Everything More

by Arabelle Stevens

  “Mr. Hamilton, what on earth is this about? I’ve been worried all weekend with that voicemail you left me,” Marie said to him.

  He took a deep breath before beginning to go into detail. Marie’s knees were shaking.

  “It has come to my attention that you have been gallivanting around town with a young man who appears to be much too young for you,” he explained to her.

  “What are you talking about? Gallivanting around? Have you been spying on me?” Marie told him with an apprehensive, and insulted tone.

  “Numerous parents have contacted me. They are very concerned that you are in an openly intimate relationship with someone who looks to be about the same age as your students. Is this true Ms. Gilman?” he asked her.

  “This is personal. It’s no one’s business. He’s not underage, he’s an adult, a grown man. Just younger. This is no one’s business.” said Marie.

  “I’m just following up on the concerns of our parents. I’m obliged to do that. I’ve been requested to take action, that’s why all the students transferred from your classes were moved to other classrooms. Their parents insisted. They don’t trust you teaching their children.

  “This is very uncomfortable for me, but they’re concerned about your attraction to relationships so close to their own children’s ages. They’re concerned you may be a threat.”

  “A threat? How?” Mr. Hamilton shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

  “They’re concerned you’ll prey on their sons.”

  “What? You mean like a pedophile?”

  “That is their concern.”

  “That’s absurd! I’m not a predator. I’ve been nothing but dedicated to my students to help them succeed. This is just a group of people who are ignorant and narrow-minded.”

  “I’m not denying your performance record, Ms. Gilman. That’s not what this is about. This is a moral character issue and concern of our parents for their children. This group of parents have protested to us that they question your judgment. Your conduct by flaunting this relationship around town so openly causes them great concern over your character. You’re a role-model for their children. They’re concerned that you’re the wrong kind of role model.”

  “So what does this mean, Sir?” she asked him.

  “I’m terribly sorry, Ms. Gilman. We’re letting you go. We hold our entire staff to an exceptional moral standing. Right now, the administration doesn’t feel that you exemplify that. You are hereby relieved of your duties. Please take home all of your personal belongings by the end of the day.” Mr. Hamilton instructed her.

  “What? What do you mean relieved of duties? I haven’t done anything wrong. This is insanity. I have no say in this? Not even to dispute?”

  “I’m sorry. Our decision is final. We have to do what’s in the best interest of our students and respond to parental concerns. These are, after all, their children. You will still get most of your teacher benefits for this year, but you are relieved of your duties. Your classes have been cancelled for today so you can go now and begin cleaning out your belongings.”

  Marie stormed out of Mr. Hamilton’s office in tears, unable to accept the fact that she had just been fired from her teaching job. Teaching and helping students was the only career she’d ever known.

  Marie went back to her empty classroom and cleaned out her belongings.

  Once Marie had everything in a box, she went out to her car without a word to anyone. She got inside the car and just sat in silence for a few moments, letting the tears stream down her cheeks.

  A soft voice called to her outside of the car saying, “Ms. Gilman what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  It was one of her students. Marie rolled down the window to tell her student the unfortunate news.

  “The school told me that I’m not allowed to teach here anymore,” she told her student.

  “That’s nuts, you are one of the coolest teachers here, Ms. Gilman,” the student said to her with a big smile.

  “Thank you, Dear. I really appreciate that. I have to go now. It’s time for you to get to class now. Hopefully I’ll be back soon,” she told the student right before she drove out of the school parking lot.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  For the rest of the day, Marie laid in her bed crying, not knowing what to do next. Her phone vibrated constantly and she finally looked to see who was trying to get in touch with her.

  To no surprise, it was Lucas. He’d had gotten off work a couple hours earlier. She just put the phone down, ignoring his multiple calls and text messages.

  All of a sudden, she heard a violent banging at the door. The noise at the door was relentless so Marie rushed to the door quickly to see who it was. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was just Lucas so she calmed down and opened the door for him.

  “Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I have been trying to get in touch with you for hours now?” Lucas scolded at her.

  “I’m sorry Lucas. I fell asleep for the past few hours. Plus, I had the absolute shittiest day I could possibly have. I got fired today,” she told him.

  “Are you serious, for what?” Lucas asked her in complete shock.

  “I got fired because some of my students’ parents found out that I’m in love with a man not much older than their children. They think I might prey on their precious boys. They complained to the school administration. You know the result,” Marie said as she started weeping again.

  “That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard. To fire you over something they have no business knowing anyway. Surely, not all the parents think that,” Lucas exclaimed.

  “Enough parents caused a ruckus to pressure the administration to take action. Plus, now they can find a teacher they can pay a lower salary to. It’s all about the budget and I was the scapegoat. One of those angry parents was the waitress at that diner who gave us a dirty look on my birthday” Marie told him.

  “How do you know that?” Lucas asked.

  “Cause I scheduled a parent-teacher conference with her and her son, not knowing that her son was one of my students. She told me to my face that she’d be having her son transferred from my class. I just know she was the one behind all of this. Such a bitch,” Marie said in disgust.

  “It’s just plain jealousy and insecurity. Personally, I feel sorry for her. She probably lives a miserable life,”

  “Yah, but she still has a job.”

  “I know. So what are you going to do for work now?” Lucas asked her.

  “I don’t know. Teaching is the only true job I’ve ever done that I enjoyed doing. I don’t want to give that up. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to find another school nearby who’ll hire me,” she sighed.

  “Hmm, I’m going to help you figure this out, Babe. Don’t you worry about that. We’re in this together. I love you,” Lucas told her.

  Lucas lightly grabbed her by the chin, leaned in towards her, and kissed her lightly on the lips.

  “I’ll come back in a few hours. I have a couple things I need to do, but we’ll brainstorm when I get back,” Lucas said and shut the door behind him.

  “That man is a keeper. I’m never letting him get away. Damn, I love him so much,” Marie said to herself after Lucas walked out of the door.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Marie opened her laptop to search for other teaching jobs in the area. She wasn’t hopeful since school had already started and most positions would already be filled. And how close was she going to find any kind of position? The thought of a commute made her nauseous.

  It certainly didn’t help that Sheffield Shores was a small town and not swarming with job opportunities.

  She browsed through online job sites and then hit the local online classifieds. Nothing was the right teaching fit. This went on for hours.

  Lucas finally returned and looked as excited as a schoolboy at an amusement park.

  “I can already see you thought of something, Lucas. Go ahead and spill it,” Marie said to him.r />
  “You should start your own business! Your own teaching business!” Lucas excitedly told her.

  “What?”

  “Your own teaching business. I did some research. There are so many people who homeschool now, but they need some traditional educational guidance and a little help navigating the system. And don’t forget everyone looking for a tutor.”

  “That’s interesting. VERY interesting. You mean I should start my own school?”

  “Well, no, not like a traditional school, but it doesn’t have to be. You’re a certified, licensed teacher. You can tutor students on class subjects, getting ready for SAT’s, anything schools can’t do.”

  “I can set my own hours, be my own boss. I can set my own salary. This is brilliant.”

  “Isn’t it?!”

  “I can do what I always wanted to do with teaching students, help them excel. One on one,” she said to Lucas. She grabbed him by his cheeks and gave him a big kiss. “Absolutely brilliant.”

  “I’ll do your advertising,” Lucas told her. “I have a little bit of experience with it, I just need to brush up a little. We’ll have your business up and running in no time. It’s still early in the school year. Kids are just now starting to get stuck on subjects. It’s perfect!”

  “What would I do without you?” she asked him.

  “You wouldn’t be in this fantastic relationship with this stud,” Lucas jokingly said.

  “You’re right about that, come here!” she said as she yanked him by the shirt and pulled him on top of her.

  Marie and Lucas shuffled around on the carpet floor kissing and grinding their bodies against each other. Lucas grabbed both of her hands and pinned them over her head as he kissed and licked her tan body all over.

  Marie closed her eyes and moaned over every touch of his lips on her body. She broke free from his grip and aggressively undid his belt dropping his pants. Lucas pulled Marie over to him and kissed her again, sucking her lips and gliding his tongue around hers.

  He turned her around and leaned her against the couch ripping her skirt right off that she was wearing revealing the tiny purple thong she was wearing.

  “Ooh my God, what an ass,” he seductively said to her as he crawled on his knees over to her massaging and kissing Marie’s athletic ass.

  Marie grabbed the couch as hard as she could as Lucas’s touch in all the right places made her tremble in ecstasy.

  “Take me right here, right now!” she groaned at him.

  “Do you have a condom? I forgot to bring one over,” Lucas informed Marie.

  “Forget about it, we don’t need one anyway. I want you right now!” she demanded.

  Lucas did exactly as she commanded, ravaging her throughout the night.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  After several weeks, Marie’s business was off the ground. She had a number of tutoring appointments scheduled as well as parents wanting their children to get a head start on PSAT and SAT testing. It was a good beginning and enough income to keep her going until things took off.

  “I’m so proud of you, Marie,” Lucas told her. “This is an amazing start to a business. I know it’s going to work.”

  With a tear of joy streaming down her face Marie said, “Lucas, none of this would have been possible without you. You’ve been my rock, thick and thin, since we met. I fall deeper in love with you every day. I thought that would never be possible for me again.”

  Marie was ready to teach her first one on one sessions. She was set for a solid three hours of tutoring in the after-school hours when the realization hit her. Working from home now, rather than at school, she was never going to have to get up at the crack of dawn again.

  Her first student, Willie, a thirteen-year-old needing help in math, knocked on the door. Lucas opened the door.

  “Well, hello. Can I help you?”

  “I’m Willie. I’m thupposed to meet my tutor, Mith Gilman.”

  “Come on in. She’s in the kitchen, follow me.”

  Lucas watched Marie work with him diligently in the kitchen. He watched the entire session. It was obvious that Marie was born to be a teacher and to mold the minds of young students.

  After the tutoring session ended, Willie, packed up his book bag to wait for his dad to pick him up.

  Before he made his way to the door, he walked up to Marie and presented her with a note.

  “Ms. Gilman, I have to give this note to you. It’s a thery shpecial note,” Willie said to her.

  “Aww, how sweet of you Willie,” Marie said to him. She opened the note to see what it said and it spelled out, “Ms. Gilman, will you marry me?”

  Marie looked like she was in shock as she thought Willie was the one asking for her hand in marriage.

  “Willie, that is very sweet, but I cannot marry you. Do you understand?” she asked him.

  “I know that. I didn’t write the note. Thomeone else gave it to me to give to you,” Willie explained to her.

  “Oh really, can you tell me who that might be?” Marie asked him kindly.

  Willie smiled and said, “I can’t tell. It’th a thecret. I’ll thee you next time though, my dad ith here. Bye Mith. Gilman.”

  Marie just stared at the note and Lucas walked over to her noticing that she was very confused about something.

  “What’s wrong, Babe?” Lucas asked her.

  “Willie gave me this note. He said it’s not from him. What the heck?” she said very annoyingly.

  Marie had her back to Lucas. He smiled from behind her. He pulled out a ring out of his pocket.

  “Marie, turn around.”

  Marie turned around to Lucas on one knee, presenting the ring to her. She wasn’t often left speechless, but this was one of those few moments.

  “Willie is a friend of my younger brother. I planned this whole charade to surprise you,” he said grinning from ear to ear. “So, what’s your answer, Ms. Gilman?”

  “Yes, yes I’ll marry you, Lucas! This is the most passionate and loving relationship I have ever been in. And I mean ever. A million times, yes. Oh my God, I have to call my mother!”

  “I’m sure she already knows. I’m sure your father told her he gave me his blessing to ask you.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Several months had passed and Marie’s tutoring business was thriving with a steady flow of income. She was not making quite as much as what she did as a full-time teacher, but she was noticeably happier.

  They’d set a date and Marie was meeting with her parents over the weekend to discuss wedding plans.

  “Lucas, do you want a big wedding? This is your first wedding, I’m happy to do the whole bridezilla thing if you want.”

  “I really don’t. Do we need all that?”

  “Well, no, I guess not. It’s just that I’ve been through this before, but this is your first, and hopefully last, wedding. If you want a big deal and the whole nine yards, I’m willing to do that.”

  “Do you want it again? The first one didn’t work out, you might want a do-over.”

  “No,” she said laughingly. “I really don’t.”

  “And how long would a big deal take to arrange?”

  “Oh, months, years if you want to do it right.”

  “Well, that’s it then. I want you to be my wife as soon as possible. Think smaller, easier.”

  “Okay, elope?”

  “Well, no. I want our family there.”

  “You think your mother will come?”

  “Oh I’m sure.”

  “Have you talked with her?”

  “Not really. She keeps wanting to talk to you, but I’m not letting her near you.”

  “Honey, that was months ago. She’s had time to think. Plus, I can handle myself now that I know her position. I think you should talk to her.”

  Lucas sighed.

  “It’s not like I’ve shunned her. We talk, but when you come up, I end the conversation.”

  Marie paused and took a breath.

  “I’d lik
e her involved in the wedding. If she wants to, that is.”

  Lucas looked at her apprehensively.

  “I’m serious. Please tell her that I’m meeting with all the parents this weekend, her included if she wants, to get their input. She’s welcome to join us.”

  “Okay,” he said and put his arms around her waist. “This is why I love you.”

  “I’m a smart ole’ broad. You’re a lucky man.”

  Lucas laughed.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Do you want to come and have some input?”

  “Will your dad be there?”

  “Not likely.”

  “Then nope, you just tell me where to go and what time. All I care about is that moment I kiss my wife for the first time.”

  That weekend, Marie arrived at the brunch to meet her mother, only to find her father there as well.

  “Dad! I didn’t realize you were coming.”

  “Where’s Lukey? Is he coming?”

  “No, he’s mowing the lawn.”

  “Well, shit. I only came because he was gonna be here.” He leaned over and kissed his wife. “I’m gonna go harass my future-son-in-law. You hens stay here and cackle about wedding crap.”

  Marie laughed.

  “Okay, Daddy. Nice to see you too. Hi, Mom. Did you order yet?”

  “No, not yet, Dear. Just coffee. This is so exciting! So what are you thinking? Do you have samples?”

  “I’m so glad you’re excited about this.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Well, it’s my second marriage and you and Daddy already paid for a huge thing once before.”

  “Oh, but Dear, this is different. We love Lucas.” Marie gave her mother a sideways look, but let it go. “Anyway, let me see what you have so far.”

  “Well, we’re just doing something small. Really small. Intimate, special, just us and family. You know what I mean?”

  “You’re still going to have a gown and all the trimmings, correct?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m looking around.”