Bethany's Tales - Part 4
The bite of the cold steel hand cuffs into the flesh around her wrists jolted Bethany out of the near-stupor she had found herself. She was drunk, of that there was absolutely no doubt. She was also chilly, in fact, she was bloody well cold. She felt a shiver boil through her body when the door was opened into the parking lot at the motel. The squad car, one of the county sheriff's new Ford Fusions she noted, sat with its back door open. The female deputy guided her by the arm across the short distance and placed her into the back seat. The door slammed shut, locking Bethany into the car, under arrest.
How Bethany McAllister, middle-aged school teacher and mother of two grown sons, got into this predicament would eventually be talked about throughout the Regal Bay area, as well as making the national news. She would be shamed, of that there would be no doubt at all, and lose her job as a high school mathematics teacher as well. She may also be secretly admired, though only within the confines of a small circle of friends and confidants.
Events leading up to Bethany McAllister's arrest started some time back. The first six-weeks of the new school year had just been completed. It was Friday morning at Regal Bay High School and the entire faculty sat in the auditorium. At the end of each grading period, the students were rewarded with a three-day weekend. For the teachers and staff, however, this "day off" was usually spent in meetings or at annual training seminars. For this morning, the school board had called the faculty together to introduce the new principal for the high school.
"And now, I want to introduce our new principal here at Regal Bay High, Mrs. Tamara Doolittle!" Gerald Gates turned from the podium where he stood and began to clap as a tall, slim, blonde woman stepped out from behind the curtain and strutted across the auditorium stage. Her high heels clicked loudly, as few of those in the audience did little more than lightly golf-clap.
"Oh, sweat lord, that's all we need around here," the woman seated to Bethany's left muttered. "Another tall, blonde, bimbo walking the hallways around here. It's hard enough keeping the boys' attention on their work without obvious sluts like this walking around."
Bethany leaned closer to Christina Walton, a fellow math teacher, and slyly asked, "Who are you calling a slut?" She added a wink and a grin as Christina glanced at her. They weren't friends, just co-workers, and Christina wasn't privy to much of what went on around her, either in the school or the city. Christina enjoyed a sheltered life, going through with blinders on, Bethany thought. Christina was gifted with a fine body and beautiful face, and yet the younger teacher held onto her high morals relentlessly, and given the fact that her husband was Pastor Robert Walton, she wasn't about to loosen up any time soon. Still, Bethany thought that the 30-year-old could really enjoy her life in Regal Bay if she'd just relax and use what God had given her.
To Bethany's right sat Pamela Walker, who was privy to the sinful underworld of Regal Bay and a very good friend of Bethany's. "I'd bet those are fake," Bethany whispered to no one in particular as they watched the tall blonde step up and shake Gerald's hand. She was a good foot taller than he was, given the fact that she had on stiletto heeled shoes. Tamara also had worn a skirt suit that morning that seemed tailor-made for her up-lifted breasts. She was a stunning woman and would easily stand out in any gathering, even without the high heels.
"Thank you, Mr. Gates," Tamara said as she turned to face the gathered crowd of faculty members. She presented a wide smile and scanned over the group before beginning. "I want to thank all of you today for coming and showing your support. I know that I'm new to your community, and I have a lot to learn about you and your wonderful school, but rest assured that I will put in as many hours as I need to. I apologize for not being available right away, with the start of the school year, but I had a few unforeseen personal issues pop up in the last few weeks and instead of trying to do both and becoming a distraction, I felt it best to deal with this issues before coming to Regal Bay." Mrs. Doolittle moved away from the podium before she continued, holding the microphone in one hand.
"I want all of you to understand that I have an open-door policy in all things when it comes to education and the administration of this school. My predecessor has left me with a wonderful school, a fabulous faculty, and very little in the way of issues to attend to. That said, I will be contacting each of you in turn before the first six-week grading period ends to have a one-on-one, sort of a get to know each other session as it were. I'm not asking to be your friend, as my position really doesn't lend itself to that. Instead, I want you to be comfortable with me and coming to me for help, advice, or even if you just need to vent. I'm here for you and your needs, not to rule you. This is your school, these are your students, and I'm just here to make sure everything runs smoothly in the school and between the school and the board." She gave a nod to the five School Board members seated in the front row, to stage left.
"So, let's keep this short and sweat, shall we?" she continued. "I have everyone's phone numbers and e-mail addresses, so I will be getting into contact with you over the next few days. Until then, have a wonderful afternoon!" Tamara stepped back to the podium, replaced the microphone, and headed for the steps leading down to the audience.
Gerald Gates seemed flustered that Tamara's talk had been so short and quickly jumped up to the stage to try and take control even as the gathered faculty began to rise and head out.
"Please! I have more to announce!" he begged, but there weren't too many listening. Tamara had already begun to shake hands of several of the faculty as they headed out. She turned and said, "Send it as an e-mail, Gerald." She then turned back to those she was introducing herself to, unaware of just how much respect she had just garnered with that retort of the School Board president. Gerald was visibly upset, but didn't reply to his new hire. Instead, he charged off to the far end of the stage and headed for the parking lot.
"I already like this broad," Pamela laughed under her breath as she followed Christina down the row towards the aisle. She looked back over her shoulder at Bethany and asked, "Want to grab some lunch?"
"Sure," Bethany nodded. "Let's head over to Applebee's."
Bethany and Pamela were joined by four others, Lynn Harris, Gayle Meyers, Denise Hoyt, and Erica Conrad, who had seemingly randomly picked the same idea for lunch. They were seated around one of the large, round tables in a corner and their drink orders taken. Only Denise ordered a soft drink. The others all ordered alcohol in one form or another.
Instead of rehashing what had been brought up that morning, or even to talk about their new principal, conversation instead turned to other, somewhat sinful events. "Can you believe how many teachers across the country have been arrested over the last year?" Denise asked as the server placed her iced tea in front of her. "I mean, how many women are having sex with their students out there?"
Pamela and Bethany gave each other a knowing look over their drinks. Lynn laughed, accompanied by Erica. "I don't think that is the issue," Gayle replied. "It's not that they are having sex with students. It's that they are getting
caught
having sex with their students."
"They aren't being careful about who they screw around with," Lynn added. "The boys have to be the ones letting the cat out of the bag, you know. I doubt if any of these teachers are so dumb as to leave evidence around."
