Lois couldn't stop thinking about her wild afternoon with Bobby. Memories of what they'd done filled her mind as she drove to school the next morning. She had to see him again! That was all there was to it. She would invite him over after school again tonight and... A shudder went through her as she thought about what she knew would happen.
Lois had other things, in addition to her affair with Bobby Draper, to be anxious about that day. Doreen Ingalls, the new assistant principal, was scheduled to observe her classes, including the one Bobby was in. Lois hoped the new administrator wouldn't be able to sense her strong feelings for the young man.
Doreen Ingalls sat in the back of the classroom as Lois taught, aware of the fact that many of the students - especially the boys - found her presence distracting. There was normal discomfort from having the assistant principal, who was responsible for discipline, in class and in addition, for the boys the fact that the assistant principal was an extremely attractive woman was a cause of additional uneasiness.
When Bobby walked into Mrs. Tillman's room for his class, he saw the new assistant principal for the first time. "Wow!" he thought. "Eddie wasn't kidding! The new assistant principal is really hot!" The very attractive woman had on a black cardigan sweater held closed by two brass buttons. She was also wearing a form-fitting black skirt and white turtleneck. Her long, soft-looking dark-brown hair cascaded over her right shoulder.
After taking a good look at the new assistant principal, Bobby looked at Mrs. Tillman. She looked pretty darn good, too. She had on a plum-colored dress that, like the one she'd worn the day before buttoned up the front. Her loose skirt was mid-calf length. Bobby couldn't decide which of the women was prettier, but he gave a slight edge to Mrs. Tillman because he knew and liked her.
Despite her anxiety, Lois did a fine job with the class. The bells ending the period rang, and the kids filed out. Lois, waiting just outside the door, motioned to Bobby to stop.
"I'd like to discuss your book with you some more, Bobby" she said softly. "Could you come over after school tonight?"
Bobby was surprised by Mrs. Tillman's invitation and was truly disappointed that he had to decline it. "Gee," he said. "I'd really like to, Mrs. Tillman, but I promised a friend of my mother's I'd help her with some stuff after school today."
"Oh," Lois replied. She was crestfallen. She was looking forward to seeing him again. "I..." She was very vulnerable because of the shame she felt about what she and the young man were doing and, even though she knew Bobby very well might be telling her the truth, she took his rejection much harder and more personally than she should have.
"Look, Mrs. Tillman," Bobby said, sensing her distress, "I can come over after school tomorrow, OK?"
"I...I guess so, Bobby," Lois replied. "I...I'll see you then." She turned and walked back into her room, her eyes were red and filling with tears. She felt humiliated and rejected, even though she knew she had no right to.
Doreen Ingalls noticed that the teacher looked upset. "Are you OK, Lois?" the assistant principal asked. "You look really upset."
"It's...I...I'm all right," Lois stammered. "I...I just don't feel well all of a sudden."
"Do you think you're coming down with something?" Doreen asked. "You don't have any more classes, why don't you take the rest of the day off, go home, and lie down?"
"I...I don't know..." Lois stammered. She wasn't sure what to do. She felt so terrible.
"Look, if you don't feel up to it, I can drive you home," Doreen offered. She knew Lois normally rode to work with her husband and walked home while Rod held football practice.
"OK," Lois said finally, "if...you're sure you don't mind. I...I don't want to put you out..."
"No problem," Doreen said. "I'll go get my purse. Do what you have to do and meet me in the parking lot."
The fact that Doreen was being so nice made Lois feel even worse. What would the new assistant principal think if she knew the reason she was upset was because she wasn't going to get a chance to make love with Bobby Draper, one of her students? God!
When they got to her house, Lois invited Doreen in. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked the assistant principal.
"Sure," Doreen said and sat down at the kitchen table. She gazed at the auburn-haired teacher with admiration. In her opinion, Lois Tillman was one of the most attractive members of the Jamestown High faculty.
Lois filled two cups with coffee, carried them to the table, and sat down.
"Lois, are you going to be all right?" Doreen asked after she took a sip of her coffee. "I have to tell you, you look pretty rough."
Lois shrugged. She desperately needed to talk to someone. Anguish over her affair with Bobby was tearing her apart. Doreen seemed nice, she was a woman, she might understand. "I...I'm having an affair," she said.
"That's not unusual these days," Doreen said. "To be honest with you, from what I've seen of your husband, I'm not surprised you're having an affair. If I were married to a male chauvinist like him, I'd probably look around, too."
Lois began to sob again. "Rod, he...he...isn't that bad," she whimpered.
"I'm sorry," Doreen said. "I shouldn't have said that. Come on, having an affair isn't the end of the world. I mean, lots of women are having affairs."
Lois continued sobbing. After a while, she managed to get herself under control. "It...it isn't just that," she sobbed. "It...it's worse...much worse."
"How much worse can it be?" Doreen asked, puzzled.
Lois sniffled. "I...I'm a teacher," she wailed. "I...I'm having an affair with...with..." She wanted to say it, but couldn't.
Doreen stood up, walked to Lois, put her hands on her shoulders, and began to massage her tight muscles.
"Come on, it will be all right," the assistant principal said. "Just let go and tell me about it?"
Doreen massaging her shoulders did make Lois feel a bit more relaxed. "That feels nice," she purred. She took a deep breath and decided that, no matter what the consequences, she had to share her secret with someone, even if it was Doreen, who could very well wind up firing her.
"Are you ready to talk about it now?" Doreen asked. She continued to knead Lois's knotted muscles. "I'm more than willing to listen if you are."
"I...I think I have to talk about it," Lois replied. Doreen's touch was making her feel so relaxed. "I...I need to tell someone..." She took another deep breath and began. "I...I'm having an affair with...with...with one...one of...of my students," she said in a small, quivering voice.
"What?" Doreen asked, not sure she'd heard the Lois correctly. "Your lover is...is a...a student?"
