“Let’s go in Sex Piston.” She owed these women her life. She wasn’t going to insult them by asking them to leave.
Once everyone was seated, the meeting was called to order. The meeting started with discussions of the budget. Ben Stiles read the next item on the docket, which was to terminate Winter’s employment. Ms. Richards stood to her feet. When they gave her permission to speak, she gave clear and concise reasons why Winter should not be fired, stating her professional record and the contributions she made to the school system as a whole. Not just the high school, she often volunteered performing duties beyond her job description. Several of her students had shown up also to support her, giving their testimonials of what she had been able to accomplish for their future. Then her fellow colleagues were asked to speak.
“They hire her back, I’m going to go back and get my diploma,” Crazy Bitch whispered loudly to Sex Piston.
“You’re too old,” Sex Piston told her, not trying to whisper.
“I’m not too old, I’m just twenty-five.”
“That’s too old, those snooty bitches,” Sex Piston nodded toward the high school teachers that had came to support Winter, “would be afraid you’d fuck the boys and turn the girls into bitches.”
“Don’t want no young dick,” Crazy Bitch refuted, not denying the possibly about recruiting the girls.
“You’d fuck young stud dick,” Killyama broke into the conversation.
“Don’t fuck young dick, wouldn’t fuck them stuck-up bastards behind that big desk either,” Crazy Bitch argued back.
Winter bit her knuckle as they talked, having long since regretted inviting the biker bitches to stay.
“Two of them are women,” Sex Piston said popping her gum.
“Which ones?” Both Crazy Bitch and Killyama scrutinized the school board members.
The board stopped further testimonials, calling for a vote while several members glared at the women. Actually there were three female board members Winter counted.
Winter jumped to her feet. “Before you judge my future employment, I would like a chance to speak.”
“Go ahead.” Ben Stiles motioned her towards the podium.
“First, I would like to thank the School Board for taking time in their busy schedule to give me a fair opportunity to explain.” Winter described her attack and her recovery at The Last Riders. “I will not deny I am in a committed relationship with Mr. James, who is the president of The Last Riders, but in all fairness, the board must admit it is not in my contract that I couldn’t live out of wedlock with a male. Furthermore, I feel that it is hypocritical to hold it against me for living with Loker James when two members of the school board share a similar situation.”
“Loker James has also become an important member of our community and will, in the near future, be one of Treepoint’s largest employers. Next week, they will start hiring for over fifty positions that will also pay a very generous salary with full benefits.”
The school board perked up immediately, new business meant collecting more in taxes.
“If I cannot find employment in Treepoint, we have decided to move to Ohio, where Mr. James has an existing factory and I will be able to find a job in the field of education which I love. Mr. James has no ties to this town. It was his brother who was murdered by one of the very members who used to seat on this board. Both of us would like to see his brother’s dream of helping our financially deprived community find opportunities and wouldn’t want this board’s decision to effect the community by denying them much needed employment.”
“Ms. Simmons, your job has already been filled by your vice-principal, Jeff Morgan.” Ben Stiles informed her with a frown. If the townspeople found out they didn’t get high paying jobs because of the school board, firing Winter could backfire on them. There wasn’t a person in the meeting room who didn’t know that, in their economically depressed area, money came before morality.
“I don’t want my job back at the high school. I want to be the principal at Riverview since Mr. Woods has long been overdue for retirement. The extremely high rate of drop outs exhibits that he is unable to understand his student’s needs. I feel, in all truthfulness, that I can make a change for the better at the alternative school. My records will show that Treepoint High School had the lowest drop out rates in twenty years during my years as a principal.”
The school board members stared back and forth among each other. Winter knew that Mr. Woods was heartily disliked. The only reason that he was still employed was because no one wanted the job. It was a punishment to be sent there. Mr. Woods also had an affair with the gym teacher and had been caught in the equipment room.
“The School Board will return to a closed session and take a vote. We will notify Ms. Richards within the next forty-eight hours of our decision.”
Winter sat back down in her chair.
“Is that three days?” Crazy Bitch asked.