Two Teachers

The Kindergarten Teacher and the New Teacher #3

Starting adult life

I just graduated from college, Arizona State, and my name is Steve Muir. I am of Scottish and Irish heritage, five-feet-ten-inches tall, have dark-blond hair, and blue eyes, with an almost-athlete's body (if I worked out more). I found my first teaching job way off the beaten path, because I had finished school at the end of the fall semester. In a little Arizona school in a small, almost-ghost town community.

I was the new seventh and eighth grade teacher for a six-room elementary school. The main building had four rooms and there were two in a double-wide trailer that hosted the kindergarten, first and second grades. I found a room at the local 'motel'. It had a bullet hole in the door and another one lined up with it in the kitchen cabinet door.

I began teaching in January because the teacher that had been in that position left suddenly; she drove west, and her husband drove east. The story was that they were both cheating on each other, but she was now pregnant. Most likely, not her husband's child. Small towns are just like the big ones.

The town was two-hundred-fifty-five miles from where I lived.

To save money, I had lived with my parents while in college until my senior year when I rented a small home, and my girlfriend, Sue, moved in with me. I kept the lease because I figured I'd find a teaching job in the Phoenix area in the fall. Sue was about five-foot-eight, medium build, and auburn hair. She would not win a Miss America contest, she was more like the pretty girl next door.

We had dated all through high school, and we were starting to get really serious. I even had a ring. I was coming home about every two to three weeks. We would sometimes meet in a city between us, and spend the full weekend together. We would then go back to our jobs and wait for the next time we could see each other.

On one of our off-weekends, I decided to drive up to see her. I actually had the ring with me, thinking I would surprise her, and ask her to marry me. Fortunately, I had turned on my phone to record before I knocked, thinking it would be something we could cherish for years, and play so people could hear how I proposed. I said into my phone, "This will be epic!" ...

Surprise

I knocked on the door. I heard Sue, as she said, "It's probably the pizza," and opened the door. She was in a robe. I saw past her, and some dude was walking into our bedroom. As she saw me, her face turned not just white, but fucking-titanium-white! I had my hand in my pocket holding the ring. I was going to propose, right there, at the front door.

Seeing the bullshit in front of me. I held up the ring and said, "I guess I don't need this. How much of my stuff do I still have here?"

Her eyes were like saucers. She immediately began to cry and said, "It's not what it looks like."

My only comment was, "You've got to be kidding; now may I get my stuff?"

At this point, she began basically crying and howling.

Anger boiled up inside me. I said, "What are you crying for? You are the one cheating! Just let me get my stuff!"

The dude ran out of the bedroom in his boxers, and yelled, "What are you doing to my girlfriend?"

Sue looked at him like her world was falling apart-- well, it was.

I looked at him, and said, "You need to leave. My name is on the lease, asshole."

Sue nodded. He still tried to put up a front but I think he must have seen the anger in my eyes and he grabbed his clothes and left. I sat down in MY recliner in the living room, Sue on the couch.

Sue was crying a good ten minutes and bawling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," even louder now. No matter what I said, she continued bawling and howling. There was a knock at the door.

I said, "I sure hope that is not him!" And almost got up.

Cops just doing their job

The door flew open and two cops came through. The first one had his gun out, and the second had his Taser ready. I threw my hands up in the air. The asshole had called the cops, and said I was threatening Sue with a weapon! (What? with my sharp wit?) The asshole was out on the porch, yelling with false concern, "Sue, are you all right?"

Sue had a deer-in-the-headlights look, but snapped out of it, and pointing to me, said, "He is just my er, er, a boyfriend. And he was mad ..."

The cop nearest me looked at me, and put handcuffs on me. (Having a police gun and Taser pointed at you can calm you down big time.) Next, he put me under arrest, he told me I was under arrest for some kind of domestic shit...

...Now, I was sitting in the cop car, Mirandized and everything! "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning."

I thought to myself, HOLY SHIT, this is real!

Being the kind of guy who could keep his head during a crisis, who then would completely fall apart later, after it was over; I quietly said, "Officer, may I talk to you? It will keep you from having a false arrest on your record."

He looked at me like I was some street punk.

I quietly added, "I have it all recorded and backed up on the net. I am on the lease here, neither of them are. You can play the recording."

The cop's eyebrows disappeared into his hat. He played the whole recording. He then let me out of the car.

At that point, the other cop came out with Sue's and the asshole's statements, and said, "Why isn't he in the cruiser?"

His partner said, "You need to listen to this."

After the cops listened, all the way to, "...I have it all recorded and backed up on the net..." the second cop said, "Oh shit, unhook him. And bring your cuffs." I stood there leaning agains the police car listening.

The first cop knocked and I heard the asshole ask, "Is there something else you need, officer?"

The cop asked him to step outside, and said, "Well, I need to check my notes for the report, I think I wrote down something wrong."

When he stepped out and shut the door, the cop took a wrist, turned him around, put the cuffs on him, and told him to not say a word to warn Sue, unless he wanted hindering to be the next charge. Then, the second cop entered the house and hooked up Sue. All I heard after that, was something about "Justice...false report...police officer. You have the right to remain silent..."

Sue was crying even harder, full all-out bawling. The cops seemed really pissed off! I wondered if they would hold them overnight. I knew it was probably a misdemeanor or low-level felony, and may get out really quickly since her dad was a lawyer. I found out later, that Asshole did kick up a fuss and the cops misplaced their paperwork for a good amount of time. I knew if they were going to get out in the morning, I'd have to work fast.

A quick move

I called up my three best friends, Tom, Bill, and Bobby. Tom worked for a moving company, and Tom called his boss. I knew his boss, and I had even worked for him a few times during school breaks and summers since high school. Tom explained to his boss what had happened, and his boss told him to get some boxes and the small box van. Shit, it was late, but Tom's boss was great; after all, he was Tom's dad. I was 'Family!'

Back at my house, we moved my office files and all, a lot of furniture, the king size bed, as it was mine, just the frame-- I was going to take the mattress to the dump. I only took items that I had the receipts for in my files, but it was a lot. By the time we were done, the sun was coming up. It pays to have good friends. Just as we turned the corner driving away, Sue's parents' car pulled into the complex.

We had a joint checking account, that Sue deposited her part of the rent and utilities in, not even half! I stopped by the drive-up window at the bank, and withdrew all of what I had deposited in it.

I took the guys out to breakfast; we ate like kings. It was so great to have good friends. We had done just about the same thing for Bobby with his ex, about six months before. Another time, I had to help Bill one night, during our senior year, his car broke down at midnight, while he was on a date and had to get her home before curfew; he is engaged to her now.

Bill said, "You should have taken everything."

"Basically, the only things left were Sue's clothes, the mattress, some stupid chairs and a couch she had to have and the dirty clothes in the hamper. That was almost everything." I even put out the gift that I was hiding for her birthday coming up, and wrote on it, "As a parting gift, the necklace that matches your lying eyes."

"Did you take her toothbrush?" We all laughed.

"Take everything? Naw, her dad 'knows' lawyers." He was one, but did not deal with domestic or family law issues.

"Yeah, you are right."

We then drove to U-Haul. I rented a van and a car hauler and drove to a parking lot and transferred all the stuff from the moving van to the U-Haul van.

We did have a cop stop by, to see what we were doing, and I got to tell my story in full four-part harmony... he stopped me about a quarter through it; he said all the cops at the station were talking about it. He thanked me for not screwing the cops by filing false arrest charges or raising any hell on them.

I drove my F-250 onto the car hauler; it was a tight fit. I thanked my friends and I drove over to my parents' house.

When I walked in, my dad said, "What the hell did you do? Sue has called us five times and Sue's parents have called at least twice."

"I caught Sue cheating on me, dad. There was a big row, and the police were called; I almost went to jail, BUT Sue and the guy she was cheating on me with went to jail instead. Something about making a false police report, I think."

"Dad, you want to hear what happened? I recorded it."

"You recorded it! Sure I do! I can throw it up in Sue's dad's face. You should've heard what he was trying to say you did. He said you took all the furniture and money, too!"

"Dad, I have all the receipts! Out of my bank account!"

I played the recording for dad and mom, mom started crying about halfway through it.

Dad said, "Do you have any copies?"

"Yeah, it is backed up on the net."

Dad was mad. "Hey, I am going to take this to George." George was a great lawyer at a competing law firm from Sue's dad. George was one of dad's oldest and dearest friends. They grew up together almost like brothers; well, he is also mom's brother.

It was late Saturday morning when I climbed into my old bed; I had a fitful nap. I slept past three. I then got everything ready to leave for Sunday morning. Uncle George stopped by with papers to sign-- papers to start the case; papers to give my dad power of attorney in the case, so he could handle it for me; papers to file for an application of a 'no contact order', if Uncle George thought I needed one for for later.

Tom, Bill, and Bobby stopped by to see how I was doing. Friends stick with friends.

I said, "I'm fine." But I knew this would hit me later, but hopefully, after I got back to the town my job was in.

Sunday morning, I drove out of dad and mom's neighborhood. I looked down and noticed that my phone was off. I must have turned it off after I had dad listen to the recording. I got a couple messages from the guys, I had six from Sue, four more from Sue's parents. During the over-three-hour drive, I listened to all of them. It was hard to hear Sue cry. I did care for her, after all, I was going to ask her to marry me, and we had been boyfriend and girlfriend since high school. I thought I knew her. It was funny how the calls from her parents changed from mad to embarrassment; I guess dad must have played the recording for them.

The legal stuff and goings on in my life

In the week that followed, I found a 'rent-to-own' house; it was the teacher's house who had left. It had a fenced-in, grass backyard, a horse barn, and about fifteen acres. I settled down to being the mild-mannered, single, middle-school teacher in the middle of rural Arizona, living on a ranch; well, okay, a ranchette.

In the few weeks that followed my and Sue's break-up, it took on a life of its own.

Dad was furious. No one in our family, since the 1850s, had ever been in trouble with the law; dad was ready to battle anyone who besmirched the family name, he and Uncle George, were 'loaded for bear.'

First, Uncle George had Sue served with eviction papers, with the shortest time allowed by law, for moving out. She was still living there!

Next, he gave Sue a bill for all the rent and fees I was being charged by the property management company, for my having to break the lease. He sent a copy to her dad, smart move Uncle, and he kept using the word 'libel' and 'suit' whenever he communicated to Sue or her dad. Uncle George even got the jeweler to take back and refund me the money for the ring; both dad and Uncle George did business with him.

He served Asshole (I found out his name was Todd) with some kind of legal papers, in which the legal jargon included the words 'damages, punitive, libel.' Now you know why I had dad as the power of attorney in the case, I don't know shit about legal stuff. Uncle George said this was just a shot across the bow, and would not go any further than upsetting good old Todd.

We dropped both suits after the criminal trial was over. They both copped a plea after they could not get my recording thrown out. They both got two weekends of lock up meaning four days, five-hundred hours of community service, court costs and six-thousand dollars in punitive damages. Now, I had about ten-thousand dollars after taxes.

Between Sue and her father, she paid all the fees with the house, break-up, and punitive damages. After the hearing and paying the punitive damages, Todd was never heard from again.

At times, it is nice to be related to a lawyer.

Sue sent me emails or letters daily, at first, but tapered off as time moved on. It took almost six months for Sue to finally 'understand' how bad her actions were, and to finally realize that we were done. I came to think that Sue had looked at me as being her meal ticket because of my family's status. Funny thing, dad and mom never gave me much during my school years or single life. Dad had instilled in me that working was the best way to get money.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, I mean school

The staff at the school was small; everyone was married or old. Except, the kindergarten teacher, Amanda; a UofA grad and me an ASU grad. She was almost my age, had red hair; she was short, about five-foot-one tall, an only child, with a sparkling smile and eyes. The only thing that slightly bothered me was that she graduated from the University of Arizona. The 'community' tried a few times to set us up. We went to a couple of dinners and barbecues, where we were the only unmarried ones there, and they would always seat us together.

Finally, I said, "What the hell, let's go on a date; maybe they will find someone else in town to be matchmakers for."

Amanda said, "Good," with a sparkle in her eye.

I got ready for our date-- shined shoes, nice slacks, button-down collar, sports jacket. I hadn't been on a first date since high school. Was I nervous? hell no; scared? yes.

When I picked her up, she wore a Mexican peasant dress with flowers embroidered all over. All I could say was, "Wow."

We drove the fifty-five miles to the closest city for dinner and a movie. We didn't know it, but we were being watched by the school's NOK, Network Of Kids; a couple of students were at the restaurant where we ate, and a couple other students were at the theaters.

By Monday lunch time, the whole school had us-- married, with two-point-five kids, a dog named Max, a self-centered cat named Fluffy, and living in a house with a white picket fence.

The head teacher called us in, and gave us some great advice on dating in a small town. No PDAs, just holding hands was okay; don't leave our cars at the other's house overnight, etc..."

Both Amanda and I said with a laugh, "Okay, dad, we will... behave; after all, it was only our first date."

"Of many more dates, I bet," he added, with a smile.

Amanda and I both blinked and then looked at each other!

I kiddingly said, "We will name the first girl after you."

Our head teacher, Devon, was a retired Marine, so he blushed, if Marine could blush; it could have been anger.

Our romance had started, and the students were running it.

Eighth graders would ask me if I was, "Taking Miss Mandy out this weekend?" Then on Monday, they would ask if I kissed her goodnight.

In spite of my students, we started dating with little fanfare. The adults in our lives just smiled a lot at us.

Grief

Tragedy struck our small community. A kindergartener's parents were killed on I-10, hit by a drunk driver going the wrong way. The community came together. There was her grandmother in town, who needed help. Becky's grandmother, Beth Gordon, owned the bar in town, 'Gordons,' which was the reason she needed help with Becky; she couldn't take Becky in the bar, until it closed at two plus the clean-up time. Many times, Amanda would babysit; she spent a great deal of time with little Becky Gordon, and that meant me, too.

Becky's grandmother was quite the matchmaker. Many of her customers got in on the matchmaking. I think she was working behind the scenes on us. It got to a full-court press on both Amanda and I me. She would talk to us individually, always pointing out each other's good points.

Sometimes, on the weekends, we would take Becky to Tucson or Lordsburg, NM with us on an un-date, sigh. Grandma would give us money to buy Becky clothes and other stuff for a five-year-old. Amanda did great; I was mostly along to be 'a beast of burden' and chauffeur. I didn't mind; both Becky and Amanda were growing on me; in fact, when we didn't have Becky with us, we would miss her. But we still had some hot dates.

On many weekends, we would watch Becky because Grandma had to close up the bar. I would sleep on Amanda's couch, and Becky would sleep in the guest room. Many a night would find both of us coming to the guest room to see what bad dream Becky was having. During her nightmares, she would call out for one or both parents. If she called for Mommy, Amanda would hold her; if she called for Daddy, I would hold her. It was a sixty-forty split, on who held Becky the most. Whenever I held her, I would feel like I was her knight in shining armor, her protector, her shield from evil. One time at school, I caught some kids bullying her, the head teacher wisely stepped in, before I did anything 'unprofessional.'

The Chiricahua Mountains - Love is in the air (campground 6,972+ feet)

One weekend, when grandma had Becky, we decided to go camping. Amanda and I packed my truck and I was so intent on being prepared, that I didn't see what Amanda was bringing-- she had never camped out before. She didn't realize it would get that cold at night at that altitude. Yes, I know it is Arizona, but it still gets cold at night. Amanda packed a light, having-a-sleepover-type sleeping bag. I had a season-appropriate sleeping bag, my four-person tent, and other essential camping gear. I set up the tent and had a great fire going, where we cooked camping food, like hot dogs and marshmallows-- I forgot the graham crackers.

Whenever I went camping, the fresh air and altitude always made me sleepy, so I was ready to hit the sleeping bag before eight. Amanda grabbed a roll of biodegradable toilet paper, and trudged off to a couple bushes. I stripped down to a T-shirt and shorts, and got into my sleeping bag. Amanda came in and got into her 'thing' she called a sleeping bag. We both fell asleep quickly.