The first week of teaching came to an end as the three pm bell rang for dismissal. "Whew, what a week" Caroline stated aloud just as Mrs. Ferguson walked into the art room.
"Hectic week?" she chuckled lightly.
"A bit, but nothing I can't handle" Caroline replied putting materials away.
"Oh, we all understand. The first couple weeks are always the worse, settling into schedules and high school students changing their course schedules wanting to be with friends. Quite a few of the teachers get together on Friday nights for happy hour to unwind, which brings me here, we wanted to know if you'd like to join us."
Caroline had been planning on a quiet evening at home after this week. Tim was away filling in doing some background vocals for a band in California while Dena and Emily were with their church group for a retreat for the weekend. Despite being alone for the first time in months she was looking forward to it.
"Oh, I don't know, Mrs. Ferguson. I was kind of looking forward to a long, hot bath and a glass of wine this evening" Caroline replied with a smile, grabbing her keys from the desk.
"Oh, come with us. You can still have that glass of wine and it's a good way to get to know some of the other teachers. Just one drink?" she coaxed her.
Caroline had to admit she really didn't know many of the teachers at the school and a social gathering would be nice. She wished Tim could be with her but also knew there were some things she was going to have to do alone.
"Ok, but just one drink" she told her as they left the room together. Mrs. Ferguson told Caroline to follow her with her car, feeling it was easier than trying to give directions. Caroline quickly sent a text to Tim letting him know where she was going just in case he tried to reach her. He immediately responded "have fun, be careful, I Love You". She smiled at his response before placing her phone back in her purse.
The bar was busy when they arrived, with several elementary and high school teachers huddled together in groups. "Let's grab this table over here" Mrs. Ferguson stated, grabbing Caroline by the hand to lead her to it. Setting their purses down, she asked Caroline what she would like to drink. Caroline opened her purse for money when Mrs. Ferguson told her "put that away, this is my treat. And please, no more formalities, call me Shirley. Mrs. Ferguson makes me sound like an old fuddy duddy" causing them both to laugh. "Thank you, Shirley" she replied back.
Caroline sat back observing all the patrons, not only teachers but obviously some had their significant others. It made her miss Tim even more than she already did. Shirley made her way back to the table "ahh, didn't spill a drop" she remarked handing Caroline her glass of wine, noticing she was watching the crowd around them.
"Quite a diverse group, aren't they" Shirley stated. Caroline nodded in agreement as she sipped her wine.
"Let me fill you in on who's who" Shirley began to explain each person's position at the school, who they were with, who they were supposed to be with, and who would be dancing on the tables before the night was over. Caroline chuckled at some of her comments, thinking now Shirley most likely was the school gossip.
"Tell me about you, Shirley" she asked taking another sip off her wine.
"Not much to tell, really. I've been at the school for over twenty years. I began as a teacher, advancing my way to an administrator over the past 10 years" she answered.
"And what about Mr. Ferguson?" Caroline asked.
Shirley took a long sip of her drink then replied "there is no Mr. Ferguson. I mean, there was. He passed away about five years ago"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.." Caroline apologized.
Shirley gently patted her hand, "No worries, dear. We had a good life together. Your Tim reminds me a great deal of him. Tall, handsome, caring. I see how he looks at you. You be sure to hang onto that one, there aren't many like him anymore, a true southern gentleman" she replied making Caroline smile.
"Ok, let's get you introduced" Shirley stated, grabbing Caroline by the hand, leading her once again through the crowd. Making small talk with each person she felt Caroline should know, she would occasionally guide her away from a few others, including the principal's personal secretary.
"You really want to steer clear of her, she's a jealous one. She has a tendency to make it her mission to make life miserable for any new female at the school. She's messing around with the principal, who by the way is married, and she seems to think every woman is after him"
Caroline had met her when she was hired, seemed pleasant enough and found it difficult to understand that she could possibly be as bad as Shirley made her out to be. She was tall, toned, extremely attractive and carried herself with extreme confidence. Not exactly the type of person Shirley described. But then again after twenty years, Shirley had come to know just about everything about everyone.
A couple hours had passed by, Caroline was getting a bit tired, she said her goodbyes to the few that came and sat with her and Shirley then headed for home.
Caroline was about a half mile from the house when the car behind her flipped on its lights and yelped its siren. "For real?" she said to out loud as she pulled well over to the right shoulder. She tried to see who the officer was as he got out of his car but he had positioned his lights so as to cause a glare in both the rear and side view mirrors. Reaching for her license and registration, she recognized the voice outside the window. It was Bobby.
"Caroline, you ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" she replied with a questionable look. She knew she wasn't drunk, she really did have only one glass of wine.
"You've been wandering over the center line for about the last mile" he explained "have you been drinking?"
Caroline replied she'd had only one over two hours ago and where she was coming from. She explained she was very tired after her first week of work. Bobby believed her, he knew she wasn't one to consume much due to her condition and medications.
"Ok, well you want me to take you home?" he suggested.
"No, I'm fine, really. Like I said, a bit tired that's all" she replied.
Bobby let her drive home but followed close behind her to be sure she made it safely.