General Fiction posted February 2, 2024

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Alan and Ginnie meet

A chapter in the book What We See

What We See - Chapter 7

by Jim Wile

Background
A high school teacher wrongly accused of sexual assault reinvents his life.

Recap of Chapter 6B: Following dinner, while listening to a baseball game on his front porch, Alan sees a 12-year-old boy being chased by a bigger boy. They run up to the house next door where the big kid grabs the smaller one and is about to pound him. Alan goes over and breaks up the fight, sending the big boy home. Alan introduces himself to Tommy Boardman, an unassuming kid with some mild speech problems. They talk for a while when Tommy’s mother returns from work. She is a nurse at Sparrow Hospital.

Chapter 7

She exited the car and walked swiftly over to us on the front walk. She was tall—perhaps five-nine—slim, with a pretty face and dark brown hair tied into a large bun at the back of her head. She had on hospital scrubs. She wasn’t smiling, though.

I decided to get in the first word, knowing how protective mothers can be when they come up and see their child talking to a stranger. “Hi, I’m Alan Phelps. I’m your new neighbor. I just moved in next door.”

“Tommy, go in the house, please.”

“But Mom, he’s not a stranger. He’s our next-door neighbor. He fixes electrical stuff and knows about computers.”

“Tommy, please.”

“Mom! He just came over to break up a fight between me and Artie. He’s okay.”

“I’m not going to ask you again. Just do it.”

“You always think everyone’s a bad guy,” he mumbled as he turned around and made his way to the front door. We watched him fish the key out of his pocket, unlock the door, and go inside, leaving it partially open. His mother turned to me and said, “Please don’t talk to my son when I’m not around.”

“Okay. He’s right, though. I just came over to break up a possible fight with a boy who’s twice his size. The outcome didn’t look good for Tommy.”

“Well, thank you for that, but I mean what I say. This is not the best neighborhood, and I’d like to keep my boy safe from strangers.”

“I understand.”

She turned around, went inside, and locked the door behind her.

I guess I didn’t make much of an impression, I thought, as I returned to my house and resumed listening to the game. I finished my beer, but it was getting pretty dark, and the chill of the evening was now matching the chill I felt from Tommy’s mom. I picked up my radio and went inside.

I kept thinking about this first encounter with Momma Bear. What we see can be at such odds with what’s really there. She saw me as a threat to her cub when all I’d been trying to do was protect him from a bully. The people in my school saw me as a child molester, despite having no proof of that except the word of a troubled teen. What my dad often sees when I visit him is anyone’s guess. What does it take for people to quit misinterpreting what they see?

I wasn’t tired just yet, so I thought I’d get a little more work done on the conversion of my living room while I listened to the game. As I spent time working on the front counter, where I would take work in and the cash register would sit, I thought about what Bobby told me concerning Tina. She’d changed her look and her demeanor, it seems. She’s obviously been affected by this incident too. And what about those bruises? Someone caused them. Something had happened to her that night, the truth of which she’s trying to cover up. But why?

I’ve got to stop thinking about this so much. It’s over and done with, and I’ve moved on. I’ve got to concentrate now on making a success of my new business and forget about teaching for a while.

I put it out of my mind, for the time being at least, and put a renewed effort into finishing the counter while listening to the game. The game ended up going into extra innings, and it was 11:00 before it was over. I was able to complete the counter in that time. This had been a long day, and I was beat, so Archie and I went upstairs to bed. Tomorrow I’ll begin organizing the area where I’ll work on the electrical equipment and build myself a work bench.

Archie woke me up as usual at 6:00 AM, and after feeding him and going for a half-hour run, I grabbed a bite to eat and began working on the work area. At 9:00 there was a knock on the front door. I hollered, “It’s open. Come on in!”

It was Tommy’s mom, and she was carrying a drink carrier with two cups in it and a bag that said Sam’s Donut Shop on the side. I stood up and walked over to join her in front of the counter, and I cleared a place on it for her to set the stuff down. She was wearing jeans today, and her hair was down.

“Do you like coffee?” she asked.

“Yes, I do, and I haven’t had a cup yet today. That’s very thoughtful.”

“I didn’t know what you take in it or even if you like it, but I brought some creamer and packets of sugar. Help yourself.”

I poured two creamers into my coffee and sipped it. It was good.

“I’m Virginia Boardman, but I usually go by Ginnie.”

“Alan Phelps,” I said as I extended my hand to shake. She put a warm hand into mine, and we shook.

“Listen, Alan, I’d like to apologize for how I greeted you last night and for my suspicions.”

“It’s okay. I understand how it may have looked.”

“Yes, but I was rude and didn’t give you a chance to talk. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Nothing to forgive. I wouldn’t want my kid, if I had one, talking to strangers either. And you’re right; this neighborhood is kind of rough.”

“Well, Tommy explained to me that you helped him out of a sticky wicket with his ‘friend’ Artie.”

“Yeah, we had a good laugh about that. He was quite amused by the term. Called it a ‘wicky sticket.’”

She smiled. “I don’t know why Tommy calls him a friend. That Artie is always teasing Tommy for making mistakes, just like that one. And Tommy stutters some, and Artie makes fun of him whenever he does. I’m really not fond of him, but Tommy likes to hang around with him for some reason. So, look, I want to explain to you why I was so short with you last night.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

But she ignored that and continued, “I’m a nurse in the ICU at Sparrow Hospital, and right at the end of my shift, a young boy about Tommy’s age was admitted to the unit. He had just had surgery to repair damage to his stomach and kidneys at the hands of his stepfather, who kicked him in the gut and back. This was not the first time we’ve seen this kid. I was furious about it and left work in a bad mood. That was on my mind when I met you. I’m so sorry I took it out on you.”

“Is that a cream-filled Long John I see in that bag there? If it is, you’ve more than made up for it.” She smiled, pulled the Long John out of the bag, and handed it to me. I took a bite, getting a good portion of the cream filling and the chocolate on top. It was heaven. “I know where I’m getting my donuts from now on.”

Ginnie pulled out a jelly donut. “I was going to give you a choice. Apparently, you have a special fondness for those.”

“I like jelly too, but these are numero uno,” I said as I smacked my lips.

She looked around at the mess. “So, this is going to be an electrical repair shop besides being your house. What kind of equipment do you repair?”

“Just about any electrical equipment. Some electronics too.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Think of electrical equipment as anything with motors, like vacuum cleaners, fans, turn tables, garbage disposals. Electronic equipment contains microchips and circuit boards like computers, printers, TVs, and microwave ovens.”

“Tommy loves computers. I have to pry him out of Radio Shack whenever we visit there. He’s been bugging me to get him one, but they’re pretty expensive. He told me he’d like to learn to create his own games.”

We continued talking for another few minutes while we ate and drank the donuts and coffee. It was very pleasant. After a while, Ginnie said, “Listen, Alan. I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I can see that you’re quite busy getting ready for your grand opening. When’s it going to be?”

“I think I’ll be ready in about 10 days. When I get all the shelving and cupboards put in, then I’ve got to buy all the parts I’ll need for making repairs. I sure enjoyed talking to you, Ginnie. You really didn’t have to go to the trouble of buying me coffee and donuts, but man, am I glad you did.”

“Well, you seem like a good guy. Talk to Tommy any time. He’ll love it. He’s grown up without a father, and I think he’d love some older male company.”

“Thanks, Ginnie.” I gave her a mock salute. “I’ll be happy to. He’s a good kid. And thanks for the donuts and coffee. Enjoy your day.”

“You too.”

She left then, and I watched her walk away. The tight jeans fit her very well. She really was quite lovely. I was smiling as I went back to work.

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CHARACTERS

David (later Alan) Phelps: The narrator of the story. He is a 28-year-old high school physics and natural science teacher in Grantham, Indiana in 1985.

Earl Pinkham: The principal of Grove Park High School where David teaches

Suzie Cassidy: The school secretary and mother of Tina Cassidy

Tina Cassidy: A 16-year-old high school sophomore in David Phelps's class

Bobby Harken: David's friend and fellow teacher

Archie: David's orange tabby cat

Tommy Boardman: Alan's 12-year-old next door neighbor. He is dyslexic like Alan.

Ginnie Boardman: Tommy's mother. She is 30 years old and is an ICU nurse.

Artie Intintoli: Tommy's friend who also lives on Loser St.

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Alan and Ginnie meet

A chapter in the book What We See

What We See - Chapter 7

by Jim Wile

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