediately the frown and disappointment disappeared from Melissa's face, replaced by a joyful smile.

"I love you," she smiled, getting cozy and loving all of the sudden.

"Me too, now let's get out of here so I can kiss your grumpy lips."