What We See
Viewing comments for Chapter 13 "What We See - Chapter 10B"A wrongly accused teacher reinvents his life
19 total reviews
Comment from LJbutterfly
I'm so glad Alan didn't tell Ginnie about his school experience. Knowing that a school asked him to leave because of suspected sexual misconduct would cause her to not trust him with her child. He could say the girl lied on him all he wants. Just meeting him, she wouldn't know what to believe. But, in time, I hope he tells her he lied about his name and his past, before someone else causes her to become suspicious.
reply by the author on 16-Feb-2024
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I'm so glad Alan didn't tell Ginnie about his school experience. Knowing that a school asked him to leave because of suspected sexual misconduct would cause her to not trust him with her child. He could say the girl lied on him all he wants. Just meeting him, she wouldn't know what to believe. But, in time, I hope he tells her he lied about his name and his past, before someone else causes her to become suspicious.
Comment Written 15-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 16-Feb-2024
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That was my thinking exactly. Too early to tell her about it for fear of scaring them off. Wouldn't it be nice if it came out in due time? But life sometimes has a way of not going quite the way you hope.
Comment from T B Botts
Hello Jim,
sounds like Alan is moving pretty quick, holding hands and all after dinner. No doubt at some point the fact that he had issues at school will be revealed. He doesn't want to scare her away right off the bat though. Maybe after she gets a chance to know him a little better, revealing his story would be received better. It's interesting that she invited Alan to play catch with Tommy. She might be a little desperate to have a male involved in her son's life. It's nice that they all three enjoy baseball. Well done.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
reply by the author on 15-Feb-2024
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Hello Jim,
sounds like Alan is moving pretty quick, holding hands and all after dinner. No doubt at some point the fact that he had issues at school will be revealed. He doesn't want to scare her away right off the bat though. Maybe after she gets a chance to know him a little better, revealing his story would be received better. It's interesting that she invited Alan to play catch with Tommy. She might be a little desperate to have a male involved in her son's life. It's nice that they all three enjoy baseball. Well done.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
Comment Written 15-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 15-Feb-2024
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You are picking up on a lot here, Tom. Though many have thought Alan should have told Ginnie about his past right away, it's always been my thought that he should wait to tell her this story. He's only known her for a very short time, and if he were to tell her now, he risks losing her immediately, as she won't yet have a basis to trust him that he was innocent. So, you're in agreement with me about this.
Also perceptive that you picked up on Ginnie's desire to have an older male presence in Tommy's life. He never really knew his father.
You won't have to wait too much longer to find out what really happened that night back in March.
Thanks for your great review and your continuing interest in this story, Tom.
Comment from Pearl Edwards
Oh I think the lies will come back to bite Alan. You are showing that he is good character, despite what his student said, with the way he interacts with Ginnies son. The story is going well Jim. I'm enjoying it,
Cheers
Valda
reply by the author on 15-Feb-2024
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Oh I think the lies will come back to bite Alan. You are showing that he is good character, despite what his student said, with the way he interacts with Ginnies son. The story is going well Jim. I'm enjoying it,
Cheers
Valda
Comment Written 14-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 15-Feb-2024
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Thanks very much, Valda. They'll do more than bite him; they'll take a veritable chunk of flesh out of him!
Comment from royowen
I wonder if David's name will be learned or do these things stick like mud or poop on a barn wall, the only way is if the young girl confessed to her terrible mis dean our, or she's so ashamed she clings to her secret for shame. Either way muck sticks in the dirty minds of people, blessings Roy
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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I wonder if David's name will be learned or do these things stick like mud or poop on a barn wall, the only way is if the young girl confessed to her terrible mis dean our, or she's so ashamed she clings to her secret for shame. Either way muck sticks in the dirty minds of people, blessings Roy
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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This will all get resolved fairly soon. I'm hoping it will be quite a surprise when the truth comes out.
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Well done
Comment from Carol Clark2
I hope that not telling Ginnie the truth won't break trust issues with her later, if she finds out the truth on her own. Suggestion: You probably don't need all that stuff about Archie being let in at night, since he's already in. If it's crucial, you can add it later. Ginnie seems sweet, and I'm glad David has a friend now. Carol
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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I hope that not telling Ginnie the truth won't break trust issues with her later, if she finds out the truth on her own. Suggestion: You probably don't need all that stuff about Archie being let in at night, since he's already in. If it's crucial, you can add it later. Ginnie seems sweet, and I'm glad David has a friend now. Carol
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Good point about Archie. It is relevant to later, but perhaps it should come later as you suggest.
Comment from Karen Cherry Threadgill
He should have told her the truth. We all know that it will come out sooner or later. It will bite him in the caboose in a big way. He is lying to others to get what's wants. He has learned nothing. He still blames everyone but himself for his misfortune. The girl lied and got him in trouble. Her mother believed in her daughter as she should and backed her up. She fought for her daughter. as she should, The principal protected the student and the school which was what he was supposed to do. David was supposed to go to the teacher;s union to fight it. He did not. He was supposed to get a lawyer and fight it. He did not. Instead he has concocted a web of lies that grows ever bigger. It is going to fall on his head and crush him. You write nicely. Karen
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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He should have told her the truth. We all know that it will come out sooner or later. It will bite him in the caboose in a big way. He is lying to others to get what's wants. He has learned nothing. He still blames everyone but himself for his misfortune. The girl lied and got him in trouble. Her mother believed in her daughter as she should and backed her up. She fought for her daughter. as she should, The principal protected the student and the school which was what he was supposed to do. David was supposed to go to the teacher;s union to fight it. He did not. He was supposed to get a lawyer and fight it. He did not. Instead he has concocted a web of lies that grows ever bigger. It is going to fall on his head and crush him. You write nicely. Karen
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Interesting analysis, but here's my take on the same set of facts:
David never did anything wrong. He understands that the mother chose to believe the girl (although, I'm sure a girl like that was probably not trustworthy, and the mother was deluding herself a little). The principal was not entirely wrong for taking the girl's side, but he was certainly receiving pressure from the mother who he was sleeping with. I think this blinded him to even considering David's story. David did not approach the union rep for the reason that his friend Bobby gave him--that the union had a bad reputation at that time in the 80s because they had been taking the side of teachers who really were predators, and probably wouldn't have even taken his case because they looked so bad (this part is true). David himself considered hiring a lawyer, but unless the girl recanted her story, he would always be under a cloud of suspicion and parents would not want their daughters in his classroom. He begins the story as a meek guy who is not really a fighter, but a strong part of the story will be to see him grow a backbone as he will certainly need one for what will be coming. And finally, he weighed telling Ginnie about it, but he has only really known her for one day at this point, and he didn't want to scare her off before he had built up some degree of trust in her about him so that she would have a basis to believe his side. Of course there is a risk that she will find out on her own, but as this point he's willing to take that risk for a while. He's wondering just how and when to go about telling her about it.
That's my thinking anyway. I do like hearing your interpretation, though!
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Of course I see your side too.
I am ambidextrous. hahaha
I was giving you MOSO.
(my own small opinion) I am rather forthright about things .
:-) Karen
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I love it. Keep it up!
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:-)
Comment from barbara.wilkey
Yes, David/Alan needs to tell Ginnie the truth, but I agree right now may not be the right time. I needs to be done. It will be interesting how you handle that.
Tommy would probably love to have a catch with you sometime if you still have a mitt. (sounds awkward to me. maybe love to play catch with you.)
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Yes, David/Alan needs to tell Ginnie the truth, but I agree right now may not be the right time. I needs to be done. It will be interesting how you handle that.
Tommy would probably love to have a catch with you sometime if you still have a mitt. (sounds awkward to me. maybe love to play catch with you.)
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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You're the second person to mention that about having a catch. I think that must be a regional thing, because that's always what we called it. Apparently so did Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams. We would always say, "Let's go have a catch."
Comment from eliz100
This is an excellent chapter. Keeping secrets is a dangerous game, and you have moved the story along nicely.I do not see any room for improvement. Have a blessed day.
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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This is an excellent chapter. Keeping secrets is a dangerous game, and you have moved the story along nicely.I do not see any room for improvement. Have a blessed day.
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Thank you, Lee. This could end up being a mistake for Alan because it's a risk that she won't trust him in the future, but he's worried that she won't trust him now if he tells her. It's a tough one.
Comment from Tom Horonzy
Does Loser St have a meaning? It seems Ginnie lived on the South side of the tracks. I had thought it should be Losser, and I do not know why.
Pause: I know the answer, but others may not. Od what? This!
Tommy came running in right then to tell us about a nature show he'd just watched, and "we pulled our hands apart," but I think he'd noticed we were holding hands. HE TOLD US ABOUT IT. See what I mean?
A lot of fluff in this chapter. Easy to read but meaningful? No for me, but then, what is man if not to have joy? Reminds me of all word and no play makes Jack a dullard.
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Does Loser St have a meaning? It seems Ginnie lived on the South side of the tracks. I had thought it should be Losser, and I do not know why.
Pause: I know the answer, but others may not. Od what? This!
Tommy came running in right then to tell us about a nature show he'd just watched, and "we pulled our hands apart," but I think he'd noticed we were holding hands. HE TOLD US ABOUT IT. See what I mean?
A lot of fluff in this chapter. Easy to read but meaningful? No for me, but then, what is man if not to have joy? Reminds me of all word and no play makes Jack a dullard.
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Have you no patience, my good man? Hardly fluff. It's all relevant for what is to come later and helps lay the groundwork for it. Otherwise, when those things happen you'll accuse me of "Where the hell did that come from?" You're a hard one to please!
No, seriously, it's hard to imagine right now how it all will fit in. You'll have to trust me on that. Novels require a certain amount of patience for things to become clear. They're not like short stories. It's called pacing.
I don't quite follow you on the hand-holding remark. The story is being told by Alan, not Tommy. He's just saying he thought Tommy probably noticed the hand-holding, so they didn't really need to pull apart. It was more of an instinctual reaction.
As regards "Loser St," that's the nickname everyone calls it. Like you said the real name is Losser St. It's an ironic name because by the end of the story, Alan will certainly not be seen as a loser. Hokey? Perhaps, but it amuses me.
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Gee, and here I thought you knew I'd be a thorn among the rose. I feel one of my purposes is to say te wrong things at the wrong time to the wrong person because, simply said, "It's only Tom being Tom!"
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Yes. This site wouldn't be as much fun without you to jest (and joust) with.
Comment from jmdg1954
Ugh... I can understand his reluctance of being truthful of those allegations. But a lie is a lie and if he wants to build a relationship with Ginnie, I'm not sure how he'll overcome that. I hope she doesn't find out through the grapevine.
We'll see how it all shakes out..,
John
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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Ugh... I can understand his reluctance of being truthful of those allegations. But a lie is a lie and if he wants to build a relationship with Ginnie, I'm not sure how he'll overcome that. I hope she doesn't find out through the grapevine.
We'll see how it all shakes out..,
John
Comment Written 13-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 13-Feb-2024
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His lie was mainly one of omission, although he probably fibbed about going to junior college for two years. The rest was true. He most likely will tell her eventually when he feels she has enough trust in him to believe him when he tells her and not just dismiss him the way many who knew him did. He's only known her for one day at this point. Certainly he risks that she will find out first before he tells her, but he accepts the risk. He may or may not be wrong. We will see.
Glad to see it's building some suspense. Many others have the same fear.