Chapter 34
Beau
“What time is your hearing?” Gordon asked as I walked him to the door, so he could go home and get ready for work. He’d come over last night sensing how nervous I was about today. He’d calmed my nerves by distracting me with sex. We’d loved on each other so hard last night I’d fallen asleep right after our shower. Last night had been a sweet reunion.
“At ten,” I told him.
“Okay, I’ll try to be there at that time. You did say it was an open hearing, right?”
I nodded and grimaced. “It is. I wish the board would just fire me in quiet, but they claim it’s a controversial issue that members of the school body should be welcome to participate in.”
He reached behind me to cup my butt. “You won’t be fired. You’re a good teacher.”
“Albeit a gay one.”
He pulled me into him at the door and plastered his lips on mine. I kissed him back and clutched at his arms, the hearing temporarily forgotten. All I wanted was to drag him back to bed and topple him onto his knees, so I could fuck him. Last night he had been inside me, and now I wanted to do the same to him.
“Everything will be fine,” he said. “I have to believe that, or I’ll go crazy. Ollie will be home soon. You’ll still have your job, and we’ll be one big happy family laughing at all this madness sometime soon.”
I chuckled. “You tell quite a happily ever after ending. I hope for both our sakes and the kids, you’re right.”
“You don’t think if I come there I’ll only be stirring up more trouble for you?” he asked me fretfully.
I shrugged. “Who knows? At this moment, I can’t even care enough to worry about it.”
“I do want to support you, but don’t want you to lose your job.”
“If only we got the opportunity to make that call.”
We kissed one last time before he left, and I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. We had found each other again despite the problems we had. I hoped for our sakes we would be able to overcome this hurdle too. Only two challenges remained for us, Ollie still refusing to return home and my job.
I went back to bed to lie down for a minute but fell asleep again, Gordon’s pillow clutched to my chest. When I woke up, it was almost eight thirty. I made breakfast, ate and straightened up the apartment before I showered. I found a pair of dress slacks and a nice shirt to wear along with my loafers. I hated that I felt I was about to be tried. Principal McLean had asked me to come prepared to have my final say before they signed off on their decision, but I had nothing to say. Gordon had volunteered to pay for a lawyer for me but I’d refused. I believed my work should have spoken for me. I’d contributed to the education of the school and also helped to build the community.
What more could they really want from me? To bleed the gay blood from my veins? Maybe then they would have seen it was no different from their own. I’d still die the way I entered this world. A gay man.
I drove to the school, and from the tension in the atmosphere, others anticipated the day. The parking lot was even fuller than usual. Even though I tried not to be nervous, I couldn’t help it. I was only glad that class was in session, so I didn’t get to run into any of my students to explain to them why I was here. If only their parents saw things the way they did.
At the principal's office, I was briefed about the format of the hearing. They would use one of the larger conference rooms to facilitate representatives of the school community who took an interest in the case. I felt like a damn bug under a microscope. Members of the PTA body were in attendance to voice their own concerns, I bet. I entered the room where the members of the board all sat, including stakeholders who had not been present the last time. I spotted the woman who tried to hit on me at the PTA conference, and she looked smug about the turn of events. I had no doubt which way her vote would sway.
Principal McLean called the meeting to order and gave an overview of my “crime,” which amounted to corrupting the morals of the institution. Before he could continue, there was a knock on the door. The closest person sitting to the door checked and turned to us dubiously.
“What’s going on there?” the principal asked, annoyed the meeting was interrupted.
“It’s some students, sir. They are asking to be allowed in the hearing.”
“Absolutely not! They should be in class.”
He stalked from the helm of the table where he was speaking and to the door. I couldn’t see outside the door based on my position, but his reaction was comical at best. His eyes bulged, and he clutched the door in a state of shock.
“Get to your classrooms at once!” he snapped. “Or the lot of you will be given a detention.”
“We have a right to be present if you want to dismiss our teacher,” a familiar voice said.
Charlie? I stood in surprise and peered over the principal’s shoulder. My knees went weak to find a group of students gathered outside the conference room. There had to be at least fifty of them as far as I could see.
“You listen to me young lady, I have no problem getting rid of you like I did your deviant of a brother! Now get to your classrooms at once!”
The principal slammed the door shut and returned to his position. “I apologize for the rudeness of the students. Now let’s begin.”
Mr. Gayle, the Chairman of the Board raised his hand. “I have a suggestion. Why not allow a select few of the students to sit in since they are so concerned about their teacher being treated fairly? It would do us good to listen to their voices on the matter as well.”
The principal wanted to argue, but two other board members nodded their agreement. Curious as to the events unfolding, I said nothing but waited until some of the students were admitted to the room. At first, I thought they were students from the play, but others were included in the mix, notably Adam Lacove who had testified against me before. An older woman who entered resembled him, and I groaned inwardly. She had to be the boy’s mother. I didn’t see this boding well for me at all.
“Now that’s settled, can we please get back to the matter at hand,” the principal stated. “The dismissal of Beau Moreau for improper conduct and corrupting the morals of this institution.”
What followed was nothing short of a judgment. The woman from the conference spoke up, referencing that evening she had returned to my classroom and found me talking to Gordon. “I thought it was very suspicious the condition I found them in,” she remarked. “We cannot have that around our kids. Not at all.”
I frowned and raised my hand, refusing to be accused wrongfully.
“Mr. Moreau, you’ll be given your time to address us,” the principal stated, dismissing my hand.
By the time he asked if I had anything I wanted to say, I was so overwhelmed that I shook my head. I didn’t know where to begin. Why should I have to defend who I was and who I loved? I couldn’t do it anymore. I stood to lose my job, but I wasn’t going to grovel with them like they wanted me to do. I had done nothing wrong. I had no reason to be here defending myself.
“Mr. Moreau, this is your opportunity to set the record straight,” a member of the board remarked. “Are you sure you don’t want to take this opportunity given to you?”
The door opened, and I glanced sideways at the newcomer. My heart skipped a beat to find Gordon had entered the room. He closed the door behind him, and his eyes found mine. Within their depths, he questioned whether I was okay or not. I gave him a nod, and a smile, then turned back to the members of the board.
“I stand by what I said,” I remarked. “I’ve done no wrong here. I’ve upheld the rules of this institution. If you’re going to fire me simply because of the gender of the person I love, then it’s your call.”
“If that’s all,” the principal announced, looking smug. “We’ll have the members of our board deciding on the issue.”
“We have something to say, Principal McLean.”
I gave Gordon a quizzical look at his daughter’s announcement. Did he know about this? His shrug told me he didn’t. He mouthed that he loved me, and I did the same, feeling better already. Regardless of what happened today, everything would be alright. Gordon and I would find a way.
“Make it quick, Miss Mattis!” Principal McLean snapped.
All eyes turned to Charlie with interest. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her even if Gordon stripped naked in the room. This was one show his daughter would have won. Before, I had thought of how much she had grown since I just met her, but this was another level. The grieving Charlie I had encountered was buried beneath this strong girl who was willing to fight for what she believed in. And she believed in me. That touched me.
“I’m Charlotte Mattis,” she introduced herself. “And almost a year ago my mother died. She committed suicide, and I found her.” I checked on Gordon to find out how he was handling the situation. His eyes were trained on his daughter, but I saw the way he was clutching at his chair, ready to go to her if she needed him. “I was devastated, and I didn’t know how to cope. Then Mr. Moreau arrived here, and he started to teach me French. Outside of what he taught in the classroom, he was friendly, easy to talk to, and patient. He was so very patient. Where teachers didn’t notice my silence or ignored me because they didn’t know what to do, he tried to engage me in classes. Then he introduced me to the play he organizes at the community center. I watch kids like me go to the community center three days a week to be a part of that production. Kids who stand with me today that Mr. Moreau is being mistreated because he’s gay.”
She motioned for a student to stand who had entered the room with her. Matthew Brooks was another student who was a part of our play. He stood and glanced at me. “Mr. Moreau, I owe you a public apology,” he said. “If not for me, you wouldn’t be in this position today. I videoed you on my phone and sent it to a friend. I never meant for it to get out of hand. I didn’t mean any harm, and I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”
I’d always wondered who had taken the video and now I knew, I was disappointed but, could see the kid’s remorse. I nodded to show him I accepted his apology. He sat and the kid I was accused of giving ill advise stood.
“I’m Adam Lacove,” the boy said. “And I’m the kid in question who Mr. Moreau spoke to.”
“I think we’ve heard enough from the kids today,” Mr. McLean said with a forced smile. “Why don’t we escort them out and have the adults settle this matter? Kids rarely have informed opinions.”
The woman I assumed was his mother rose to her feet. “My son has something to say, and I’d like everyone to hear it.”
“Go ahead, Adam,” the Chairman advised.
“Thank you.” And points for being polite. I couldn’t help but be proud. “I approached Mr. Moreau because I was conflicted about myself,” he continued. “You see, before I learned about Mr. Moreau, there’s no else I knew around who I could look up to and emulate. I’ve known I’m gay for three years now, and I struggled with it, trying to be what people consider normal. I didn’t feel like I was able to talk to my mom about it. I felt she would be disappointed. I’m glad I spoke to Mr. Moreau. He gave me the confidence I needed to come out to my mother. That day I was brought to the principal’s office, I was afraid of my record being spoiled, so I was not completely honest, and just agreed to whatever Mr. McLean wanted me to say.”
Before the child could sit, the mother stood and placed an arm around his shoulders. “I too want to tell Mr. Moreau thanks. You see, these teachers see our kids sometimes more often than we do, and so we need teachers who care about them the way we do. It’s clear this teacher cares about the students who he comes in contact with, and I do not support the school trying to get rid of him.”
“In light of this,” Charlie said, picking up where the others left off. “I took it upon myself, along with a few other students, to go around and collect signatures of the students who are against the school’s decision to get rid of our teacher.”
My mouth dropped open. She did what? I couldn’t believe the students had been organizing this behind my back. Even if the school ended up firing me, I felt like today was an exercise well done. The students, the future of Lacovia weren’t blind to what was going on. They were not letting their own viewpoints be stifled by the adults who should know better, and I was happy to have been a part of this.
“Not only do we have three hundred and fifty signatures from students,” she continued. “But the parents of these students further endorsed Mr. Moreau by signing alongside their children.”
I was overwhelmed by the support. I was glad to be sitting, or I would have needed a chair badly. How did they get so many signatures if Mr. McLean had declared parents were clamoring for me to resign? I stared at his ruddy complexion, and the way he refused to meet my eyes and I knew the truth. The parents weren’t the ones with the problem. He was the one who didn't want a gay teacher in the school.
Since he was struggling for what to say next, Mr. Gayle addressed everyone. “In light of everything that was said today, we ask you for some time to deliberate and make a decision on Mr. Moreau. We shall be back shortly.”
The members of the board and principal McLean headed from the conference room to discuss amongst themselves. No sooner had they left the room when the parent came up to me and enveloped me in a hug. She thanked me before claiming she had to get back to work but wanted me to know how grateful she was.
“When did you do this?” I asked Charlie and the other students who remained in the room.
“It was Charlie’s idea,” Adam replied. “She’s a very determined person. She organized a group of us to go around and get signatures. You should have heard her speaking to the group of students in the cafeteria yesterday about gay rights.”
“Wow. We underestimated you, Charlie,” I told her, wanting to give her a hug but refraining. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you.”
Behind me Gordon approached us, his eyes shining with love and pride. “Atta girl, Charlie.”