The Substitute

This story has some elements of truth.

A dear friend of mine was subject to a school investigation in the UK and told me that the worst part for her was being isolated from her friends and colleagues. She was told she would be dismissed if she had contact with them. She felt guilty until she was proven innocent. Although exonerated of any wrongdoing and with no stain on her record, it took her many years to get over the shock of being escorted from the premises and unable to defend herself. There may be no mark on her record, but there is a mark on her mental health and her capacity to trust.

Another friend was on a lengthy trial and found it hard to return to his everyday life after such an extended absence.

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, which inspects educational establishments in the UK.

There is no sex in this story, and I am reliably informed that Loving fiancees are allowed in the Loving Wives category.

Please note that after my last story was stolen and recorded for YouTube by Aurora Stories, this work is copyrighted, and I do not give permission for any part of it to be used elsewhere.

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Teaching was all I'd ever wanted to do. I was the first in my family to go to college. In the late eighties, a man wanting to teach young children raised some eyebrows. I had to fight to be able to do it, believing firmly that children should have a mixture of males and females throughout their school careers.

So, there I was 30 years ago, in my second year of teaching in a large Victorian school that had recently celebrated its centenary. The school had open fires in the classrooms until the late seventies. The windows in the classrooms may have made them bright, but they were so high that no child could see out of them. At six feet three inches, I was the only teacher who could see out. I was also the only male teacher in the infant department.

I'd had a fantastic first year. Not only had I passed my newly qualified teacher year with flying colours, but I had also bought my first home, and more importantly, I'd found love with Yvonne. She was petite with pale skin and vibrant red hair. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever known. She initially placed me in the friend zone, but I eventually won her over at the staff Christmas dance. We were together after that, and although we kept our distance at work, everyone knew we were a couple, including the parents.

I was proud of my relationship with the parents at school. I tried to be open and honest with them, and they responded to that because they knew I cared about their children. I liked them. That may seem like a prerequisite for being a teacher. But believe me, I have met many teachers during my career who didn't like children at all.

Of course, one of the cheekier dads, Mr Legerton, had to shout, "Hey, Mr. Ford, give Miss Barr one for me!"

It was all in good part, though and thankfully, went over the children's heads.

The truth was that I hadn't had the pleasure of giving Miss Barr one despite our recent engagement. Yvonne was a good Catholic girl who was anxious to wait till the wedding night for us to be together. I, of course, as a red-blooded 24-year-old man, was then anxious to get married as quickly as possible.

We pleasured each other in other ways, kissing and caressing, but it wasn't the same. At times, I started to feel that she thrived on my frustration. When I visited her flat, she wore less and less, and I was sure it was to drive me insane. In her little vest top with no bra, she was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. I often spent most of the evening sitting with a cushion on my lap. I could see the amusement in her eyes. She loved the effect she had on me, the vixen.

So, I was happy in my work, engaged to a girl I loved very much, albeit sexually frustrated, but it was still a golden time. Then the letter arrived: jury service. My school was not pleased, and neither was I. I'd have a round trip of forty miles a day and no one could tell me how long I would be needed. I've never reacted well to change. I liked my life as it was. I loved my class. I loved seeing my friends and colleagues every day. I loved knowing that Yvonne was close by.

The school would have to get a supply teacher in for me. He was called Graeme. I met him to do the handover, but I wasn't impressed. He didn't seem interested in the children that much. Physically, he was the complete opposite of me. I was tall and blonde and he was dark, short and squat, with tufts of hair escaping from his polo shirt. He didn't seem to be listening to me at all. The only time he perked up was when Yvonne arrived to tell me she'd see me later for our date at the cinema. I introduced them.

Graeme smiled and said, "I'm David's replacement."

She laughed and said, "No one could replace David. You're only here to hold the fort until he gets back."

"I'll try my best," he smiled.

After she left, he said, "Lovely girl, you've got there, David; you're a lucky man."

Before I left on my last day, I kept a copy of all my records, which in those days were contained in a big old-fashioned mark book--pages of class overviews and individual for the children. I made sure I photocopied it all before I left, partly for comparison later but also because I felt uncomfortable leaving my only copy with a virtual stranger. There was something about Graeme that got my hackles up.

I had only been on jury duty for two days when I got the bad news that I was on a big trial expected to last six months. Some people would be thrilled to be on a murder trial. I wasn't; it was the worst news I could get. Not only would I be away from my beloved job for all that time, missing Christmas with the children, but I wouldn't be able to see as much as Yvonne as I had been.

At first, things were OK. The trial was gruelling and I felt out of my depth, but I was with a good bunch of people. They tried to look after us at the court as much as possible, even allowing us to leave quietly so no one from the press could see us. The case was such a high profile that we were picked up by a coach from different drop-offs for our safety. They were keen that no one tried to coerce any jury members or worse.

Yvonne was always as happy to see me as I was to see her. We had a wonderful Christmas together, making plans for the wedding, but I missed her when I went back on duty and she went back to school. She stopped talking about school a lot. She said it upset me too much and wasn't keen when I asked how my class was doing; she said I had to let it go for now.

By February, it was three months into the trial, and the travelling and lack of fresh air in the courts started getting me down. Of course, it didn't help that the courts didn't close for the February half-term like school did, so I even missed that time with Yvonne. She wasn't happy about that. Neither was I. She went to visit an old college friend in the Lake District. When I asked her about her trip, she said it was cold. Very cold.

She was very cold towards me after that, too. I kept telling her that it wasn't my fault, and she agreed, but it didn't alter the fact that I felt she was angry with me. I tried to make it up to her in other ways. I made a special effort with date nights and little presents for her. Silly things that I knew she would like. I could tell that she liked them. I only hoped that things would return to normal after the trial.

Just before Easter, the trial ended after four months earlier than expected. The accused was found guilty of all charges, and I was a free man again, even if he wasn't.

I told the school the news and that I'd look forward to returning on Monday for the last week before the Easter holidays started. I was so keen to return to everyday life and see the children that I was back in my classroom bright and early at 7:45 a.m. Only it didn't seem like my classroom anymore. Graeme had changed everything. I understood that it had been his class for six months, but he'd done his best to remove all traces of me. A look at my stock cupboard showed he had been quite happy to use my personal things, though--the stuff I had bought with my own money.

At 8:00 AM, I was shocked when he appeared laughing with the Deputy Head, Pam. I must have looked surprised and said,

"Why are you here, Graeme? I'm back now."

Pam looked uncomfortable and said, "Perhaps you could come into the office, David. I know that Mr Harrison would like a word with you. Perhaps you'd like to bring Lynn with you, too?"

"Why would I want to bring Lynn with me?" I asked.

"Well, as your union rep, it may be wise."

As I left the classroom, I glanced at Graeme and saw him smirk. Lynn joined us in the head's office. Mr Harrison turned to me with a grim expression.

"This is unfortunate, David, and I know how much you had relished the idea of returning to school. I'm hopeful that that will come soon, but until then, I'm going to have to send you home, I'm afraid. You are not being suspended, but you will be on paid leave while we investigate."

"Investigate what? What am I accused of?"

"Well, it has been brought to our attention that you haven't followed the correct curriculum and have not been moving the children on in any way. Your planning is not fit for purpose, and there are some questionable comments about some of the capabilities of the children. I am shocked as I know that you had such a successful first year. It is hard to understand how you could go so drastically wrong so quickly. We need a few days to look at the data, and then we'll have a meeting to decide how best to move forward. To support you to improve, so to speak. We can put you on a capability arrangement where we monitor you closely with the hope that you improve."

"Hope that I improve!" I started to defend myself, but Lynn kicked me under the table to warn me to be quiet.

"Of course, you may not know the rules," continued Mr Harrison, "You are not allowed to be in contact with any staff member during the investigation. If you do, you will be dismissed."

"Does that include my fiancée?"

"I'm afraid it does, Mr Ford. If you did cohabit, I would have had to send her home, too."

Stunned, I was asked to leave the premises straight away. I wasn't even allowed to get my bag and coat. Lynn was dispatched to get them. If they could have taken me out of that school under a blanket like they had at court with the killer for my trial, they would.

Lynn walked me to my car and said she'd kicked me because she didn't want me to say anything until I had all the facts. I asked Lynn to tell Yvonne what had happened and that I couldn't contact her now.

"She knows David; I have already seen her. She was in your classroom when I went to get your stuff," Lynn looked at me sadly as she walked away.

At home, I couldn't settle. Minutes seemed like hours as I was trapped at home with my thoughts. I rang and told my stunned parents. They were supportive, but I couldn't talk to the one person I needed most-- Yvonne.

After three long days, I was called to a meeting alongside my local union rep. They had wanted the meeting to be at school. I had requested for it to be on neutral territory. So, I found myself in a hired room of the local library. I was accused of not planning correctly, not following the given curriculum and basic sloppiness. My report book was brought out as evidence, and I asked to see it. Mr Harrison pointed out the enormous strides children had made in the months I'd been absent.

There was only one problem. The marks in the mark book did not correlate with those I had copied. The plans that they submitted in evidence weren't my plans. I showed them my copies and my planning file. My planning that I knew was exemplary. There was a stunned silence from the other side of the table. I was asked to wait outside with my union rep.

When we went back in, the head of the Governor's spoke first "We will get to the bottom of this mistake, David, and we'd like to apologise for any stress we may have caused you."

"Thank you," I replied. "But it wasn't a mistake. Somebody has gone to a great deal of trouble to try and discredit me, and it is pretty obvious who it was. If I hadn't been so thorough, they would have succeeded and got to keep my job."

My union rep continued, "There are now only two days left of this term. Mr Ford will be off recovering from the stress of his ordeal. I trust this will be sorted by the time he returns to school after the holidays. Goodbye."

With that, we both left the room. I rang Yvonne to tell her that I could see her, but she didn't answer. In the end, I went to her flat, but she wasn't there.

As I was walking back, I saw Graeme sitting in his car. He rolled his window down, and he gave me a slow round of applause, "Well played, David. I'm impressed -- you win. It was worth a try. I quite fancied your job; I had them all eating out of my hand at that place. I decided it was worth trying to ensure you didn't return. I fancied your job, but not as much as I fancied your girl. That worked out better for me, though," he smirked.

"What do you mean?" I said in a quiet voice.

"Well, I got her into bed, something you could never manage. She was rubbish at first, but I've trained her up for you. She's really quite keen now. Don't worry; she's fully trained in every aspect. She took a lot of persuading to try some things, but I'm very persuasive," he leered.

"I've had my fun; she's got a bit too clingy for me, so you can have her back now. You should be thanking me -- enjoy."

I wanted to kill him, to rip his smug face off. I towered over him; I knew I could cause him some real damage. I paused and saw the look on his face. Yes, there was some fear, but there was something else, too. He was goading me; this was his final attempt to ruin me. If I hit him, he would have me for assault, which would end my teaching career.

"I don't believe your lies. I wouldn't dirty my hands by touching you," I said.

"What a pity your fiancée wasn't so fussy," he snarled as he roared off.

I went to her parents; I needed to find Yvonne; I needed her to tell me he was lying.

Her mother, Kathleen, opened the door and slapped my face.

"You bastard! We trusted you, and now she's pregnant. When are you going to make an honest woman of her?"

I stood there and looked at her in horror, "Pregnant?" I stammered. So, it was all true. I could barely speak; I was so shocked. He had been telling the truth. Somehow, I managed to gather my wits again.

"I can't make her an honest woman of her because she isn't honest. I certainly won't be marrying her because I'm not the baby's father."

"Why, you disgusting pig," shouted Kathleen.

"We've never slept together. She wouldn't let me. I respected her wishes. She was making me wait until the wedding night. It seems like she didn't make someone else wait. Did she say I was the father, Mrs Barr?"

"Well, no. She's only just admitted that she was pregnant. She wasn't for telling me, but a mother knows these things."

"Well, Mrs Barr, unless my sperm has flown two miles down the road and can get through a double-glazed window. That baby is not mine."

With that, shaking. I left, but not before I said,

"I think you should be knocking on the door of Graeme Wood -- if you want your grandchild to have a father."

Back at my flat, I couldn't believe the week I'd had. I felt like I was on some emotional rollercoaster; I just couldn't believe all that had happened. I couldn't understand why Graeme had gone to such lengths to mastermind my downfall.

I called Lynn and told her that I'd been exonerated. I thanked her for her support early in the week. She'd already heard about me being allowed to return.

"Did you know about Graeme and Yvonne, Lynn?"

There was a pause on the line, "I had my suspicions. I think we all did, but it was only when I saw her in your classroom on Monday that I knew for sure. They were very cosy together, and she certainly wasn't surprised that Graeme was still covering for you."

"You know she's pregnant?"

"No, I didn't know. Is it yours, David? What a mess."

"No, it is most definitely not mine, Lynn," I said, sobbing on the line to my colleague.

"David, you're not on your own, are you? Me and Brian are coming over now."

Within 20 minutes, Lynn and Brian, her husband, were on my doorstep. I had met Brian before, but he became a real friend that night--a friendship that continues to this day.

It was the beginning of the holidays when Yvonne turned up at my door. I let her in. I don't know why, curiosity, I suppose.

"I'm so sorry, David. I've made a terrible mistake."

"You think?" I replied.

"He just got to me. I didn't even find him that attractive at first. He's not a patch on you. He was just there. He was there every day, and he knew what buttons to press and how to manipulate me and the situation. He was so persuasive."

"Apparently so. Obviously persuasive enough for you to give him your virginity. Something I'd never managed to do despite putting a ring on your finger. I noticed you're still wearing it. Why?"

"I don't know. I just couldn't take it off. I just wish --"

"Take it off now and give it to me," I said, holding out my hand. She looked at me as she pulled off the ring we had lovingly picked out together and passed it to me.

"So, are you going to be Mrs Wood?" I spat.

"No, it's not what he wants. He wanted the job; he wanted me in his bed, but he didn't want marriage and a baby to go along with it. He soon decided that he didn't want me either."

"So, you came back to the backup plan? Looks like you hitched your horse to the wrong waggon, Yvonne, doesn't it?"

"I've been so stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. I wish I could say that it was just a last fling, but after a while, I started to substitute him instead of you in my plans for the future."

"So, not only my substitute teacher but my substitute in your heart, too?"

"No, not really. I never stopped loving you, but he was there and so persuasive; he told me so many lies, and things were so different with him. I know the difference now, and I know that it's really you I love."

"Well, thanks for that confirmation, but It is all a little late now."

"It doesn't have to be," she said, looking pleadingly at me, "You know, I can't get rid of the baby, and I'd never ask you to bring it up as your own, but I could go away and have it adopted, and I could come back and we could --"

"We could what, Yvonne? Pretend that you didn't sleep with that swine, doing everything with him?" I carried on as she winced, "Or pretend that you didn't help him when you tried to ruin my career and the rest of my life?"

"No, I didn't help him; he told me he'd found some Inconsistencies, but I didn't help him. I begged him not to; I defended you."

"Well, excuse me if I don't believe you; next, you will tell me you slept with him to try and stop him. That you did it for me."

"No, it was just that he didn't respect my boundaries as much as you did. He called me a tease, and eventually, it just happened. I didn't plan it."

"No, but I can guarantee that he did plan it. So, you teased him like you teased me, but he got the prize because he wasn't the nice guy I was. That's obviously where I went wrong. Trust me, though, I've realised that you are no prize."

"You've done nothing wrong - it was all me."

"And you kept going back for more, didn't you? Even if I could forgive you, old Graeme didn't leave any firsts for me, did he? He made sure that he told me that. When did it start?"

"He was working on me from the first day, flirting and chatting me up. Nothing happened until after Christmas. Then, I was so mad with you at the February half-term that he talked me into going away together. After that, I was so confused, and it was so hard not to carry on after I'd -."