Her Melting Point

God's Gift to Women

"I- I honestly don't know what to say, Gabe."

A pause stretched. Jackie's mind was working through scenario after scenario, recalling procedures, calculating repercussions - unexpectedly, not for Gabe's sake. There was nothing connecting her to him now, from the legal point of view; but the teaching community was small.

He, on the other hand, was probably stunned into silence by her uncharacteristically unobliging attitude.

"I can't believe it. Jackie, don't you understand? I need you to look into this for me," he said - his voice suddenly almost devoid of his 'charming Southern drawl.'

Jackie knew he'd been exaggerating his accent, despite having moved years ago; but before, she'd seen it as an innocent game, just to give colour to his existing personality. At the moment, it as if grated on her hearing.

"That time, when allegations were made against Graham, I was his Head," Jackie said slowly. "It was my responsibility. And I knew the situation. I had other staff and pupils who could testify in his defence."

"What are you saying, Jackie?" Gabe was raising his voice. "Do you need any testaments from my pupils? Would you like me to gather evidence in my defence?"

Jackie was asking herself the same question. A storm of contradictory thoughts and emotions made her ears ring. Did she truly think him capable of it? And what did it say about her, if she did? She'd been married to him for a decade; she'd supported him in his education and in building his career. If she could believe that he was a danger to children now, had she been ignorant or blind all this time?

Being the coward that she was; she, of course, went for a path of least resistance.

"Gabe, may I remind you, Graham was still dismissed from his position. He was proven innocent, but we couldn't have a teacher with his reputation. He wasn't banned from teaching, but he switched fields after that. Rumours would still circulate."

That was an interesting déjà vu. Hadn't she once told Alexander the same?

"Well, this surely makes me feel so much better," Gabe gritted through his teeth venomously. "I'll take an official dismissal without a ban over possible escalation to the tribunal, Jackie. So, are you going to help me or not?"

"I will give you the contact information of the lawyer," she answered. "He's a close friend of Becca's, so if you need a reference-"

Gabe made a low noise, sort of a tense hum; and Jackie, who was trying to get up from the sofa, halted midway.

"What's up?"

"I'm not particularly chummy with Becca these days."

Jackie slumped back into her nest of blankets and pillows.

"Oh my, what could've possibly happened?" she asked. Not only had she never used this sarcastic, acidic tone with him; she hadn't been aware that she was capable of it! "Last I heard, you two were very chummy."

Said last time she'd heard anything about Becca, Jackie's former best friend and for a while the wife of Jackie's first love, had been five years ago; when Becca had let Gabe know that in the short months after he'd temporarily broken it off with Jackie, she'd had been in a relationship with Stephen Bassey, her TA; which Jackie had been stupid enough to share with Becca.

Gabe had used this fact to break the already guilt-stricken, self-loathing Jackie; and masterfully manoeuvred her into accepting even less favourable conditions of their divorce settlement. He'd 'graciously allowed' her to sell him her half of their house for a ridiculously low price, at which it had been purchased from Jackie's distant relative years earlier, before all the renovations that she'd planned, supervised, and paid for.