The shock of being caught was settling in for Harvey and Erin.
At Harvey's well put together home, the 46 year old school janitor and 18 year old head cheerleader sat on a couch across from the nearly 70 year old principal of Park Prairie High School, Mr. Miller.
His white 1990 Cadillac Brougham Sedan sat outside as the gray haired, balding, tall, wiry man sat in an armchair across from the couple. He was always a serious man, a man set in the ways of running a high school in the particular way his decades of experience had cultivated.
Harvey took a deep sigh in his broad chest and said, "Harold, I'm so very sorry..."
Harold Miller raised his lengthy hand up and made a shushing motion, "Stop it Harvey. I don't want to hear from you. I need to hear from Ms. Watkins. Tell me, Ms. Watkins, why are you with this brute of a school janitor?"
The gorgeous brunette felt as if the icy stare of the veteran principal was looking right through her. She brushed her long and thick hair back behind her shoulder as she glanced at Harvey and back at Mr. Miller. There was no use hiding their relationship any longer as she knew he wouldn't have confronted them without proof, "I'm with that amazing brute because I love him."
The principal nodded and a smirk crossed his face, "A simple, yet profound answer. Nietzsche was right when he declared there is always madness in love and that there is reason for the madness."
He then glanced at the janitor, "Do you know how you messed up?"
Harvey could barely look at the man who had been his boss for over two decades, let alone answer him.
Harold continued, "You remember a few years ago, when those kids broke in and ransacked my office? They turned off the security cameras in the process and then all hell broke loose. Well, I didn't tell anyone but I reinforced the system by having hidden cameras installed."
He then pulled out his cell phone and the old man pulled up a video of Harvey and Erin engaging in sex in the hallway at her locker. He then swiped to another video of the duo having sex at center court of the basketball floor. He swiped again to another video that was inside Harvey's own work room where the forbidden couple were filmed having sex in the makeshift hidden bed Harvey had constructed.
Erin's face went flush red. She felt sick.
Harvey was speechless, ashamed, and upset, "Harold, I can't...I...ummm."
The old man stopped the footage and put the phone away, "Amazing little devices for sure. I can watch those anytime I want to...and I have."
Erin clutched her stomach where the baby she was carrying resided. She felt nearly sick.
Harvey stepped in, "Mr. Miller, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have...what do you want from us?"
The stern man leaned back in the chair and laughed, "Harvey Franklin, I'm not at all mad at you or Ms. Watkins. You're like a second son to me. You have worked for me for twenty years. Fixing all of the problems in the school and keeping my maintenance budget under cost year after year. I'm retiring at the end of this school year. I have no interest in you being harmed or my tenure ending with a scandal. By the looks of it, you two will have a lot of work to do in the coming months...isn't that right Ms. Watkins?"
In that moment, the 18 year old brunette bombshell flashed in her head the way she initially perceived Harvey. She thought he was ignored as a social outcast, downtrodden, and made fun of by the staff of the school. The reality was he was beloved like a son by the principal and left alone to do his unorthodox work. She would have felt foolish about how she offered herself to him except that she had truly fallen in love with him in the process of her mistaken pity.
Erin reached for Harvey's hand across the length of the couch and sighed as she nodded her head affirmatively as a tear trickled down her face, "Please, Mr. Miller, I can't be a single mom."
She slid her body across to the strong arms of Harvey, her lover and baby daddy.
The principal leaned towards the couple and said, "Ms. Watkins, my whole reason for being here isn't to cause any issue but to help the man you love who has been my most trusted employee. That's why Monday morning Harvey will give me his immediate resignation and..."
Harvey cut off his boss, "How does that help Mr. Miller? I need a job with everything coming our way."
The old man raised his hand up again, "Harvey, I'm sorry. Did the middle of my sentence get in the way of the start of yours?"
The couple calmed down as the wise and typically stern man continued, "My wife was a teacher back when I first became a principal. She was fresh out of college and I was nearly 30 years old when we got together. Four kids and nearly 40 years later, Beverly and I are still going strong. While I would have strongly preferred you not brazenly have sex during the school day in your downstairs office...I have appreciated your service in your quiet way for all of these years. That's why I'm going to help you two start the new life that I had to do when I married Beverly and had to switch school districts due to the dating policy."
Harvey chimed in, "I didn't know Beverly was a teacher."
"Exactly, and our happiness is what I want for the two of you too. Look, I'm retiring at the end of this school year. I've seen the short list for my replacement. You will not be allowed to have the same carte blanche that I gave you. So, Monday you will resign immediately but not until you deconstruct your office and remove any evidence of your situation the rest of this weekend. My son, Matt, runs an apartment complex about two hours away from here. I have already given him a glowing recommendation of you absent of any hint of this whole situation. I have also shown him what you make salary wise and he can give you a nice raise over what you made here. Now, I fully expect you to work for him for a long time. Do you understand what I mean?"
Harvey could barely contain his excitement as he reached across to his longtime boss to shake his hand, "Thank you, Mr. Miller. I accept. Thank you."
As the two men shook hands, Harold looked at the young 18 year old on the couch, "There is one other thing. I told Matt that you are married to a wonderful young woman named Erin. While I do support the two of you, Erin here will need medical care as she goes through her pregnancy. I expect you two to be married as soon as you can be."
The strong suggestion hung in the air as the principal let go of the handshake and made his way to the door to leave.
He turned to the forbidden couple and said, "Clean out your things, resign on Monday, and go see Matt about the job. You two have risked so much for your love, it's time for you two to become one. After you leave the school district, I have a friend who can help me alter your work file. I can't have it changed that you worked for the school district but I can have it changed so that it appears you never worked in the same school as Ms. Watkins. I would recommend leaving out that part when you discuss things with her parents."
With the advice dispensed and a plan to help laid out, the old principal left and got in his pristine car and left the quiet home and disappeared through the trees and back to reality.
Harvey didn't wait another moment and sprinted upstairs to his bedroom to retrieve an item that he had procured weeks prior.
A custom made two carat diamond ring made from a diamond collection that was curated by Harvey's grandmother. It was a diamond that he never thought he would get a chance to use but once it became clear that Erin might possibly be the girl for him, he had it fitted into a ring in her size.
He grabbed the box and came back downstairs to see the buxom 18 year old brunette sitting on his couch.
The burly and broad chested man breathed in deeply as he held the small black box. He walked towards her and got down on a knee, "Erin, I've never believed this moment could happen to me. You have truly made me the happiest man on the planet. Will you do me the honor and be my wife?"
He cracked open the small black box to showcase the glimmering and perfect ring.
She clasped her hands to her mouth and let out a euphoric scream and giggle muffled by her hands.
He leaned in, "Is that a..."
"Yes! Yes, oh of course! Yes!"