The Veil

by K. T. Richey

  After work, she called Judy with the good news that Mr. Heckler would be leaving soon. However, her joy was erased when she learned Judy had to go back to the hospital for premature labor. She rushed to the hospital to be by her friend’s side. When she arrived in the room, Judy looked like she was really worried.

  “Hey, girl. Your mom told me you were here.” She walked to Judy’s bedside.

  “Just wanted to get out the house.” She slightly laughed as she leaned back on the bed with her eyes closed.

  Misha looked over at Randy, who was sitting in a chair near the window. When she looked at him, he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “Hey, Misha. I’m glad you came. We’ve been here all day. They’re just watching her now. They gave her something to stop the labor. I told her to stop doing all that work around the house. She’s hardheaded. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”

  “You’ve been here all day? Have you eaten?” Misha asked Randy.

  “I skipped lunch. I didn’t want her to be here alone.”

  “Why don’t you go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I’ll stay here.”

  “How long do you plan to be here?”

  “Well, how long do you need me to be?”

  “I need to run home and get my computer to do some work. We kinda left the house pretty quickly. I also need to check on the kids and get Judy some stuff.”

  “I can stay until you get back. Go ahead. Take your time.”

  “Thank you, Misha. I’ll get back as soon as I can. Honey, tell me what you need.”

  Judy rattled off a list of items she needed and her husband left them alone. Judy offered Misha a seat. A nurse came in and checked the long printout coming from the machine that sat on a table on the right side of the bed. She asked Judy several questions. She adjusted the IV and left the room.

  “How are you feeling? What’s going on?” Misha asked.

  “I started having contractions this morning. They gave me something to stop them. I haven’t had one since this morning. The doctor is going to keep me in here a couple of days anyway.”

  “What kind of work were you doing?”

  “Nothing heavy. I was so bored. I had to do something.”

  “You know you’re supposed to stay off your feet.”

  “I know. I know. Please, don’t you start too. I’ve heard it from everybody today. It was one simple mistake.”

  “Okay, I won’t get on you. I’m worried about you.”

  “I’ve learned my lesson. I didn’t have these problems with the other kids. I don’t know about this one. I just don’t know.”

  Misha looked at her friend lying back on the bed with a look of worry on her face. She didn’t want her to be down. Silence filled the room. She prayed to herself, asking God to show her how to cheer Judy up.

  “Guess what?” Misha tried hard to make her voice sound cheerful.

  “What?”

  “Mr. Stalker Heckler is leaving.”

  Judy sat up in the bed and adjusted the head of the bed so she could sit up comfortably. “What happened?” She listened as Misha filled her in on all the information they received in the meeting, including some juicy gossip one of the teachers told her. Judy started laughing when Misha told her one of the counselors said Roger was telling everyone Gloria was stalking him and Gloria had gone off on him in the office in front of everybody. She threatened to go to Mr. Davis and tell him about all the lies he told on Misha. “What goes around comes around,” Judy said.

  “Girl, it’s a big mess. She hasn’t apologized to me. I don’t expect her to. I’ll pray for her.”

  “Pray for her? Remember, you’re the one who prayed for the truth. When truth is revealed, people involved are affected and guilty parties are uncovered and always get hurt. That’s God’s vengeance. Now if she comes to you, it’ll be up to you how you handle it. You can do the ‘I told you so’ thing or you can forgive and minister to her. It’s up to you.” Judy adjusted herself in the bed as she spoke.

  “Look at you, Miss Teacher. I thought you were sick.”

  “I don’t know where that came from.” She leaned back in the bed. “You better listen. Have you forgiven them?”

  “A long time ago.”

  “Good, so if she comes to you, you can receive her in love.”

  “Preach on my sista.” Misha laughed and Judy threw a pillow at her. She caught it in midair.

  “Oooo, stop making me laugh. It’s putting pressure on the baby.”

  “I’m sorry. What’s wrong?” Misha jumped up and ran over to the bed. “Are you okay? Should I call the nurse?”

  “Calm down. I’m fine. Put that pillow back behind my head. I needed to laugh.” She smiled as she leaned into the pillow. “Misha, sometimes you have to go through some pain to give birth. It can be at the beginning, end, or even during the process. Either way, you’re still going to have pain when you’re pregnant. This is the order of things if you want to birth something important. I’ll get through this. This child is special. We both know that.”

  Misha sat down in the chair, listening to Judy minister to her at a time when she needed ministry.

  She will preach the gospel.

  They continued their conversation until Randy came back into the room. Misha left the hospital, inspired by the words Judy said. She taught her a lot that night about enduring pain and hardship.

  The next morning Misha walked into her classroom and was greeted by a note from Mr. Davis stating he wanted to meet with her during her planning period. She was prepared to be called into the office because of Roger and Gloria. She prayed for both of them before she started her day and asked God to help her minister when the time came.

  She walked to the office confident that the truth had been revealed and she would be vindicated of all the lies that were told on her by Roger and Gloria. Instead, she found Mr. Heckler and Mr. Davis waiting for her in the office. Mr. Heckler looked and acted very professional as he greeted her when she walked into the room.

  “Hello, Ms. Holloway. Come on in. Close the door behind you,” Mr. Davis requested.

  Misha did as instructed and sat down in the chair closest to the door. She looked around the office at all the plaques on the wall and the large desk she was too familiar with this year. She glanced over at Mr. Heckler dressed in a black suit with a light green shirt with French cuffs. She stared at the emerald beetle bug-shaped cufflinks that protruded from underneath his sleeve.

  “Ms. Holloway, as I informed y’all Mr. Heckler and I would be talking with some of you about his findings. Today, we want to go over your reports.”

  “Is that what this is about? I thought you wanted me for something else.” Misha relaxed in the chair.

  “Really? What?” Mr. Davis looked puzzled.

  Misha waved it off. “Never mind. Go ahead with what you were saying.”

  Mr. Davis paused for a moment as if he was trying to think of what she may have been talking about. Then he continued talking. “I’m going to let Mr. Heckler go over his report with you.”

  “Ms. Holloway, how are you today? You look nice,” Mr. Heckler noted.

  “Thank you. I like those cufflinks.”

  “These?” He held up his forearm. “Can you believe I found these at an estate sale? This is the first time I’ve worn them.”

  “Well, they’re nice.”

  Mr. Davis cleared his throat. Misha and Mr. Heckler looked at him. “Mr. Heckler, the report.” Mr. Davis pointed to the notes Mr. Heckler held in his hand.

  “Yes, the report. Miss Holloway, your students seemed to be doing well in your courses. I did an average of your tests scores and your students were in the upper percentile in both your class grades and standardized testing.”

  He gave Misha a copy of his report showing the averages in her classes compared to the school, state, and nationwide averages. They allowed her time to briefly read over the report. She was proud her students were scoring well on the tests despite their lack of real i
nterest and enthusiasm in the classes. Mr. Heckler continued discussing her scores as she read the report.

  “Miss Holloway, why do you think your scores are so high compared to others?”

  “Well, Mr. Heckler, I take time with my students. I encourage them to study and be creative in their assignments. I don’t want them to remember only dates and events. I want them to know how it affected history and things around them. If they learn that, then they’re more likely to remember the information. Looks like it’s working.”

  “A little too well,” Mr. Heckler said.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well, in comparison to your classroom tests scores, your students shouldn’t be scoring so high on standardized testing.”

  “What are you saying?” Misha watched as Mr. Heckler stood and began walking the floor like an attorney interrogating a witness.

  “Well, based on your classroom scores, your students should be scoring significantly lower on the tests. Can you tell me how that is?”

  “What are you suggesting? Are you saying I’m coaching my students with the tests?”

  “I’m not saying that.”

  “What he’s saying is it appears there are some discrepancies in your report. We are not accusing you of anything,” Mr. Davis chimed in.

  “Why do I feel like you are, Mr. Davis?”

  “I have no reason to think you’re cheating for your students. Mr. Heckler will talk with some of your students about your teaching methods and add their comments to his report before he submits the complete report to the State. We wanted to make sure you were aware of this.”

  Misha looked at both of them. They were suggesting she may be cheating on standardized testing. She never cheated. She could not explain why her students did better on the standardized tests than her classroom work. She concluded they were probably looking at the pop quizzes she gave her students on a regular basis to make sure they were studying. This could have been the cause of the lower test scores in her class.

  “I feel you are questioning my integrity. Mr. Davis, I have never given you any reason to believe I would stoop to cheating on tests.” Misha inched to the edge of her chair.

  “We’re not saying that you’re cheating. It could be you have a lot of pop tests that many of your students don’t do well on and that lowers your students overall grades,” Mr. Heckler said. He knew that was exactly the problem.

  “Are you suggesting I stop giving pop tests? That’s the only way I know to make my students study.”

  “There are other ways to teach them other than giving pop tests,” Mr. Heckler responded.

  “What do you suggest? Are you a teacher? How many years of teaching do you have?” Misha fired back.

  Mr. Heckler returned to his seat. “I don’t have to be a teacher to know how to teach children. The State hired me to do a job. Based on research, there are more effective ways of teaching,” he said.

  Misha’s breathing deepened. She felt as if she were strangling trying to keep what she felt on the inside. Deciding not to argue with them, she stopped commenting on everything they told her. She was being ganged up on. Remembering God told her it was time to leave her job, she tried to relax. This was part of the process, but she did not want to get fired. If this was the way God had arranged it, then she would have to submit herself to His will, even if she did not like it.

  “I will start talking with some of your students tomorrow,” Mr. Heckler informed her.

  “Thanks for telling me. Will there be anything else?”

  “No. You may leave,” Mr. Davis said. Both of the men stood as Misha stood to leave the room.

  Misha left the office fuming mad. She looked at the report she held tightly in her hand. She decided to analyze the figures for herself when she got home. She was convinced it was only Mr. Heckler getting back at her for not going out with him. She was determined to find problems with his report.

  The next day, Misha came in armed with notes she made about the report. She was prepared to discuss her findings with Mr. Davis and Mr. Heckler. When she entered her classroom, Mr. Heckler was looking out the window.

  “Hello.” She hesitated. “Didn’t expect to see you here this morning,” she said. He turned around. Misha walked to her desk and placed her bags on her desk. “Can I help you with something?”

  “I don’t want you to get the wrong message about what happened yesterday.”

  “Oh you mean the way you decided to get back at me for not going out with you? That’s very childish, Mr. Heckler. I expected more of you.”

  “I was only doing my job.”

  “I reviewed your little report and my numbers don’t match yours.”

  “Are you suggesting I was lying?” He walked closer to her desk.

  “I’m only saying my numbers don’t match yours.” Misha was on the defense. She was ready for him. She stood looking at him with her hand on her hip, ready to defend herself on every hand.

  “So you are saying I’m lying?”

  “Look Mr. . . .” Misha suddenly became weak. She felt like she was going to faint. She leaned forward and gripped the desk.

  “Miss Holloway, are you all right?” Mr. Heckler asked as he rounded her desk to catch her in case she fell.

  “What?”

  “Are you all right? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

  “I only got a little lightheaded. School is about to start. I need to prepare for my classes. If you don’t mind, please leave me alone.”

  Heckler turned and walked out of the door. Misha gripped the edge of the desk like she was trying to break off a piece. She began to pray to herself. Finally, she gained enough strength to sit down in the chair. She put her head on the desk and prayed silently until the first students walked into her classroom.

  Misha made it through first and second period, even though she was feeling weak and nervous. She stood up to begin teaching her third period class. She walked between the lined seats holding on to each one as she passed. Once again, she felt extremely weak and she gripped the back of two of the seats and bent over. She had a severe pain in her chest.

  “Miss Holloway, are you all right?” one of her students asked. The student left her desk and ran to Misha when she did not answer her.

  Misha could not move. The pain in her chest was crippling. She felt weak. Then the pain hit her sharper. Misha grabbed her chest and fell to the floor.

  Misha awoke and looked around her surroundings. She was no longer in school. She edged up slightly. She was in a hospital room. She looked at her arm. An IV had been placed on the back of her hand. She tried to push herself up. She looked to her side and spotted her Aunt Mattie, Uncle Paul’s wife, sitting in a chair in the corner.

  “No, Misha. Just lie there. I’ll let the nurse know you’re awake.” She stood and walked to Misha’s bedside.

  “Aunt Mattie? What happened?”

  “They said you passed out at work.”

  “Aunt Mattie, you may not believe this. Something happened. Something bad. I could feel it.” Misha sat up on the bed.

  “No, Misha, lie back down.” Aunt Mattie patted her hand.

  “No, you don’t understand. Something’s wrong. I’ve got to get out of here.” Misha pressed the nurse call button. She wanted the nurse to remove the IV so she could leave the hospital. “Aunt Mattie, you don’t understand. I could feel something bad is going to happen. I just know it. I’ve got to get back to the school.”

  “Misha, be quiet. You’re getting yourself all worked up. Now your brother is on his way here. The doctor will be in here momentarily.”

  Misha lay on the bed, knowing something was really wrong. She didn’t know what it was but she could feel it in every part of her being. The sooner she got out of there, the sooner she would be able to find out what was happening.

  Chapter 23

  The following day Misha returned to her class after having been diagnosed with severe anemia and told to take iron pills and eat
food loaded with iron. Dr. Trinidad had already told her that but she neglected to do it, preferring to eat fast food instead. She had finals coming up and she wanted to do her best both at her school and at Clark.

  Although things were winding down with school, Misha still felt that something was wrong—out of place. She saw Heckler walking down the hall and that nervous feeling in her stomach came back with a vengeance. He only had a few days before he left and it was not soon enough for her. The sooner the better, was all she thought about. She was depending on the Word from the Lord that she was leaving that job soon so she did not care if Roger stayed or left. If God told her she was leaving, then another job for her was coming open soon.

  At school, she tried hard to delve into her work, although sometimes during her planning period, she would think about Matthew and the way he would come into her life. She would call him when the feeling hit her. She was young and full of life. She did not need to be sitting home alone with no one to hang out with.

  She joined the singles ministry at the church but it was not the same. There were too many women chasing after the eight men who dared to be a part of the ministry. It was not what she wanted. She loved going to jazz clubs, museums, festivals, and other special events, including church. But, she had no one to go with. In addition to that she had no one to talk to other than her grandmother and she couldn’t talk to her grandmother like she would talk to a man. She wanted someone who made her voice change and made her feel like a woman. Her grandmother did not do it for her.

  To add insult to injury, Roger continued to use Mr. Heckler to harass her. He knew her too well and called her bluff. And, Bishop Moore told the pastor of a church she was scheduled to preach at not to let her preach. As a result, they cancelled her speaking engagement. What was it about her that made these grown men bent on destroying her? She had no clue.

  One day as she was sitting at her desk, she heard a voice in her spirit.

  I have prepared a love to heal your heart. Call Matthew.

  She wiped her eyes. “God, I have called him. He didn’t show. God help me. I want my husband and a baby from my own body. Only you can help me. Give me someone to love. Give me someone who loves me.”