Between the Sheets Read online

  So… last week?

  TERESA

  I believe so, yes.

  Beat.

  MARION

  Tell me… why is it that my husband seems to be the only one receiving information from you?

  TERESA

  I don’t believe that’s true.

  MARION

  No? You said that my husband knew about the interviews. Why wasn’t I informed?

  TERESA

  I don’t know.

  MARION

  You don’t. You don’t have any idea?

  TERESA

  I left a message on your house line.

  MARION

  I never received any message from you.

  TERESA

  Well, I left one. School policy is that we phone parents… all parents… to let them know about these types of events. I—

  TERESA walks back to her desk. She rifles through the pages in Alex’s folder.

  932-7674. Is that your home number?

  MARION

  Yes.

  TERESA

  I left a message on that line.

  MARION

  This isn’t the first time that this has happened. My husband knew about the museum trip last month that he volunteered for. I didn’t know about that little excursion either. I didn’t know anything about it until Alex mentioned it that morning.

  TERESA

  I phoned your house on that occasion as well. As you can appreciate, it’s very hard for me to know how information is being disseminated. I have no way of knowing who’s—

  MARION

  Does the school know you’re only keeping in touch with one of Alex’s parents?

  TERESA

  It’s quite common.

  MARION

  Is it?

  TERESA

  Absolutely. I often only have contact with one parent per household during the school year.

  MARION

  Alex has been here for three years. That’s never been our experience.

  TERESA

  As you know, parents are very busy. It isn’t unusual for one parent to take the lead with class communication.

  MARION

  Class communication?

  TERESA

  How I communicate what’s happening—

  MARION

  I understand what it means, thanks.

  MARION drops her coat and purse on one of the student’s desks.

  And how is that decision made exactly?

  TERESA

  How?

  MARION

  Yes. How do you determine which parent in any given household you’re going to communicate with?

  TERESA

  It can depend.

  MARION

  On?

  TERESA

  On a number of things. If a parent has requested to—

  MARION

  Did one of us request that? I certainly didn’t, so unless a decision was made without my consent—

  TERESA

  Your husband asked me to be in touch regarding Alex’s school year. I’m not privy to how those decisions are made at home.

  MARION

  He asked you that? He asked you not to contact me?

  TERESA

  He didn’t ask me not to contact you. He simply asked me to contact him. There’s a difference.

  MARION

  Apparently.

  TERESA

  Again, I don’t know how those decisions are made. I simply contact whoever—

  MARION

  Well you’ve been doing an excellent job then, don’t you think?

  Beat.

  TERESA

  Excuse me?

  MARION

  You heard me.

  TERESA

  I don’t know what you mean by—

  MARION

  I think you do.

  Beat.

  I’ve seen you.

  TERESA

  Seen?

  MARION

  Together… in the parking lot.

  TERESA

  I don’t know what you’re talking about—

  MARION

  We came to pick up Alex. I went to the office to drop something off. I saw the two of you talking to one another. He leaned in to whisper something to you. He put his hand on your back. Do you not remember that?

  TERESA

  I don’t. I think you…

  MARION

  You think what?

  TERESA

  I think you have the wrong idea.

  MARION

  No. No, I don’t think I do.

  TERESA

  Mrs. Siller—

  MARION

  What!?

  Beat.

  TERESA

  I want you to know… I hear what you’re saying. I hear your frustration.

  MARION

  Do you?

  TERESA

  Yes. You feel like, perhaps, you haven’t been kept in the loop as much as you would like regarding what takes place in my class.

  MARION

  I think I’ve been deliberately kept out of the loop, Miss Stewart.

  TERESA

  I can assure you… no one is keeping you out of anything.

  MARION

  I don’t believe that.

  TERESA

  No one is—

  MARION

  I don’t believe that for one fucking second.

  TERESA

  Please, just… calm down.

  MARION

  Don’t tell me to calm down. I know what I saw!

  TERESA

  Look…

  Beat.

  I thought your husband was passing along everything we spoke about regarding Alex’s school year. I can be in touch with you on a more regular basis, if you prefer. That’s not a problem. We can—

  MARION

  Do you understand what I’m saying to you or not?

  TERESA

  I understand what you’re implying.

  MARION

  Implying?

  TERESA

  I’m not sure why you have it in your head that—

  MARION

  You think I’m making this up?

  TERESA

  I didn’t say—

  MARION

  You look me in the eye and tell me that I’m making this up.

  TERESA looks at her.

  TERESA

  I think you’re confused.

  MARION

  Confused?

  TERESA

  I think there’s been some confusion around what you think you saw.

  MARION

  You sent home notes with my son.

  TERESA

  I send notes home with all of my students.

  MARION

  You sent a note home… after Parents’ Night… at the start of the year. I found it in Alex’s bag. You gave my husband your email address.

  TERESA

  He asked for a way to contact me. He had a few questions regarding the curriculum—

  MARION

  It was your personal email address.

  TERESA

  I give out both of my accounts. It depends on—

  MARION

  What? It depends on what?

  TERESA

  Our school accounts are temperamental. If someone needs to get in touch with me… it isn’t uncommon for me to give out my personal account.

  MARION

  And the school is aware of the fact that you ask parents to contact you at home?

  TERESA

  I have never ask
ed anyone to contact me at home, per se.

  MARION

  You asked my husband. “Be in touch.” You wrote that on a note you sent home with Alex. You wrote that beside your personal email address.

  TERESA

  Your husband had some questions about the first unit we were working on.

  MARION

  Not once this entire year have you reached out to me and yet you gave—

  TERESA

  Mrs. Siller… with all due respect… we are halfway through the school year.

  MARION

  I’m aware of that.

  TERESA

  If there was a problem you’ve had every opportunity to approach me. You could have let me know that you weren’t happy with the way we were—

  MARION

  Well I’m telling you now.

  TERESA

  Exactly. I have left countless messages at your house this year. I have sent home class reports… permission forms for class trips. This is the first time it has been brought to my attention that there is any kind of problem.

  MARION

  Stop it.

  TERESA

  If you have had an issue with the way I was communicating with you or your husband you could have come to me sooner—

  MARION

  You can’t keep doing this. You’re lying.

  TERESA

  I never—

  MARION

  You have been writing to him for months. You have been writing to each other for months.

  TERESA

  I told you—

  MARION

  You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to write to him. You didn’t have to tempt him.

  TERESA

  Tempt him?

  MARION

  Yes! You tempted him! You tempted my husband!

  MARION grabs her binder and slams it open on TERESA’s desk.

  Read it.

  Beat.

  (quietly) Read it!

  TERESA hesitates then moves towards her desk.

  She reads the page that lies open in the binder.

  I have every one… every single one. Every one you wrote to him. Every one he wrote to you.

  TERESA begins to flip through the pages in the binder.

  TERESA

  Where…

  She takes a moment.

  (quietly) Where did you get these from? These are—

  MARION

  What? These are—

  TERESA

  (quietly) Private!

  TERESA closes the binder.

  It’s none of your business.

  MARION

  All of this is my business! I have the right to know everything that’s been going on between the two of you.

  TERESA

  Where did you—

  MARION

  Does the school know this is the kind of contact you have with parents here?

  TERESA

  I don’t have contact with any other parents—

  MARION

  No, that’s right… you only have contact with my husband.

  TERESA

  Does he know you have these?

  MARION

  Does that matter?

  TERESA

  Yes! It’s a crime… you know that, don’t you?

  MARION

  A crime?

  TERESA

  Breaking into his… entering someone else’s—

  MARION

  I didn’t enter anything, you little shit. He left his account open. On our computer! In our office! At our home!

  TERESA heads for the door.

  Where are you going—

  TERESA closes it.

  TERESA

  I understand that you’re upset.

  MARION

  You understand nothing.

  TERESA

  But I can’t talk to you about this here. This is my job.

  MARION

  Well you should have thought about that before you—

  TERESA

  Please. Somebody could hear us. Somebody might walk in. I wouldn’t do this to you. I wouldn’t barge into your office—

  MARION

  You would have no business being at my office. I pay for my son to be here. Don’t you forget that. I pay… we pay for our son to be in the same room with you every day. I have every right to be here.

  TERESA

  Please.

  MARION

  Do you think this is easy for me… to be in the same room as you?

  TERESA

  No. I don’t. But you—

  MARION

  How long have you been seeing him?

  Beat.

  Answer the question.

  TERESA

  Marion.

  MARION

  Don’t do that. Don’t use my name.

  TERESA walks to her desk.

  TERESA

  This has nothing to do with me.

  MARION

  It has nothing to do with you?

  TERESA

  This is between you and him.

  MARION

  How can you say that? It has everything to do with you.

  TERESA

  I—

  MARION

  You are fucking my husband!

  TERESA goes to her purse. She pulls out her phone.

  What are you doing?

  TERESA begins to dial. Her hands shake.

  Put that down.

  TERESA turns away.

  I’m serious.

  MARION moves closer to her.

  Put down the phone.

  TERESA

  (into the phone) Hi!

  MARION grabs the phone out of TERESA’s hand and throws it against the blackboard.

  The phone shatters into pieces.

  TERESA freezes.

  MARION

  I don’t care if this is your job… I don’t care if this is where you work. I will go to the principal, the parents’ board… I don’t care who I have to speak to. You will be out of here so fucking fast—

  TERESA

  This doesn’t concern my job.

  MARION

  You better believe it concerns your job. You are sleeping with a student’s father.

  TERESA

  They would have cause for concern if this involved a student but it doesn’t.

  MARION

  You think the school wants to know that you’re fucking—

  TERESA

  I am great at my job.

  MARION

  I don’t care if you’re the best goddamn teacher in the universe… I will make your life as difficult as I possibly can. Do you understand me?

  TERESA

  I—

  MARION

  How long have you been seeing him!?

  Beat.

  Answer the question or so help me god I will—

  TERESA

  A couple of months.

  Beat.

  MARION

  A couple?

  TERESA

  Yes. A couple.

  MARION

  So… what? Since December, January—

  TERESA

  Since Sept— Since the end of September.

  Beat.

  MARION

  Who else knows about this?

  TERESA

  No one.

  MARION

  You haven’t told anyone?

  TERESA

  No.

  MARION

  You haven’t told any of your girlfriends?

  TERESA

  No.
/>
  MARION

  Family? Roommates? Co-workers? Does anyone here know?

  TERESA

  I said no!

  MARION shakes her head in disbelief.

  MARION

  (quietly) He should have known better.

  TERESA

  He’s—

  MARION

  He’s old enough to be your father.

  TERESA

  He’s not that old.

  MARION

  Oh, yes he is.

  TERESA

  Well… I’m not that young.

  MARION

  No?

  TERESA

  No.

  MARION

  How old are you?

  TERESA

  Twenty-eight.

  MARION

  Oh god.

  MARION covers her face with her hands.

  Beat.

  She turns to TERESA.

  When were you last together?

  Beat.

  I know it’s been in the last week.

  Beat.

  Where do you meet?

  Beat.

  Where do you meet him?

  TERESA

  I have never been to your house, if that’s what you’re asking.

  MARION

  How do I know that? How do I know that you’re telling the truth?

  TERESA

  I don’t know how you know that.

  MARION

  I want you to tell me.

  TERESA

  I am. I am telling you! What… what do you want me to say?

  MARION

  You stood there minutes ago and you lied to my face. How the hell am I supposed to—

  TERESA

  Why are you asking me anything if you’re not going to believe me?

  MARION

  You have been deceiving me for months.

  TERESA

  I have not been deceiving you.

  MARION

  No?

  TERESA

  No! He…

  She stops herself.

  You should be talking to him.

  MARION

  I want to hear it from you.

  TERESA

  You should be asking—

  MARION

  I want to hear it from you. Where do you meet?

  Beat.

  Do you meet him here?

  TERESA

  What?

  MARION

  Do you meet my husband—

  TERESA

  No!

  MARION

  You’re sure?

  TERESA

  Yes. I’m sure. I would never—

  MARION

  You would never what?

  TERESA

  I would never do something like that. This is my classroom. Why would you even ask me that?

  MARION

  Then where? In a hotel? In a car? On the street?

  TERESA

  At my apartment.

  MARION

  Your apartment.

  TERESA

  Yes.

  MARION