Making the Best of a Bad Situation

"You know I do everything I can to stay out of the personal lives of my teachers so when I ask you this, please know I'm just concerned. Are you sure Our Town is the right choice, Blair?"

"First let me say I know why you're asking and I appreciate your concern." She sat up straight and continued. "I think all of us are aware of the lengths you go to in order to keep the personal separated from the professional, David. As our principal, it would be very easy to use your position to wheedle your way into areas of our lives you fully understand you have no business being in. That said, I feel very comfortable doing this play this semester."

"Okay, then it's settled. You're the drama teacher and if this is okay with you, you have my full support."

The principal smiled as she stood up and she could tell he wanted to say something else. "What is it, David? You have that look."

"It's none of my business, Blair."

"David? How long have we known each other? You know you can ask me anything."

He sighed and said, "We're all just worried about you. Especially my wife. Kathy asks me several times a week if Daniel..."

Blair sat back down, sighed deeply, and said, "Daniel is still drinking. A lot. But he hasn't...you know...nothing else has happened since the end of the last school year."

"Do you feel safe at home?"

"Of course. I mean, it was just a one-time thing, David. You know that. He'd had too much to drink and got upset and I just got caught in the middle of it. It wasn't really even his fault, David. I mean, I did kind of provoke him." He, along with everyone else who'd been there, knew that wasn't true. There was no provocation and what he'd done was deliberate, intentional, and criminal.

Blair Mitchell met Daniel Mason her first week of teaching. He was handsome, funny, and hard working and she thought she was ready to settle down and happily accepted his proposal. Sure, he drank—a lot—but she'd believed him when he told her it was just his way of blowing off steam after a hard day at work and he did work very hard. His drinking had gotten progressively worse ever since, and David never should have agreed to let him chaperone the senior trip. But Blair had gone to bat for him insisting he was doing better, so he gave in and said yes.

It was a little after midnight and some of the kids were dancing and one of the senior boys approached Blair and asked her to dance while her husband was returning from the restroom. It was all very innocent. He was one of the nerdier kids who'd taken drama from her two years running. She'd only agreed because he was probably the most non-threatening boy in the senior class, but Daniel hadn't seen it that way.

He'd snuck in two large flasks of whiskey and by midnight was very drunk. David had politely suggested it might be best if he left and even offered to walk back to his room with him. Daniel had thanked him by getting in his face and telling him to mind his own fucking business. The song hadn't been playing for 30 seconds when both Blair and the young man began smiling and laughing before he dramatically dipped her, something everyone later learned was an inside joke about a musical they both enjoyed.

Daniel wasn't enjoying it at all. When he saw what he thought was someone flirting with his wife, he stormed out onto the dance floor and laid into the boy. "Get your goddamn hands off my wife, asshole!" he shouted as he reached between them and pushed the boy back. He raised his hands immediately and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Mason! We weren't doing anything. We were just goofing around." Daniel pushed the boy and said, "You try goofing around with my wife again, and I'll kick your fucking ass, you four-eyed punk!"

Blair tried to step between them and said, "Daniel. Nothing's going on. We were just dancing. It was all in fun. Please..."

And that's when he backhanded her. He hit her so hard it nearly knocked her out. The blow dazed her and had David not run out to try to try and put a stop to it, no one would have been there to catch her before she fell and she'd have likely gone down very hard. The police were called but Blair refused to press charges. The young man's parents later also accepted Daniel's after-the-fact apology and did nothing, either.

Since then, David had heard bits and pieces from other teachers which gave him real cause for concern that things were getting worse. But because there'd been no reports of any other abuse or any visible signs of it on Blair, there was really nothing anyone could do.

His concerns with the play were probably overblown, but one of the first things it dealt with was a drinking problem, and the principal just didn't want Blair to have to deal with that issue at work when she was living through it at home.

"Okay. Then it's settled. Let me know if I can be of help in any way okay, Blair."

She thanked him and assured him she would.

Blair had done the play twice before in the four years she'd been teaching and had all of the props in storage. Casting was her only real concern. Since Hunter Bennett had signed up for her class again, she already knew whom she'd cast to play George Gibbs. Her biggest concern was who might play Emily Webb.

Hunter was the perfect all-American golden boy but with the kind of modesty she so admired in very attractive people. She found it completely off-putting when a very good-looking person thought their looks entitled them to be an ass, a jerk, or a bitch. Just the thought of it made her angry. Blair would never admit it, but she had those kind of good looks herself, and both of her parents had taught her since she was a little girl that looks are nothing but the luck of a kind of genetics lottery. How one treated others was far more important.

Hunter was one of, if not the best-looking boy in school. He was tall, athletic, smart, and very popular. But he was also kind to everyone and often went out of his way to stop someone from bullying a weaker classmate. Blair also knew he was unfailingly polite to the many girls who had crushes on him but who had no chance of ever dating him. Blair had told him just last year how proud she was of him and that some young girl was going to be very lucky to one day be his wife. In his typically modest, almost-shy way he'd just thanked her and insisted he was only reflecting the values with which he'd been raised. "Well, your mom and dad did a fantastic job then," she told him with sincerity.

Blair's 'dilemma' was solved two days later when a new girl from southern California checked into her class. She was not only very interested in the part, she had that girl-next-door look the role of Emily demanded. Blair couldn't help but think she and Hunter would be a very cute couple and possibly even a future homecoming kind and queen. To her further delight, this new girl, Alyssa Harrington, was every bit as polite, good-natured, and well-mannered as Hunter. How was she supposed to resist playing matchmaker with what seemed to be the perfect couple? Hunter wasn't currently seeing anyone in spite of the long list of girls interested in him, and Alyssa was brand new. Blair had her work cut out for her and she was already making plans.

After what were essentially pro-forma tryouts for the leading roles, Blair was able to cast the entire play and everyone seemed satisfied with the part they'd been assigned, a refreshing change from the past when hurt feelings boiled over throughout the entire semester. After the first rehearsal, Blair asked if she could see Hunter and Alyssa and wasted no time introducing them to one another. "You two are going to be seeing a lot of one another as we rehearse the play, so I just wanted to give you the opportunity to maybe get better acquainted." The students nervously said hello to one another and Blair tried to keep the conversation going by asking about California and Hunter's parents or anything else she could think of. Despite her best efforts, the conversation quickly lagged so she decided to leave well enough alone—for now.

Early in the second week of school, Blair was crestfallen when she saw Alyssa holding hands with Hunter's older brother, Jax, out in town. Jax was Hunter's polar opposite. He was every bit as handsome, but that's where the similarities ended. Jax had that classic bad-boy look along with the attitude and the appeal that went with it. Jax graduated three years ago and had turned 21 several months back. He'd never taken drama so Blair didn't really know him except for the times he'd gotten loud in one of the bars Daniel had dragged to her in the last few months. She hated going, but Daniel got so angry if she refused. This way, she could at least make sure he got home safely. They were on their way inside The White Stag Tavern when Blair saw him with Alyssa. Her guess was that Jax was trying to talk her into coming in with him to see if the bartender would say anything. Whatever the reason, it turned her stomach to see them together. So much for her good intentions.

The following weekend, Daniel told her he wanted to party which was code for getting shit-faced. Daniel couldn't have a beer or two. Two turned into twelve or fifteen or more every time they went out with 'more' happening well...more often. He made good money as an auto mechanic and together they could well afford to pay for his drinking habit, especially since they had no children to support. "Thank God for small miracles," Blair had thought to herself more than once recently. Money, however, was the least of Blair's worries where Daniel's out-of-control drinking was concerned.

Things were already loud at eight o'clock when they arrived and by ten there'd already been one incident with some loud drunk which nearly became a brawl. After witnessing it, Blair told Daniel she wanted to leave and he went from laughing raucously to angry as hell in an instant. "Fuck that! We came here to party, not go home. What's wrong with you lately? You used to be so much fun, Blair. Now all you do is that pussy drama stuff at school. You go to work, you come home, you read, you watch TV, and you go to bed." He got very loud when he said, "Hell, we don't even FUCK anymore!" People were looking and Blair was dying of embarrassment.

"Daniel, please. Please lower your voice," she said trying to get him to calm down.

"Lower my voice? Why would I want to lower my voice? Are you afraid people will find out you don't even want to FUCK your own husband? Is that it, Blair?" He turned around and said, "HEY! Everybody! Do you know how long it's been since my wife let me fuck her?" He looked around before saying, "Six fucking months, people! No sex for six months! How fucked up is that?" He turned back to Blair and said, "Well...that's gonna change tonight because when we get home, I'm FUCKING YOU all night long!"

Blair wanted to both vomit and say, "You couldn't get it up if your life depended on it let alone do it all night." Instead, she grabbed her purse and said, "I'm leaving. You can go with me or find your own way home."

Daniel grabbed her—hard enough to jerk her backward—and said, "You're not going anywhere, Blair! You're staying right here with me and you're gonna have another beer!" He wheeled around and hollered, "Bartender? Another beer for my wife!"

Blair had barely touched the one put in front of her over two hours ago and there was no way in hell she was taking even one more sip. "I'm leaving Daniel. Now please get your hands off me."

He not only didn't let go, he pulled her toward him hard and said, "I told you you're not going anywhere! You're my wife and you go where I say you go. Now sit down and have a beer with me!"

The bartender sent the bouncer over who said, "Daniel? Your wife wants to leave. Let her go. And if you're smart, you'll go home, too."

The bouncer was half again Daniel's size and he'd literally bounced dozens of drunks out of the bar in the two years he'd worked there. Unfortunately for Daniel, the beer wasn't letting him be smart. "I guess I'm gonna have to kick your ass first," he said slightly slurring his words. He'd 'only' had ten glasses of beer in two hours so he was just getting warmed up.

He poked the bouncer in the chest as he spoke then took a swing at him. The man quickly pulled his head and Daniel spun halfway around having thrown an airball. The larger man grabbed Daniel by the back of his collar with one hand and the back of his pants with the other as the regulars called out, "Make a hole!"

The huge man carried him like a suitcase while someone opened the door for them. Daniel was ceremoniously tossed out onto the sidewalk. "Go home. Sober up," the man told him. Blair was outside now and the bouncer asked, "Do you need any help, Blair? Can I call a cab or anything?"

"No thank you," she said. "I'll be fine. I'll just take him home. I appreciate it, though."

Daniel got to his feet and started right back in. "I'm gonna kick your fucking ass you neanderthal!" The bouncer just shook his head, gave Blair a sympathetic look, and put Daniel back down on the pavement before going back inside.

"Come on, Daniel. Let's get you home."

"I'm not going home!" he said loudly. "I'm going back in for a beer and so are you! Now let's go!"

He grabbed her again and Blair said loudly, "You're hurting me. Let go!" And that's when she saw him. Actually—them. Hunter and his best friend, Aaron Lewis, were driving by and Aaron had already pulled the car over. Hunter jumped out first and ran toward them.

"Let her go, Mr. Mason," he said in a calm, firm tone.

"Who the fuck are you, kid?" Daniel said looking Hunter up and down. Hunter was both taller and stronger, but Daniel had beer muscles and he wasn't afraid of anyone, let alone some punk kid.

"Let her go," he said again.

"Or what?"

"Hunter. Please. Don't get involved in this. Please? Just get back in the car. You too, Aaron. I'll be okay. I promise."

Hunter looked down and even in the dim light on the street he could see red marks on her arm and what looked like bruising on the other. "Sorry, Mrs. Mason, but I'm not gonna let him hurt you."

"You're not gonna let me?" Daniel slurred. "You? Some high school kid? You're not gonna let me? I'd like to see you try not letting me."

"I'm asking you nicely one more time, Mr. Mason. Please let her go."

Daniel didn't let go. He pulled her in closer to him and said, "Like this?" Blair had no idea how he did it, but Hunter somehow grabbed Daniel's arm and before she even realized her arm was free, Daniel was face down on the pavement with Hunter on top of him.

"Nice takedown, dude!" Aaron called out. Hunter had been wresting since 7th grade and whatever he'd done had worked beautifully. The bartender had called the police when he saw Daniel get up the first time and and a unit was on its way there as this was happening. Blue lights flashed and seconds later two uniformed cops walked up.

"Okay, we got him from here, son." One of them handcuffed Daniel while the other took statements. "You should have that looked at, ma'am," one of them told Blair as he took pictures of her arm with his phone.

"I'm okay," she told him. "I just want to go home."

"There's enough here for aggravated assault charges, but that's up to you," he told her.

"No, I don't want to do that. I just want to go home."

"Okay. That's your call." Both of the officers were needed to get Daniel, who was again screaming obscenities, into the squad car.

"He's not normally like that," Blair told the boys. She knew she was lying and covering for him even though she knew he didn't deserve it.

"We're gonna follow you home to make sure you get there okay, Mrs. Mason," Hunter said.

"Yeah, let us do that, Mizz Mason. In fact, why don't you drive her car, dude?" Aaron said to Aaron after looking at her bruised arms.

"I'm fine, boys," she told them knowing both arms hurt badly.

"Aaron's right. I'll drive you home and Aaron can follow us in his car. Please, Mrs. Mason?"

Anyone else but Hunter and she'd have refused, but she trusted him completely so she handed him her keys and said, "Okay. That's very nice of you. Both of you. Thank you."

"No problem, Mizz M," Aaron said. "I'll wait for you to pull out then I'll be right behind you, okay man?" he told Hunter.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

Hunter opened her door and helped her get in. As he started the car he said, "I'm really sorry, Mrs. Mason. You don't deserve to be treated like that. I know he's your husband and this is none of my business, but that's not okay."

He saw her raise her left hand and it looked like she was wiping something out of her eye. He leaned over and saw that she was on the verge of crying. "Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded as the tears began falling. "I'm fine," she said bravely. "Can you just take me home, please?"

Hunter sat up, put the car in gear, and said, "Sure." Aaron picked them up as he pulled onto the main street of their mid-sized town and began following them.

They didn't speak for several minutes. Hunter finally couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Why do you let him do that to you?"

"It's complicated," she told him.

"Complicated? What's complicated? He hurt you. Your arms are bruised. That's not okay, Mrs. Mason, and with all due respect, it doesn't seem all that complicated."

"He...he just likes to have a few drinks," she said providing more cover.

"He smelled like a brewery. He reminded me of the way Jax smells nearly every night. That's not a few drinks. He has a serious problem."

With no anger or indignation in her voice she told him, "Maybe so, but it's not your problem, Hunter. It's mine and I'll take care of it."

He thought about asking how she planned to that but realized she was right. It really wasn't any of his business. As they pulled up to her house Hunter told her, "I want you to know I care about you, Mrs. Mason." He paused and smiled that smile at her and said, "In fact...I don't know why I'm even telling you this. Maybe it's because I've never had the opportunity to be alone with you, but...I've kind of had a huge crush on you since the start of the year." He saw her smile weakly and said, "Anyway, if I can ever help...in any way, will you let me know?"

"Um...sure. I'll do that. Thank you again, Hunter. You're such a nice young man." She looked over at him and said, "Just between you and me, you've been one of my favorite students since I started teaching. I meant it when I told you you're going to make some young girl very happy one day."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mason. I just don't have a lot of interest in girls anymore."

She looked away then back at him. "Oh. Oh! I...I had no idea. Well, if that's the case..."

"Oh, no. I'm not gay or anything if that's what you were thinking," he told her smiling at her again.

"You're not? You're straight but you don't like girls?"

"Not girls...my age," he said quietly. "They're not very interesting."

"Oh, I see. You're into co-eds? College girls? That's fine. You're 18 and if you want to date someone who's 19 or even 21, that seems reasonable and...it is your business."

"College girls? No, not them, either. I like someone even a bit older than that. It's just that the woman I like has no idea I like her and..."

"Just tell her, Hunter. If she's not interested she'll let you know. But if you don't tell her, you'll never find out."

He nodded then said, "May I walk you to the door?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Really. But thank you again. You really are a very sweet guy." He handed her her keys and she put her hand on his face. "Sweet...and cute. Yes indeed, she's going to be a very lucky girl."

He ran around and opened her door then watched her walk inside.

"Dude? Did she just kiss you or something?" Aaron asked having watched them sitting alone together.

"What? No! Get outta here. We just talked for a minute. That's all."