Mr. Morris said, "Ms. Martini, I noticed that this is the second time that that rough neck with the tattoos has showed up during one of your classes…is he a personal friend of yours?"
I said, "No sir."
Mr. Morris said, "Good heavens that man isn't stalking you is he?"
I said, "No sir."
He said, "So what is he doing here then?"
I said, "He's just a guy I met and he wanted to talk to me about a few things…"
Mr. Morris scratched at his go-tee and said, "If he is going to be a problem, we can always get extra security."
I said, "No, Mr. Morris, he won't be a problem I promise."
He said, "Well…you seem to be struggling for the last couple of weeks…I think and the rest of the board thinks that it would be in your best interest and the interest of the students if you took some personal time off to get yourself straightened out…"
I said, "But sir…"
Mr. Morris held up his hand to quiet me and said, "If you are distracted with something going on in your life…then you're not giving your students 100 of your attention…so they aren't getting the proper teaching that they rightly deserve and require."
I stood up and said, "Are you firing me Mr. Morris?"
He said, "No, absolutely not…Alyssa you know as well as I do…you are the best instructor this school has to offer…you was the best dancer until your unfortunate accident…but none the less…just because you can't dance anymore…doesn't mean you can't share your passion for life with others."
He paused for a minute and continued, "Which is why we even approached you for the instructor's position…we knew you had enough heart to come back and teach these students how to rise above the pain and heartache…and dance their asses off…"
I said, "How much time does the board wish me to take off?"
Mr. Morris said, "Nothing less then 6 months…it's a paid leave of absences…so you will still be getting checks delivered to your apartment every 2 weeks, just like always."
I felt like I had been punched in the stomach…
6 months.
They were firing me…but it was just a nice way of saying we know you're married…so well pay you 6 months of work for you to leave quietly and not make a scene.
With no more words being spoken, I walked out…Mark stood up and said, "Anything I can do to help?" I said, "No…I really think you've done enough."
I walked back to my classroom, and Samantha was teaching the little girls…I walked in and explained that I was taking a leave of absence and gave all the girls a hug…and told Samantha to come by my apartment later, and I'd explain everything. I went to my office grabbed my purse and car keys and took off after locking up my office.