Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 13:42:58 -0400
From: Sequoyah <sequoyah@charter.net>
Subject: CF-14

		  ASP--The Concord Five--Chapter Fourteen

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				 Comments

With this chapter, the Thanksgiving break begins for the Oberlin Five so
their story will be included in the Concord Five and until they return to
Ohio, there will be no postings of OF.

Good to know that J is settled again, S is having a great time with family
and G has made a grand discovery.

Take a look at the Yahoo site devoted to Working It Out is you have read
the story and if you have not, it is highly recommended.

A note is always appreciated: sequoyah@charter.net. Also check out the
Yahoo groups devoted to the story at and SequoyahsPlace@yahoogroups.com.

ASP--The Concord Five--Chapter Fourteen--Mary Kathryn

I started laughing when Michael tried to hold Elizabeth in the air so she
wouldn't mess him any more. Her diaper was completely loose on one side and
the other side was dangling from her leg. Without being properly diapered,
she had filled Michael's lap with a very smelly little present. "Mary
Kathryn, having your lap full of baby shit is NOT funny!" Michael said.

"Think I was laughing at something else, Lover. You were about to suggest
it would be great for us to have a baby of our own, and ten seconds later
it wasn't a good idea but a nightmare. Your affections sure are fickle. I
don't know whether I can depend on you or not. Maybe tomorrow you'll go
running off with some blond bimbo cheer leader."

"Mary Kathryn, you know that's not true and it's not funny. How about you
stop and we do something about this shitty sister of mine."

"No diapers, Michael, and no wipes. Just make sure you keep her covered so
she doesn't get chilled, and put your window down."

When we pulled into the Andrews' drive, I got out of the Tracker and said,
"Well come on, Michael." He got out and walked toward the house, holding
Elizabeth under her arms and as far from him as possible. "Michael, you
hold that baby right," I scolded him.

"Mary Kathryn, she's shitty."

"You carry her in the house like that, and that will be the least of your
worries when your mom sees you." Michael was reluctant, but he cradled
Elizabeth in his arms and carried her in.

When we got inside, Margaret came running to Michael, took Elizabeth from
him and hugged the child to herself. Michael said, "I don't think you want
to do that," but his warning was too late.

"Who in the world diapered this child?" Margaret asked.

"Michael gets credit for that job," I laughed," and I think he really wants
diapering lessons so he doesn't get the same results another time."

Margaret took Elizabeth to the nursery and, as she did, called over her
shoulder, "Michael, I think you are grown enough to clean yourself, but if
not I'll be right up". Michael went up the stairs and reappeared fifteen
minutes later. It was obvious he'd had a quick shower before changing into
clean clothes.

We joined Mom and Dad and the Greywolfs sitting in the den. The TV was on,
the sound turned off, and no-one was paying the slightest attention to
it. "Why's the TV on and no-one watching?" I asked.

"There's supposed to be a report about the kidnapping at 6:00. It's still a
few minutes before it starts."

"Dad, what's going to happen to Billie Sue?" Michael asked. "I feel very
sorry for her. I know she gave us a lot of worry and all, but I still feel
sorry for her."

"Michael, Billie Sue has major problems. I'm not sure what will happen to
her eventually. She will spend the next ninety days in a juvenile
evaluation center being tested and evaluated. At the end of the evaluation
period, a determination will be made as to where she should go. I think it
highly unlikely that she will be punished because I seriously doubt she
knew what she was doing. She wanted a baby so badly that when hers was
still-born, she went into total denial and looked for 'her baby'. But in
spite of being in a fantasy world, she went about finding a baby in a very
rational and methodical way. It is easy to see, for example, why she went
to the hospital. After all, aren't most children told babies come from the
hospital? And she was very clever in disguising herself as a doctor or
surgical nurse. I was told she must have seen a surgeon or nurse toss
operating room togs into the disposal bin and she used them. But I really
don't think she knew what she was doing."

"I don't either. All the time we were with her, and especially while I was
shopping with her, she kept talking about Jessica. I think she really
believed, or had convinced herself, Elizabeth was her baby," I said. "I'm
like Michael: I feel sorry for her."

"As I said, I don't know what will eventually happen to her, but I'm
willing to bet she will have a better life than she has had, regardless of
where she ends up," David said.

Just as David finished speaking, the 6:00 p.m. news came on and Elizabeth's
kidnapping was the lead story. The anchor opened by saying, "Yesterday when
a mother prepared to leave the hospital in Concord with her day-old twins,
only one was found. Day-old Elizabeth Kathryn Andrews, daughter of Mr. and
Dr. David Andrews, had disappeared. The baby was found late this afternoon
by her brother and his girlfriend. LaTasha Jackson is standing by in
Concord. LaTasha, what have you learned about the kidnapping?"

"Stu, Dr. Margaret Andrews gave birth to twins yesterday. According to
hospital authorities, Dr. Andrews was at home when her labor started and
her husband rushed home to discover his wife was so far along, a trip to
the hospital was out of the question. Mr. Andrews is a nurse and a member
of the EMS team in Concord, so he delivered his twin daughters. The twins
and their mother were then transported to Concord General where all three
were declared in excellent condition."

"Earlier today, when Dr. Andrews was preparing to return to her home, only
one of the twins was in the nursery. According to hospital security, a
video tape revealed a person dressed in surgical garb, complete with mask,
took the baby. A task force was quickly set up with the help of the FBI,
but was making little progress.

According to the head of the task force, friends of the Andrews family
attending college in Ohio, and a group of Independence High School
students--friends of the twins' sixteen-year-old brother--started
speculating about who might have taken the baby and what might have been
done with her. Here's what Maxwell Jones, head of the task force, said
about the students' reasoning."

"Students here and in Ohio started trying to imagine who had taken the baby
and why. I won't go into their thinking, but they decided the kidnapper was
a high school girl, poor and with a single parent, an abusive father. With
those things in mind, they speculated that the person would need to
shoplift things for the baby. Michael, the baby's brother, and his
girlfriend decided to put the speculation to the test and located the girl
and the baby."

"The kidnapper was also an Independence student, I understand."

"Yes, she was. She had given birth to a still-born child and took the baby
from the hospital to replace it."

"Why did she go to the hospital?"

"When asked that question, she said we should know there are babies at the
hospital."

"What I can't understand is how she managed to walk into a hospital, take a
baby and walk out."

"It was easy enough. She dressed in surgical garb she had seen tossed in a
bin for disposal, so she looked like she belonged in the hospital and,
because her face was covered by a mask, no-one suspected her."

"Can you tell us what will happen to her?" The agent told the reporter what
David had told us and finished by saying, "From what I have found out, just
about any place would be better than her home."

"While the students were out solving the case, what were your people
doing?"

The agent laughed and said, "We were following up on some of the results of
the group's speculation. They had decided the kidnapper was poor and would
shoplift baby supplies. When a convenience store owner caught a young girl
shoplifting two cans of baby formula in the same neighborhood where the
Andrews baby was found, we thought sure we had the kidnapper. Turns out we
were wrong. Seems the shoplifter had a neighbor with no food for her sick
baby and no money, so she went shoplifting."

"I suppose she has been jailed."

"No. The store owner refused to press charges saying it is always right to
steal food for a baby if that is the only way you can get it. In fact, not
only did he not press charges, but he sent a case of formula home with the
girl for her neighbor's baby. We reported the case to Social Services and
they have taken food to the mother and baby and will see they are cared
for. All in all, it has not been a bad day for babies."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Jones. Well, Stu, it has been a good day for
babies, I suppose, but a very rough one for the Andrews family."

"LaTasha, were you able to learn how the girl reacted when the Andrews baby
was taken from her?"

"Actually I was, Stu. I talked with two of Concord's police
officers--Officers Ramsey and Paige. When the baby was found, the two who
found her--I need to check my notes here--Michael Andrews and Mary Kathryn
Larsen--reported the kidnapper wanted a pretty dress and shoes for the
baby. The young couple took the kidnapper to a local baby shop and allowed
her to shop for half an hour or so. When she had picked out a dress and
shoes, Michael got her to let him dress the baby and when the officers told
her she needed to go with them, apparently she trusted Michael to keep her
baby. She left without presenting any problem. Officer Ramsey said Michael
had asked that she be given the pleasure of shopping before she was taken
away. An amazing young man, don't you think?"

"Sounds like it, LaTasha. We, by the way, found some file footage of
Mr. Andrews from an interview he did last year concerning a memorial
service at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Concord. We also have some
footage of Miss Larsen and Mr. Andrews when they served as docents at an
exhibition there last spring." While the announcer talked, in the
background was video of Michael and me. "Have you been able to talk with
any of the Andrews family?"

"No, I haven't. I hope to do so before the 11:00 news."

"Thank you, LaTasha."

David clicked off the TV with the remote and said, "I don't think Miss
Jackson will be interviewing this Andrews."

"You know she will try," Dad said. "I am surprised she wasn't here with a
crew when Michael arrived. Or, worse, try to get close-ups of Margaret
crying."

"I wish she had been here to film Michael holding Elizabeth at arm's length
and calling her shitty," I laughed.

"Michael! You didn't!" Margaret exclaimed.

"Well, she was. Very definitely."

When the phone rang, David said, "That will be LaTasha. I have no intention
of talking with her."  "Neither have I," Margaret said. "I guess there will
not be film at 11:00."

David answered the phone, listened a minute, covered the mouthpiece and
said, "How do you like that? It's LaTasha Jackson, of course, but she's not
interested in talking with either of us. She wants to interview Michael and
Mary Kathryn."

"Well, what are you going to tell her? They are underage, so she needs our
permission," Margaret said.

"I don't know. Jens, Gabrielle, what do you think?"

"I say it's up to them," Gabrielle said. "I think I'm for it because most
of the news about young people is bad news. Why not have a bit of good news
about them? But don't you think they should be asked before we decide?"

"I guess," David said. "Michael, Mary Kathryn, what do you think?"

"Why not? Good news about kids is a good idea," Michael said.

"Then you talk to her."

Michael took the phone, listened for a few minutes and finally said,
"That's fine with us, but you have to agree to show us the tape exactly as
it will be aired before it is broadcast... Well, if you can't do that, I
guess there's no interview... Agreed." When Michael hung up the phone he
said, "We get to see the tape in exchange, if it's permitted, for a picture
of Elizabeth."

"Just a picture, no long filming," Margaret said.

"Right," Michael answered.


ASP--The Concord Five--Chapter Fourteen--Michael

I had agreed to the interview because I did think it was good to have some
positive news about young adults, but also because I wanted to say
something about Billie Sue. Ever since I saw her sitting in that abandoned
mill, holding Elizabeth, I couldn't get her and her situation out of my
thoughts. LaTasha Jackson and her film crew would be at the house about
nine, so there was no rush about anything.

Just as I hung up the phone, I heard a car drive up. When I looked out the
window, I saw Bill's car and it was packed. People started pouring out of
it, all carrying what looked like dishes. I went to the door and opened it
just as Bill reached for the doorbell. "Man, that was fast," he laughed. "I
didn't even hear the bell and here you are. We come, Oh Brother Michael,
with food in our hands," Bill announced in the style of a southern
backwoods preacher--something he did well, but had to be careful about, for
most of Concord would see it as poking fun at THEIR preacher, which it was
indirectly. It started when he had heard a country preacher praying over a
woman in the hospital, "Oh Lord, we come to you with this dear soul's
kidneys in our hands".

"Our moms got together and decided you didn't need to worry about food, so
they prepared supper," Linda said. "Of course, you're supposed to invite us
to eat as well."

"You're invited," I said.

Bill and the crew--under the very direct supervision of Linda--soon had
food on the table. Dad said grace and everyone grabbed a plate and filled
it. The adults were sitting at the dining room table, so we filled our
plates and crowded around the kitchen table.

As soon as we were seated, Jacob said, "Hey, Rachel, show off the new ring
and be sure and tell how you got it."

Rachel laughed and held up her hand to show off a Hopi inlay ring. "I chose
one with a thunderbird because I like to drum," she said. "I called Dad and
told him I needed money for a school social and academic organization. I
knew he would fall for the social part. He is very keen on having me in a
social whirl. He sent it at once and said he was pleased I was in with the
right group. Of course he was right, but what he thought about was
something like the Independence Sub-Debs."

"Somehow or other, I can't see you with the Sub-Debs," Bill said. "I get a
mental image of you drumming and it just doesn't fit with the bunch who use
valley girl speak--with their teeth together and a painted-on smile."

"I can't imagine myself in that situation unless it was a nightmare,"
Rachel laughed. "But I have a question. I have been thinking about what
Roxanne did: stealing formula for that sick baby. I know she was
shoplifting, but it was for a sick baby."

"We were discussing ethics in social studies last week and the question of
whether or not it is ever right to steal came up. It was all very
airy-fairy talk, just a brain twister," Susan said, "but it's not some mind
game now. Roxanne stole food for a hungry baby. Did she do right or wrong?"

"It's easy to say it's never right to steal," I said. "That makes
decision-making easy because it has already been done for you. I think most
people like that--hard-and-fast rules--so they don't have to think."

"It's also easy to say it's always right to steal to feed a hungry baby. If
the option is steal or go hungry, that's one thing. If the option is steal
or go to work, that's quite another," Linda said.

"Well did Roxanne do what was right or wrong? I think we know most of the
facts in this case. What do you think?" Rachel asked.

"I think she did right this time. She didn't, obviously, have time to earn
money or get help because when she knew about the baby, it was hungry. Now
if she steals next week, I think that's a whole different kettle of fish,"
Jacob said.

"Why?" Bill asked.

"She now knows about Social Services, she has time to earn some money. She
has alternatives, acceptable alternatives to stealing," Jacob answered.

"Ok, so you are saying there is not a hard-and-fast rule about stealing," I
said.

"Right. I'd say that about everything," Jacob said.

"Then there is no standard, no way of determining right and wrong. I'm very
uneasy with that, but I'm also very uneasy with hard-and-fast rules," Mary
Kathryn said. "There has to be something in-between."

"Last summer, while I was at the monastery, Father Abbot and I got into a
similar discussion," I said. "He finally said that most such discussions
weren't helpful because they were all theory. 'It's easy to think up
situations which make for interesting discussions, but people are never
theoretical and the situations in which they live are never simple,' he
said. I guess I look at the world and at a situation and ask one question,
"Does the anticipated action show love for your neighbors?".

"I can't argue with that, but what do you mean by showing love to the
neighbor? And what if there are two neighbors and to help one you hurt the
other. I mean the convenience store owner was hurt so the baby could be
helped."

"The problem, since we live in a complex world and have to make messy
decisions because life is messy, is how do you increase love in the
world. We just have to decide whether action or inaction increases love
among neighbors. If it does, it's a responsible and moral action. Only
problem is almost always we have to decide between wrong and wrong or right
and right. Seldom are we given the luxury of choosing between right and
wrong. I have given a lot of thought to that and it's not an easy way to
live, because you're always making decisions, but I think it's the only way
to really live. End of sermon," I said.

"Gee, pretty heavy stuff, Michael," Rachel said. "So, was stealing the
formula a responsible action and therefore a right action or not? Roxanne
chose between stealing--a wrong--and allowing a baby to go hungry--a
wrong. But was it responsible? It was a choice between a
thing--formula--and a person--the baby. I say it was right."

There was general agreement that Roxanne had been responsible, and this was
no theoretical situation. Having started a discussion of right and wrong,
naturally the situations brought up became more and more outlandish, but
fun.

We had finished eating, putting the food away and the dishes in the
dishwasher when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," I said, "It's almost 9:00
so I bet it's LaTasha Jackson."

When I opened the door, LaTasha Jackson was standing outside with a couple
of others.

"I'm LaTasha Jackson," she said, "and you are Michael Andrews."

"Yes, come on in."

When we got inside, LaTasha introduced the cameraman and lighting tech as
George and Alfred. "Where would you like for us to set up?" she asked.

"We are all sitting around the kitchen table involved in a great discussion
of ethics. You can set up there or here in the living room," I said.

"Who is in the kitchen?" she asked.

"The Fellowship, our high school group."

"The ones who helped locate your sister?"

"That's right."

"Why don't we set up in the kitchen then, so all of you can be involved."

"Fine."

While the lighting tech was setting up the lights and the cameraman was
looking at camera angles, LaTasha joined the group at the kitchen table. I
introduced everyone after LaTasha had seated herself.

"Michael called you the Fellowship. What's that all about?"

Linda told how the Fellowship had started and how we lost members to
college...

"I assume the college students in Ohio, mentioned as helping locate
Elizabeth, are the members you lost?" LaTasha asked.

"Yes," Bill answered, "and Rachel, Keith, Jack, Susan and Chris are the new
members."

"So you call yourselves the Fellowship?"

"The Fellowship of the Rings," Rachel added. When LaTasha asked, Rachel
told her why the rings and showed her new one.

"I think it would be great to open with a shot of the rings. George, could
you get an overhead shot of their hands?" George nodded and LaTasha said,
"Put your hands together in a circle and George will shoot your hands from
overhead".

When the hand shot was finished, the interview began. The group explained
the logic we used to try to determine how and where Elizabeth had been
taken. When we finished that, LaTasha said, "Michael said all of you were
engaged in a great ethical discussion? About what?"

Mary Kathryn told how we were discussing whether or not what Roxanne had
done was ethical.

"What did you conclude? And how about what Billie Sue did?"

"That Roxanne's was a responsible, and therefore ethical, action," Linda
said. But we hadn't discussed what Billie Sue did."

That provoked a lively discussion in which the general consensus was that
Billie Sue's was an irresponsible action. "I take exception to that,"
Michael said. "Actually I don't think Billie Sue was responsible for her
actions at all. I think Billie Sue was living in an illusion. I am
convinced she thought she had her own baby, I don't think she was aware she
had taken Elizabeth."

"Ok, does that mean you can do anything you want when you are living in an
illusion?" Bill asked. "Does that mean that if I am convinced I am hot
stuff..."

"Don't think you want to go there on camera, Billy Boy," Linda said. Bill
blushed.

"What I am saying is that if you are mentally incapable of making a
decision, you can't be held responsible. Maybe you need to be placed
somewhere for treatment or to prevent you from hurting someone or yourself,
but you can't be held responsible," Michael replied. "That's the reason I
sure hope Billie Sue gets treatment, not punishment."

"I feel the same way," Mary Kathryn said. "I know she thought she was
shopping for her baby at Bundle of Joy."

We talked on about that a bit and, finally, LaTasha said, "Well, I think I
have more than enough film. Anything you don't want shown? Otherwise I'll
upload it so the film can be edited for the 11:00 news which is just an
hour away."

We all decided she could use any of it. Then she asked for a picture of
Elizabeth. Mary Kathryn and I went to the den and asked Mom about getting
the twins.

"They are both awake, but no long filming," she answered.

Mary Kathryn and I held the two, and LaTasha got film, thanked us and left.

Monday, just after lunch, I was walking down the hall toward my next class
with Mary Kathryn when we approached Phillip Curran, who was holding court
with his buddies. "Yea, I knocked Billie Sue up. Since I was a football
star and had money, she fell all over herself when I asked her for a
date. She was a good piece of ass until I knocked her up. The stupid little
bitch wouldn't get an abortion. She said she was going to keep the baby. I
told her she was stupid, but she actually thought I would marry her or at
least support her bastard."

That was as far as he got. I walked up to him and said, "Phillip, you are a
no-good son of a bitch for treating that poor girl like you did."

"You better get moving, scarface, or I'll kick your butt good. She wanted
to fuck, so I fucked her. If she was going to fuck around, she should have
been on the pill. Not my fault that she was knocked up. Fortunately, the
bastard died when it was born. Now move on or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else, like I said, I'll kick your god-damn ass."

"Just try it, Asshole."

"Michael, let it go. He's not worth the effort," Mary Kathryn said.

I paid no attention to what Mary Kathryn said and she left, walking down
the hall.

Phillip got in my space, grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me toward
himself until he was really in my face, his nose practically touching
mine. "Who are you calling asshole, Asshole?" he demanded.

"You're the only asshole I see," I replied.

"What I did with Billie Sue is none of your fucking business," Phillip said
as he shoved me.

"Phillip, you hurt Billie Sue and, because of what you did, you hurt my
family."

"Tough titty, Faggot."

"Not a nice word, Phillip, and wrong in any case. Now shut up bad-mouthing
Billie Sue. You took advantage of a lonely and confused young woman. You
may think you are a man and a stud, but you're just a little boy trying to
play manly games, Shithead."

"All I did was fuck her brains out and knock her up. No big deal,
Chickenshit."

"A very big deal, Asshole."

"I warned you, Andrews." Phillip pulled his fist back, but I was quicker,
landing one right on his chin, cold-cocking him. He fell to the floor like
the bag of shit he was. His buddies were so surprised that they didn't
react for a minute, then they were ready to gang up on me when the guys of
the Fellowship ran up and grabbed them.

"That's enough," Bill said. "You all know about fighting in
school. Michael, to the office." Keith got a cup of water from the fountain
and splashed Phillip in the face. Phillip came around and, as he did, he
jumped to his feet, his fist pulled back. Keith grabbed him, twisted his
arm behind his back and stopped him from throwing a punch.

"To the office with you too, Phillip," he said. "If the rest of you want to
go to the office as witnesses, come along, but there will be no more
fighting."

When we got to the office, Phillip and I told Ms. Jones what had happened
and both were truthful. "Michael, you hit Phillip and you know the student
rule around here, 'You throw, you go'. You can have a trial or you can
plead guilty and take your three-day suspension. Phillip, I can't do
anything about the disrespect you showed, and the hurt you caused Billie
Sue out of school, but you will have to stand trial for using derogatory
language about her and Michael leading to this fight or you can save all of
us time and plead guilty."

"I'm not guilty of anything except telling my buddies about Billie Sue,"
Phillip said. "I'll take my chances."

"Then you need to get your witnesses together for a trial Wednesday after
school. You can go on back to class. Michael, what about you?"

"No use holding a trial, I cold-cocked Phillip and don't regret it. Well, I
regret fighting, but not letting him know what a jerk he is."

"Then get your things and leave campus at once. You are suspended for three
days, including today."

I went to my locker and got my books. The guys of the Fellowship and Mary
Kathryn had gone to the office with me, so they knew I was suspended and
would get my assignments. My teachers might or might not accept assignments
I did while home because I was suspended. As I headed home, I wondered what
Mom and Dad would say and do.

As I walked in the front door, Mom said, "Michael, what in the world are
you doing home. School's not out for two and a half or three hours."

"Mom, I got suspended for three days."

"You got suspended? Suspended? Michael Andrews, you got suspended from
school? For three days? What in the world for?"

"I cold-cocked Phillip Curran."

"You were fighting? I hope you have a good explanation for that," Mom
said. I could see she was not at all happy.

I told Mom what had happened. "When he started talking about that poor
girl, I just lost it. He caused her no end of grief and us as well. And he
was bragging about it. After some name-calling, he got right in my face and
drew back a fist and I let him have it. He went down and out like a
light. The guys of the Fellowship kept Phillip's friends from jumping me
and Bill escorted us to the office. I knew the punishment, so I just
entered a guilty plea and got suspended for three days, counting today."

"Michael Andrews! You have been suspended from school for fighting. I know
you were upset by what Phillip Curran said. I can understand that, but
fighting? There was no need for violence. You know that."

"Mom, I really do feel bad about what I did--not about taking Phillip on
for what he was saying, but about fighting. But, Mom, you should have heard
how he talked about that poor girl. I just let my temper get the better of
me."

"Michael, I hope you have learned a lesson about letting your temper run
away with you. We'll talk to your father about this situation but,
off-hand, I think you should not only be suspended for the three days but
also grounded--no phone, no going anywhere, no e-mail. But we'll talk to
your dad before any final decision is made. Until then, you are grounded."

I would have liked to argue with mom, but I saw the look in her eye which
said I better not. I went to my room, got out my books, put on a CD--I
turned the volume down because I was afraid Mom would hear it and add no
music to my punishment--and started working on assignments. I was caught
up, but had an essay for Yong Jin due before Thanksgiving holidays and an
AP American history project I hadn't started which was also due before
Thanksgiving.

The essay topic was our choice of any issue and was to be persuasive. I did
some free writing and found, after I had written for a while, I was
focusing on the situation with Billie Sue and Roxanne. I wanted to write an
argument involving an ethical issue, but couldn't decide exactly what. I
wrote some about both situations--just phrases, words, that sort of
thing--for a while, then looked at what I had written. I saw that there was
no way I could justify what Billie Sue had done. If she knew what she was
doing, her act was irresponsible. But if she didn't really know what she
was doing--and I was sure she didn't--she wasn't responsible: not
irresponsible, but not responsible.

Seeing that I would get nowhere with Billie Sue, I focused on Roxanne
stealing the baby formula. I worked for a good hour and had an essay ready
for a final edit. It was pretty easy to write, especially since the
Fellowship had discussed it at length. I took a bathroom break, stretched,
and went back to my computer and did a final draft. I printed it out and
would give it to Mary Kathryn when she brought my assignments.

I tackled the AP American history project. I had chosen to do a Powerpoint
presentation on the causes of the war of 1812. I started by outlining my
material and then did a story board. It took me until I heard Dad come in
to get the story board done. When I heard Dad come in, I reluctantly
dragged myself downstairs.

"I guess this is the part following 'Just wait until your daddy gets home,'
isn't it? OK, Dad, I have been suspended..."

"You have been WHAT? Did you say you have been suspended?"

This was going worse than I thought, so I responded, "Yes, sir, I have been
suspended for three days."

"Michael, WHY? Suspended for three days! Young man, I hope you have a good
reason for being suspended--not that I think there is a good reason." It
was obvious Dad was steaming. I couldn't think of any way around telling
him what happened.

When I finished telling Dad about slugging Phillip and getting suspended,
he said, "It seems to me, young man, you need to learn to control your hot
temper. Suspended for three days for fighting. I can't believe it!"

"Seems to me the father might need to learn to control a hot temper as
well," Mom said very quietly.

I expected Dad to really explode then, and he definitely started to, caught
himself, and a slow smile spread across his face. "I did pretty much make a
spectacle of myself, didn't I?" he asked sheepishly. "Sorry, Son. I guess I
let my temper run away with me. Now that I'm rational, tell me again what
happened."

I again told Dad what had prompted me to challenge Phillip Curran, and that
I slugged him because he was about to slug me.

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sequoyah@charter.net