This is installment #5 of this Sam and Josie storyline. I know the last one kind of left you all hanging (it was supposed to…grin). No, I'm afraid this one is not going to be a "quick fix" to Part I…But, don't worry, installment #6 will be on its way soon!
Any and all feedback greatly appreciated at [email protected] or on the NBK message board. Your comments keep me inspired!
* * *
Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just like that, he was being suspended from his job, and would most likely never be coming back. Hell, he'd be lucky if he'd be able to teach again anywhere. Because there was no way he could prove that he didn't 'take advantage' of Josie. No one would know for sure except for him and Josie, and the board was not going to believe either of them. Jack was right, Sam concluded; this WAS a nightmare.
Principal Jack Kerdan took one look at Sam Coulson's ashen face and sighed. It was a shame, really, he thought. This young man had a real gift for teaching; he knew how to relate to and reach the kids. He had seen one or two of these "inquiries" in his time, and knew what Sam said was true. Once word got out about the charges against him, he'd never be allowed back to teach at South Glen South unless those accusations could be proven false. And, more possible than not, this inquiry would ruin his teaching career.
"I've got to ask you to pack up your things now, before next period. I'd like to be able to handle this with a minimum of embarrassment for you," Kerdan explained.
"Yes, I understand…thank you," Sam replied numbly. He stood up in a daze. Kerdan walked him to the door. "I'm really sorry about this, Sam. I wish there was more I could do." Sam simply nodded and left.
* * *
Anita stood watching and waiting by the door to Josie's office. When she saw Josie emerge from her meeting with Gus, Anita started bouncing up and down in anticipation. She knew that Josie had not been fired, since she'd never seen anyone hug the person firing him or her. So that meant good news. She was dying to find out what.
"So, what happened!?" Anita demanded as Josie walked by her into the office.
"Oh, Anita! Rigfort is giving me my own column! Can you believe it?" Josie gushed.
"Ohmigod, Josie, that's wonderful!" Anita enclosed Josie in a bear hug.
Just then, Gus came striding in. He glared at Anita and said, "Anita? Do you EVER do any work around here?"
Anita backed away from Josie to stare at Gus. And then she did a strange thing: instead of spouting a snappy comeback as she usually did, she looked wounded, bent her head, and left the office without uttering a word.
Josie looked at Gus curiously and asked, "What was that about?" Gus looked a little sheepish, but simply replied, "I don't want to talk about it. Uh, listen Josie; you're not going to actually be able to move your things to the new office until the morning. The office we were going to put you in is still occupied until this afternoon…"
Rigfort strikes again, thought Josie. "That's fine, Gus. I'll just get it packed and then move it tomorrow."
"Okay, good." Then he shrugged a shoulder and said awkwardly, "Well, I suppose I should go apologize to Anita for being so rough on her…" He turned on his heel and marched out of the room.
Okay, Josie thought, watching Gus's retreating form. Now I know something strange is going on with those two…Gus NEVER apologizes for blowing up at people, least of all to Anita, who he yells at on a regular basis. And Anita has always just ignored Gus when he does. So why would she suddenly take offense?
* * *
It was nearly the end of first period by the time Sam had finished packing his personal effects into a small cardboard box. He removed half-graded papers, class notes, grade books, and textbooks from his briefcase and carefully laid them on the desk.
He stood for a moment in the center of the room, trying to memorize the sight of his first –and possibly last—classroom. A sliver of fear slid down his spine as he walked to the window to survey the parking lot. The last thing he needed right now was a lot of reporters recording his moment of shame. There were none to be found. Whew, he thought, and then with black humor continued, at least something has gone right for me today.
Then, resigned to his fate, Sam grabbed the handles of his leather bag with one hand, picked up the box with the other, and headed toward the door. At the last moment, he spied his hockey stick lying in the chalk rest. He tucked it under his right arm and pushed the door open, stepping out. The 'click' of the shutting door echoed down the deserted hallway. That was just how he felt: empty, an echo of his former self. Sighing, he continued down the hallway and out the faculty entrance door. He had just reached his car when he heard the ringing of the bell signaling the end of the first period. Just in time, he reflected, as he put his key into the trunk lock.
* * *
Aldys rushed down the hall to Mr. Coulson's room, intent on asking him a question about the reading assignment before class. She was the first one to arrive; but Mr. Coulson was nowhere to be found. Something's not right here, she thought, but she couldn't put her finger on what.
And then she noticed that while all his student papers and class notes were sitting in plain view on his desk, nothing else of his was. His briefcase, his ever-present coffee mug, and the hacky sack he always kept on the edge of his desk were missing. Even the hockey stick he sometimes used as a nervous habit when telling his stories was gone. On a hunch, she ran up the stairs to the back of the room and searched the parking lot for his car. And that's when she saw him.
He was just closing the trunk hatch on his car. His whole body sagged as if he were carrying a great weight. After a moment, he walked around from the back of the car and stood next to the driver's side door, fumbling to put the key in the lock. And then, almost as if he sensed she was there, he looked up and saw her. The look of utter pain and defeat she saw on his face made her gasp. He attempted a brave smile, but it never reached his eyes. He raised a hand in silent farewell and then opened the door to his car and climbed inside.
She watched him back his car out of his space and drive away just as the other students, talking and laughing, trickled into the room, unaware of the drama that had just unfolded before her eyes. As she slowly walked back to the front row to occupy her seat, Aldys's mind started to turn, planning. Something was terribly wrong; and she was sure it had something to do with Mr. Coulson kissing Josie last night at the ballpark. She had to get to a phone somehow; she had to tell Josie.
* * *
As if on autopilot, Sam drove the familiar route from the school to his apartment without one thought as to where he was going. He couldn't think; his brain was completely clouded with grief and depression.
He turned on the car stereo and then poked at the tape sticking out of the tape deck. Soon, the soulful voice of Morrissey was crooning, "Haven't had a dream in a long time…to see the luck I've had could make a good man turn bad…"
Sam smiled just a little, thinking of Josie. He had bought this tape a couple of days ago, just after the prom. Mostly to torture himself with the memory of dancing with Josie: how good she had felt in his arms, how beautiful she had looked, and the love he thought he had seen shining in her eyes. But now, he found the song was strangely comforting to listen to. Boy, I must be bad off if listening to The Smiths is actually cheering me up, he thought wryly.
Sam pulled his car into a space in front of his apartment building and turned off the motor. He reached down and pulled a lever, popping the trunk. He got out and walked around to the back. He retrieved his duffel, briefcase, box of personal effects, and his hockey stick. He stood there for a moment, trying to balance all of the items in one hand long enough to close the trunk hatch. Then he turned and climbed up the stairs leading to his apartment.
He dumped his armload of items into an untidy pile next to his door and then pulled his keys out of his pocket to unlock his apartment. After opening the door, he reached down, grabbed the stuff on the floor, and dragged it into his apartment just far enough so that they wouldn't interfere with the door closing. Then he kicked the door shut with the heel of his right foot.
He shrugged off his shoes and pulled off his socks, leaving them in the pile he had made with his school items and duffel bag. Then he headed off to the bedroom to change. Definitely time for some sweats, Sam thought. Can't be really depressed until you're dressed in sweats.
He went to his closet and chose a pair of black sweatpants and a baggy Chicago Blackhawks hockey jersey that had a large Indianhead on the front and "Chelios" and "7" stitched to the back. He took off his dress pants and let them fall in a heap where he stood. His tan shirt soon followed. Then he pulled on the sweatpants and jersey, retrieved his keys from the floor, and went back out to the kitchen.
He dropped the keys on the counter, next to the abandoned picture of him and Josie painting the sunset backdrop. Noticing it, he picked it up to stare at it for a long moment. Josie…she was the only thing that made any of this worthwhile. At least he had Josie, which, when all was said and done, was more important than his job. But it didn't make dealing with the pain and emptiness of losing his life's work any easier.
Sighing, he dropped the picture back onto the counter. He was turning to enter the living room, when a red flash caught his eye. In the corner of the counter, back against the wall, sat his answering machine. The light was blinking, signaling a message.
He breathed an internal sigh of relief when he recognized the voice on the machine as his older sister Abby…but only for a moment. Then he groaned as what she was saying registered.
"Hey Sam, it's Abb…I don't care when you get in, but call me the second you get home! I don't care if it's 3 o'clock in the morning or what… "
Abby, sounding amused, continued, "Imagine my surprise when I see my little brother on the 11 o'clock news kissing some woman in the middle of a baseball field. Assuming this is the same woman that you told me was the spawn of the devil only two days ago, this one needs some explaining…call me!"
Abby saw them on TV? Sam shivered. For God's sake, she lived in San Francisco! That probably meant that the story was picked up nationwide… Who else saw it? His parents? Lara? His rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Swearing under his breath, he walked into the living room and flopped into his overstuffed leather chair. He reached over to his bookcase and dragged the phone over to sit it in his lap. Then he picked up the receiver and began to dial Abby's number.
* * *
Now was the time, Aldys thought, as she placed the wooden bathroom pass in her pocket and left the chemistry lab. She walked down the hallway toward the girls' bathroom. Then, after checking to see if anyone was watching and verifying that no one was, she snuck around the corner to where the phone booths were. Climbing into the closest one, she crouched on the floor and closed the door. Then, she placed the call.
* * *
"Josie Geller," Josie intoned, as she picked up the ringing receiver.
"Josie, it's Aldys," she said, barely speaking above a whisper.
"Aldys? I can barely hear you! What's going on?" Josie asked, puzzled. Why was Aldys calling her in the middle of the day? And why was she whispering?
"Josie, something is really wrong. Mr. Coulson is gone."
"What? What do you mean 'gone'?" Josie stood up from her chair without even realizing it.
"I'm not sure. I went to see him before school started today, and everything seemed fine. But when I got to class for second period, he was gone. Principal Kerdan came in and told us that Mr. Coulson had had a family emergency and that he'd had to leave right away. They weren't sure when he'd be back. " Aldys explained.
But, Josie reasoned, Sam would certainly have contacted her if something like that had happened, wouldn't he?
"But what Principal Kerdan said doesn't make sense," Aldys continued, "because all of Mr. Coulson's stuff was gone, too."
"His stuff?" A hazy picture started to form in Josie's brain, but she refused to acknowledge it.
"Yeah, everything. His hockey stick, his coffee mug…everything. And Josie?"
The picture that Josie refused to acknowledge was pounding on her brain. She squinted hard so that she could keep it at bay. "Yes?"
"I saw him. I mean…I saw him leaving. He was just opening his car door. He looked up and saw me watching him from the window. Josie, he looked awful. Just…devastated. I…just thought you should know." Aldys let out a long sigh.
The image she'd been holding back exploded at full force. Good God, he'd been fired…or something equally as horrible. All because of her.
She had to find him. She had to find out what was going on. If she had been the cause of his pain, she'd never be able to live with herself.
Through her unshed tears, Josie choked out, "Thanks, Aldys, you're a good friend. I'll talk to you later…after I find out what this is all about." And with that, they said their goodbyes.
Josie immediately dialed the number to Sam's apartment. The line was busy. Hanging up the receiver, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. On her way past Merkin, not even looking at him, she ordered, "I'm going out for a while. Take my calls."
Merkin, taken aback by her forceful edict, simply stared after her.
* * *
"Hello?" answered a friendly female voice.
"Hi, Abby. It's Sam."
"About time you called back. Where were you last night? Or should I not ask that question?" The smile was apparent in her voice.
"I spent the night at Josie's, but it's not what you're thinking. I spent the night on her couch." Sam left out that Josie had slept there with him. No need to give Abby any additional ammunition.
"Josie? So it WAS the girl you were telling me about the other day! Okay, so how did you go from never wanting to mention her name again to kissing her in front of thousands of screaming fans?" Abby questioned.
"I wanted to ask you about that…you said you saw it on TV?" Sam answered with a question of his own.
"Yeah, it was the last story. You know, they usually do those little feel- good stories at the end of the broadcast to make you forget that the rest of the news was so bad? Anyway, I missed most of the story. What happened to change your opinion of her so much?"
"She wrote her article. Except it wasn't the one I was expecting. Instead of being this big expose about our relationship, she wrote about her experiences as a high school student, this time and the first time. It was an amazing story, actually. And as she told her story to the world, she was showing me that she really was the same person that I fell in love with."
Sam continued, "She openly apologized to me and then came right out and announced that she was in love with me."
Abby sighed. "How romantic."
"Yeah, it was. Anyway, then she said that she would be waiting at the baseball game in front of everyone for me to come and forgive her…and to give her her first 'real' kiss. Now, how could I turn down an offer like that?" Sam smiled at the memory.
"If you had, I would have had your head examined for cracks, " she teased. "All I can say is, I already love her. When do I get to meet her?" Abby continued, sounding excited.
Which brought Sam back to his present situation. "Maybe a lot sooner than you think. It seems I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands…"
Abby didn't like the sad tone of Sam's voice. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I got suspended from my job this morning."
"For what!?" Abby sounded furious.
"They are investigating me because of what happened with Josie. You know, me falling in love with her and everything. I guess they figure that something probably happened between us before last night," Sam explained.
"Are they insane? Josie's not a minor! She wasn't even a real student."
"That was my contention," Sam replied wryly.
"What did they say to that?" inquired Abby.
"Principal Kerdan asked me if I knew she wasn't seventeen when I fell in love with her. I guess the point is that I didn't know she was 25 at the time it was happening. That's what matters to the school board."
"Oh, God. That's awful. And here I was, telling you to go for it…"
"Abby, don't start blaming yourself. You told me what I wanted to hear. I had pretty much decided that I was going to tell Josie anyway. I just wanted someone to agree with me. I knew what the consequences would be if I broke my silence about how I felt for her. I guess it's just such a shock now that it's really happening," Sam shook his head.
"So, what happens now? How are they going to conduct the investigation? DID you do anything you shouldn't have?" Abby questioned.
"I don't know," Sam considered her question. "I don't think so. We spent a lot of time together, but we were working on the Prom Committee. We enjoyed each other's company and we talked a lot. But, I never said or did anything that would have manipulated any feelings she might have had for me. Of course, I meant to on prom night. But you already know about that; I never got the chance. So, no, I don't think there was anything I said or did that could be characterized as manipulation or an abuse of power," he concluded.
"Then, what's the problem? They simply check your story against Josie's and everything is all set," she said.
"No, Abby, not this time. It's not that simple. You forget that Josie is now my girlfriend. That sort of changes things. She would have something to gain by lying, and therefore, that will discredit her story," Sam explained.
"That is REALLY insane! How in God's name are you supposed to prove you are innocent if the only two people who would know are not allowed to testify?" Abby was livid. How could they do this to her dear, sweet brother? No one who knew him could honestly believe he'd use his position as a teacher to seduce young girls!
"I don't know, Abb…I think that I'm kind of getting railroaded here, but I'm helpless to stop it. I'll never be able to teach in Chicago again, that's for sure. And it's possible that the board will file to revoke my teaching certificate, which means I won't be able to teach anywhere. If that happens, I don't know what I'll do. All I've ever wanted to do was teach." Sam let out a long sigh.
"Oh, I don't know, Sam… There was the time when you were six that you wanted to be Spiderman and tried to climb down the drainpipe…"
They both laughed. Then Sam replied, "Yeah, and that trip to the emergency room proved to me that it wasn't a sound career choice."
They were both silent for a moment. Then Abby continued, "Seriously, though, Sam…Things will work out; I really believe that. Maybe not the way you'd like them to right now, but you'll find your way. You always do. And if there's anything I can do to help, you let me know. I'll be there in a second."
"I know, Abby. Thanks; that means a lot. And now I have Josie, too. That thought certainly helps. You know, she doesn't even know about this yet. I'm almost afraid to say anything because I know she's going to feel that she's responsible. But, she'll find out soon enough, anyway, I suppose. Not exactly something I could keep a secret for long." Sam sighed.
"Maybe you should call her," Abby suggested. "Get it over with."
"Yeah, maybe I should. Okay, I'm gonna let you go, Abb. Talk to you later?"
Sam could hear her smile. "Count on it. Bye, Sam."
"Bye." With that, he hung up the phone. After a moment, he picked up the receiver again and tried dialing Josie's work number.
"Hello? Josie Geller's line," said a rather obnoxious male voice.
"Uh, is Josie there?" Sam asked.
"Nope," came the reply.
"Well, do you know where she is? When she'll be back?"
"Nope."
"Fine," Sam said, annoyed. "Just tell her that Sam called. I'll try her back later. You've been exceedingly helpful," he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Clearly this guy did not take a hint. "Sure. No problem." Click.
Sighing, Sam put the receiver back in the phone rest and laid his head back on the chair, closing his eyes.
* * *
Sam awoke with a start. Was I really dozing? he asked himself. Glancing at his watch, he decided it couldn't have been for more than five minutes. There was an impatient rapping at the door. That knocking must have been what woke me up, Sam thought idly. Then he heard a voice, "Sam? Sam, are you in there?"
Josie? he thought dumbly. What was she doing here? Sam unceremoniously plunked the phone on the floor next to the chair. Then, he bounded over to the door and opened it, needing to verify her presence. Yep, there she was, looking as beautiful as she had a few hours ago…no, more beautiful, if that was possible.
"Josie?" he asked incredulously. He placed a hand on each of her upper arms and dragged her inside, shutting the door. At that moment, he didn't care how she knew or why she was there, he just needed her to be there. He pulled her into a tight embrace and held her like he was a drowning man and she were a lifeline; and then kissed her as if he were trying to draw some strength from her.
After a moment, he pulled back and asked, "Josie, what are you doing here? How did you know?"
She replied simply, "Aldys." Then she continued, "What's going on, Sam? What are YOU doing here?"
"What did Aldys tell you?" Sam inquired.
"Simply that she had seen you earlier in the day and then by class time, you were gone. She said she saw you in the parking lot. That you didn't look too good." Josie looked up at Sam, concerned.
Sam sniffed and said, "Yeah, not too good would have been an understatement, I'm sure." He held Josie's hand and then backed himself into the leather chair, pulling Josie farther into the room. "Josie, I got suspended from school today." He heard her gasp at the announcement. He continued, "Apparently there is concern amongst the school board with whether I abused my position as an authority figure to 'unduly influence a minor.'"
"Who did you supposedly 'influence'?" Josie asked.
"You," Sam answered.
"What?" Josie was stunned. "That's ridiculous! I'm not a minor."
"I've been informed that that's not the point. The point is that I thought you were a minor when all of this started happening between us." Sam raked a hand through his hair.
Josie knelt down on the floor in front of him and placed her hands on his knees, looking up into his face. Tears gathered on her lashes. "God, Sam. I am so sorry. This is all my fault…."
"No!" Sam said forcefully, putting his hands on her shoulders and shaking her slightly. "It's not your fault. Back when I thought you were seventeen, I knew that this would happen if I decided to pursue you. I consciously made the choice and then made my peace with it."
"Having a chance to be with you was more important than teaching, hands down. It still is." Sam paused to gather his thoughts; then continued, "But teaching is very important to me. I guess I had just convinced myself that the results would be different because of the extenuating circumstances involved here. And it came as a huge shock when it made no difference at all."
Josie rocked back onto her heels, crouching now instead of kneeling, and then said, "You know, Sam, this really doesn't sound that bad. All the school board needs is reassurance that you didn't act inappropriately. Well, you didn't. As soon as I let them know that, then everything can get back to normal."
Sam smiled ruefully and rejoined, "No, I'm afraid not. Principal Kerdan already told me to expect the school board not to accept your statement. You see, now that we're romantically involved, there's a 'conflict of interest'. You could be lying simply to protect me…"
Josie stood up abruptly. "This is absurd! I'm not going to just stand by and watch them kick you out on your ear simply because they think I have a 'conflict of interest'!"
Sam stood up, too. "Josie, I don't think that we have a choice, here. They are not going to listen to us," Sam explained.
"Well, I'm not planning on giving up. I'll do whatever it takes to get this worked out. I don't care what you say; if I hadn't written that article, you wouldn't be having this problem right now," Josie argued.
"Yes, and we wouldn't be together right now, either," he reminded her.
"True," Josie admitted, then she sighed. "Gosh, Sam, this really is a mess."
"Yes, but I know I'll make it through somehow, now that I have you here with me." Sam placed a small kiss on the end of Josie's nose.
A thought occurred to Josie. She peeked at her watch. "Yeah, but not for much longer. I kind of blew off work to come and find you. Eventually, they are going to miss me, even if my only task for the day was to pack up my office." Belatedly, Josie realized what she had said. Ugh, this was not a good time to tell Sam about her news.
But he was too sharp to miss the reference. "What do you mean 'pack up your office'? Don't tell me that we're BOTH out of work?" Sam grinned at the absurdity of that chance.
Josie looked uneasy. "I'm not sure that right now is the best time to talk about this," she mumbled, looking down at the tips of her black pumps.
"What? Come on, misery loves company…'fess up. What happened?" Sam prodded.
Still looking at the floor, Josie said softly, "It's not bad news, it's good news."
"Even better…I could use a little good news to cheer me up. So…tell me," he coaxed.
Josie backed up and sat on the arm of Sam's leather chair. Then, looking up at him she said, "Apparently the owner of the paper was very impressed with my story and the attention it received. And, trust me, it's not easy to impress Mr. Rigfort," she explained. "Well, he's giving me a chance to prove that lightning can strike twice. He's giving me a shot at my own Features column…after only my first piece… Can you believe it!?" Josie's eyes glowed with excitement.
Sam's gaze was full of admiration and pride. "Josie, that's wonderful!" He pulled her up into his arms and twirled her around once before setting her back down. "About time someone over there figured out what I already knew…that you are a damn good writer." He smiled.
"Well," she stammered, "it…it's only a weekly column right now, and a temporary one at that. But if it does well…they may even give me a daily column."
"Boy, the news keeps getting better and better! What else? A new office, right? That's why you're packing. Why, I'd have to say that is the second best thing I've heard all day," Sam said with a bit of a smirk.
Josie took the bait. "What was the best thing?" she asked.
Sam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Then, staring straight into her eyes, he said meaningfully, "Hearing your voice in my ear saying 'Good morning, Sam.'"
Josie lowered her eyes and blushed, embarrassed. She was so adorable when she did that, he thought. It brought out all his protective instincts. Although she was a strong woman, she was still fragile in many ways, especially when it came to her ego. She had no idea how beautiful she was, he knew, which of course only made her that much more attractive to him (and, he guessed, would to a lot of other guys, but he didn't want to think about that too much…).
"Okay," Sam said, "as much as I love you being here and making me forget about my problems, I don't want you to jeopardize this wonderful chance you're being given at work." He gave her a pat on her behind and added, "Go on, go on back; I'll be fine here." He put his arms out wide in emphasis. "I've got plenty here to keep me busy until you get back."
Josie giggled a little. "Yes, you certainly do." Then she continued, teasing, "But don't work too hard. You unbury that bed; you sleep in it."
Sam grinned widely. "Now there's an incentive for me to never unpack…but, alas, I'd be bored to death here today if I don't. Okay," Sam tried to sound serious, "I'll just have to work REALLY slowly, that's all…"
Josie rolled her eyes at Sam's antics and playfully punched his arm. At least she had him laughing, she thought, which was a good sign. She secretly strengthened her resolve that she would not let this wonderful man get a raw deal simply because he loved her. She would figure a way out of this mess, if it were the last thing she ever did.
* * *