Teacher's Pet

Many mornings after a storm Katie and I would wake up to find Becky in our bed, always with her feet by our heads. It also happened if something had really upset her or if she'd had nightmares. I never understood why she slept that way. She never slipped below the covers or used a pillow.

Once she tried to be "mean" and rubbed her feet on my face. "My toes will invade your mouth daddy," she'd said. I just said, "I had cabbage yesterday." That quashed any talk of toe invasion.

I glanced at the clock and determined that we had another hour to sleep, but there'd be no more sleep for me. I lay there listening to my daughter breathe, and wondered again what the future held.

It was rare that I would take Becky directly to school, so I had let my sister know the night before what was happening. I had also called my supervisor and arranged some time off of work. I was glad that Katie's name hadn't been spewed all over the press yet so my co-workers would just assume I needed a day off.

I glanced at my watch and saw it was 3:45. Normally I'd be getting my lunch together, but that morning I still had two hours before I had to get Becky moving. I closed my eyes and fought for sleep. Becky was restless but only kicked me three times before I felt her leave my bed to get ready for school.

* * * * *

I took Becky to school and the found myself with nothing to do but wait. I knew when Katie said she didn't want me with her when she surrendered herself, she meant it. One thing about Katie is she never said what she didn't mean. If she'd changed her mind about me being there, she would have called.

I found myself sitting in a booth at J.B. Stout's Fine Southern Cuisine attempting to enjoy a helping of catfish and grits, along with J.B.'s famous biscuits. I was scared that they would keep Katie in jail. As I ate, I must have checked my phone a thousand times.

My mind kept going back to a question Becky asked me on the way to school: "Dad what will you do if they find her guilty?"

I pondered her question for long enough that she started to ask me again before I answered. "Well, I guess I'd have to raise you by myself for a while."

"Would you divorce her?"

"If the evidence was to be overwhelming I would, if she gets convicted by happenstance..." I asked myself that same question many times over the past ten hours. "I didn't think she'll be convicted. Your papa is getting her a really good lawyer. I wouldn't worry too much about it sweetie."

"Was mom really pissed off at the little punk? I'd be all for kicking his ass."

That was a question that would keep me awake for many nights to come because her reactions didn't make any sense to me. She didn't seem angry, she seemed apologetic. She even seemed miffed that I would be angry at the kid.

I just couldn't believe she would actually do something like that with her students, but I kept asking myself, "Why are the authorities involved? They wouldn't charge her without proof." In the end I decided I'd wait and see what proof they did have before I made any decisions.

Later that afternoon we were sitting in the office of Linda J Vaughn and associates. Linda specialized in defending teachers accused of sexual misconduct. Actually David, Grace and I had briefly seen the inner office.

The four of us had been ushered into the office ten minutes before Ms. Vaughn appeared. In my mind I had built a picture of her as a bleach blonde, former bimbo with a Farrah Fawcett style hair do. I was wrong.

When she entered the room it was immediately obvious who was in charge. Even David seemed to be knocked down a peg or two in her presence. She wasn't as big as she projected. She was probably five foot eight and one hundred fifty pounds, but when she spoke she was seven feet tall. Her short raven black hair only added to her power, and I felt like to avert her gaze would be a mistake.

"OK folks; let's get right to the chase so that Kathryn and I can get down to business. You three need to sell the loving family image as hard as you can. A lot of these cases come down to theatrics, so never underestimate how much play family support can have with a jury."

I hoped that Ms. Vaughn had more strategy than "Pretend you love each other." I sat there zoning out as she discussed her fee schedule with David before ushering us out of her office so she and Katie could talk one on one. Grace tried to argue, but Linda shut her down with a glance. I was sure the woman could glare the jury into an acquittal.

The reception area was nice, unless you had to spend five fucking hours sitting there. Grace napped and read. I played with my phone until the battery died and then I read both of the good magazines; Car and Driver and Golf Digest. David looked like he was ready to read Brides Monthly by the time Katie reappeared from Linda's office.

Once again Linda admonished us to play up the love and support angle. "And you," she said indicating me. "You must show you're the loving supporting husband no matter what you hear in the media. You alone can do more to sway the jury than even I can do."

All the way home I wondered why she had pushed that so hard. Is she expecting us to hear something that would push us away from Katie? Maybe she's just thorough.

* * * * *

For the next few weeks we all adapted to a new norm. Not much changed for my daily routine, but now I had to cook dinner every night. Katie strictly forbade Becky and I eating take out every night. We still had take-out, just not every night.

The real surprise for me was Bruce. I had expected him to harangue me about my perverted wife, but he was really cool about it. "Fuckin' little bastards these days," he said when I told him Katie's story. "Too fuckin' lazy to do any work so they fuck over anyone who tries to tell them they ain't so special."

Sal for the first time I had ever known him was subdued. He didn't say much for the first week I was back. Finally one day I asked him what was up his ass. "Sorry man. I. Just... Well you know, I didn't know what to say. I can't imagine what you and Beck are going through, and I can't believe Katie did what they say she did. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so I said nothing."

"Dude, we've known each other forever. You know I wouldn't fuck you up too bad for pissing me off."

"Can't have that," Sal said with a grin. "Then you'd know the secret."

"Ah old Sal is alive and well." I thought to myself. "The secret?" I asked.

"Yeah. I can actually kick your ass, but I've kept it a secret forever." He said scurrying away.

I laughed. "Fuckhead."

At home Becky and I settled into a routine. She'd do her homework while I cooked or ordered that night's dinner. We'd eat and talk about whatever subject. After dinner we'd call Katie's parents' house and talk to Katie for a while. Usually we'd use the speaker phone and it kind of felt like a family conversation.

Sadly Katie and I rarely got a moment alone. On her attorney's advice she only used the phone in the presence of her mother or father, making phone sex impossible. We did spend a couple of Saturday nights together when Becky would stay with Sarah or with my sister, but Katie seemed to have little interest in sex.

A few weeks before her trial was to start, I pulled into the driveway to see Ben's car and Katie's car. "Better wait out here until I know what's going on," I told Becky. She readily agreed.

Katie greeted me at the door and asked "Where's Becky?"

"Nice to see you too," I said. "She's waiting in the truck 'til I know what's going on."

"What's going on is," Ben said approaching the door. "I finally got CPS to relent and agree that Kathryn is no danger to her daughter and she can now come home."

"Well fuck me," I said. I couldn't believe my ears. Katie looked ready to burst. "For real babe?"

"Yes baby. I'm home!" She jumped into my arms and we hugged. I finally broke away long enough to wave Becky in and watched with joy the teary mother/daughter reunion. I was also glad that that day had been trash day and the take out containers had been hauled away.

"I guess they're not afraid that you'll run off to Mexico like Lupe did," I said making a joke. A fellow teacher from her school had been arrested in the fall. When she bonded out of jail, she fled to Mexico.

"I'm innocent though, and I don't know Spanish, so you'll just have to put up with me."

* * * * *

I didn't expect life to return to full normal right away, but I wasn't prepared for how far from normal it stayed. Katie and I had sex several times a week before. In the two weeks after she returned I got one pity fuck on Saturday. Afterward when Katie thought I was asleep I heard her go into the bathroom and cry. At first I wrote it off as stress from the whole ordeal; until the morning after our second session.

We'd gone out dancing and drinking and had come home and had one of our usual romps where we tried to fuck each other to death. The next morning I smiled at her over coffee and expressed my gratitude for the night before. I had always made it a point to let her know that I fully appreciated her.

I had just thanked her for loving me and for the wonderful night. She had her back to me as she filled her coffee cup and mumbled something. "What was that babe?" I asked.

She turned and glowered at me, "Why are you thanking me? Got a guilty conscience?"

I was surprised. "Guilty conscience?"

"Yes guilty conscience. Who else have you been sleeping with Jace?"

I felt like I had been slapped. I had never even considered cheating on Katie. I was too stunned to say anything.

"Oh, nothing to say?" Katie sneered. "Who is she Jace? Who is the bitch? Is she so bad that you feel a need to convince me I'm special for doing you?"

"You have always been special to me," I said calmly and evenly. "I have never even thought about another woman in my bed. I don't know what your fucking problem is, but I hope you get over it soon. If you're pushing your own guilt off onto me that shit ain't gonna fly." I turned and walked out of the kitchen. If she tried to apologize it was to my back.

That put me in a sour mood the rest of the day. I pretty much avoided her and she didn't even seem to notice. My mind came up with several crazy scenarios, and I was driving myself nuts.

That afternoon I decided I needed some answers so I told her I was going to return a tool to Bruce. Katie abhorred Bruce so I knew she wouldn't want to accompany me. I ended up at a bar in Pearland where I saw the vehicle I had hoped to see there. I knew the car well enough; it belonged to Katie's longtime friend and principal Greg Davidson. I wasn't sure Greg would be too happy to see me since the last time we were alone together I beat his ass and put him in the hospital.

* * * * *

Katie and I had been dating for several months. Her senior year spring break was a week away and we'd planned on going to Cabo for the week. I had taken a week's vacation from work and had booked the hotel and travel.

On Monday, one week before we were supposed to leave, Katie showed me the bikini she was taking to Cabo. This bikini could have been carried on in my wallet. She modeled it for me. "For your eyes only baby," she said as I sat there drooling.

We were due to fly out Sunday morning. On Thursday a group of Katie's friends decided to go to Lake Travis and ride jet skis on Friday. Of course I was game, until an emergency at work Friday morning put the kibosh on my plans. I told Katie to go ahead without me and I would see her Saturday morning.

We ended up fixing our work problem a lot faster than anyone thought we could, and by one that afternoon I was headed to the lake. When I got there and found Katie's group I learned she was riding a jet ski with Greg. Greg had been a love interest before she met me so I didn't care for him being around her too much.

Then my day went south in a hurry. Someone pointed to a couple on a jet ski. "There they are." I looked and saw Greg driving and Katie had her arms wrapped around his torso. He saw me and got a smirk on his face. When he turned the jet ski I saw Katie was naked, or nearly so. She was wearing the bikini that was supposed to be for my eyes only.

She saw me just as I was turning to go back to my truck and smiled. A smirk, a smile, and my plans were dashed. I was heading for my truck when one of her girlfriends approached. "Jace, you just got here, why are you leaving?"

"I'm not wanted here," I said. "But tell Katie I said to have a nice life."

I turned my back on the puzzled girl and drove off. I didn't floor it and peel out. I didn't want them to know I was affected in any way, but when I was out of sight I opened it up and flew back to my apartment.

I stayed there long enough to make two calls. One call was to my travel agent to get a refund for the Cabo trip. The second call was to my sister. As always she would be delighted to have her baby brother come stay for a week. Four hours later I was in Houston crying on Jeanie's shoulder.

By Wednesday I had decided I wasn't going to waste my week off mooning over a useless whore. Actually I had some help in that decision, my brother Jerry came by Wednesday evening and said "Come on ya weepy pussy, let's go get shit faced." He wasn't full of compassion but he was right.

We got to Wesley's Tavern and in no time we'd put away two pitchers of beer. Jerry had just ordered us some shots when Greg walked in the door. I don't know what he thought he was doing, but he saw me and headed straight for my table.

I didn't hear a word he said as I launched out of my seat. Three punches and two kicks later Jerry was rushing me towards the door. My first punch caught him in the nose, breaking it instantly. The second caught him in the eye and the third caught his jaw and turned out his lights. After he crumpled to the floor I kicked him twice in the nuts.

I waited in the truck as my brother made things right with the bartender. I expected the cops to show up any second. As we were leaving the parking lot he said "I guess that guy will think twice before ever telling you that you have the wrong idea again."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked.

"Dude comes in saying he wants to explain, and that you have the wrong idea, and you go all Clubber Lang on him. I'm supposed to be the violent one in the family and you just made me look like Gandhi."

I explained why I had kicked Greg's ass, and Jerry fully understood. "No one's calling the cops; Wesley will talk to him when he comes to. Wanna hit The Troubadour?'

"Another bar? Yeah I could use a drink," I said.

Now many years later, I wondered if he would run when he saw me. We'd seen each other at various school functions over the years, and we'd even had conversations, but we'd never been alone. He seemed to know I was there to see him, because he left his bar stool and sat at a table.

"I can see you need answers Jace," he said as I sat down. "I wish I had them."

"I don't know what to think anymore Greg. I can't believe she would do this, but she's been so odd since CPS let her move back home. Have you talked to her?"

"I'm not allowed contact with her Jace, I'm not sure if I should be talking to you."

"Greg I'm not asking anything of you that would get you in trouble. I just want to know... Ah hell I don't even know what I want to know. I want to know that my wife is not a pervert."

The waitress brought our drinks then Greg spoke. "I'll tell you what I know Jace. How damning it is I don't know, but maybe it'll help you."

He took a long pull from his beer and began: "I started hearing things before Christmas. At first it was just a couple of teachers that talk about everyone. I was a bit surprised that it was Kate they were talking about. She'd never been the subject of their sniping before. I didn't give it a whole lot of credence, but I didn't forget it either. Then in late January I started hearing whispers amongst students. I hear stuff like that all the time, ya know? Boys being boys and all."

"Really? These little fucksticks talk about banging teachers? That thought never crossed my mind as a kid."

"Mine either Jace, but we live in different times. I know some of these kids actively try to bed teachers. The kid in question though, has never been part of that so I thought it was just talk."

I thought back trying to see if I had missed any signs. Her behavior had not changed a bit. None of her patterns had changed. "When would she have time?" I asked.

"All teachers have time when they are available to students. The teachers generally don't mess with students then. The two I have dealt with this year were meeting kids at home, and off campus. Rumors had it they were getting together once a week."

"Katie was always home when she was supposed to be."

"I didn't believe it at first. In the past couple of weeks though, I heard it from a lot of sources. I was going to initiate an unofficial discussion with Kate when the superintendent, school board president, and school district attorneys paid me a visit telling me that the mother had filed a complaint."

"So this isn't all about Katie giving the kid an F? Is he one of her drama students?"

"The first I heard of it being retaliation for a bad grade was when I heard that she said that in her deposition. As for the drama club, Kate didn't take the club this year. I had to ask another teacher to do it."

* * * * *

Greg's words rang in my head for days after I talked to him. "Kate didn't take the drama club." I pretty much just co-existed with Katie that week. Divorce was forefront in my mind. I wondered what "play up the love Vaughn" would make of me handing Katie divorce papers in front of the jury.

As soon as divorce became the number one option, I asked myself if I had proof that Katie had broken her vows. I didn't, but I had caught her in a very big lie. My mind played over the night that Katie was accused. I had asked if she was supposedly fucking this kid during the drama club meetings. I could remember an odd look passing over Katie's face.

I was definitely conflicted. I had no real proof of wrong doing, but the circumstantial evidence was absolutely there. The lying was bad enough that when her parents came and took her and Becky out for the day I started searching the house. I couldn't snoop on her phone or computer since the police had taken those.

I left no drawer unopened. I looked through every pocket in every piece of clothing and every one of her purses. I even pulled the book cases away from the walls and looked behind them. It pissed me off when I was moving one back into place and the toe kick fell off of it, but a bit of PL-400 made sure it wouldn't come off again.

I didn't even know what exactly I was looking for. I doubted I would find a manuscript called "Opie Taylor? I Fucked Him.," and the cops had her journal so any written account was not to be had.

I turned on the TV as I poured through bank statements and credit card bills. I didn't really care to watch anything, but the quiet house was beginning to creep me out. Two psychologists were the guests on a local talk show hosted by news man, Harmon Ruiz who fancied himself to be Houston's own Geraldo Rivera. Harmon's subject for the day was one near and dear to my heart: Female teachers getting into trouble with male students. I absent mindedly wondered if Harmon was pro or con pedophile.

One guest spewed a bunch of random facts about the arrested teachers. Two really stood out to me. The first, that the teachers were predominantly middle school teachers. The second one; a staggeringly high amount of the arrested, were English teachers. In fact, Katie fit into many of the top "risk" categories. She was under forty, she was attractive, and she really threw herself into her work. Many of the teachers, however, were unmarried.