Most often people talk about being in the right place at the right time. Maybe they achieved a beautiful photo of a sunrise, or the antics of children or animals. Maybe they found something someone lost and received a big reward when it was returned. But how often do they talk about being in the wrong place at the right time? If they do, it’s often about the death of someone or maybe witnessing a crime. And if this is the case, they are sad or horrified. Walter Williams often is in the wrong place at the right time, though his reaction to the incidents he encounters is much different than anyone would expect. And, life-changing.

Peter turned back to the window in his office and stood there looking outside while he tried to calm down. He so wanted to put his niece over his knee and spank her butt yet knew that wasn’t what was needed. He’d had enough psychology during the time he was at the University getting his Bachelors, Masters, then Doctorate to know what Kathy experienced in her science class this morning was only the trigger of her real problem. Becoming a girl. And she needed counseling, as he told Terry she would. He turned back to his desk, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said, “Hi Jenny. If you have a minute I’d like you to come to my office. Okay, good. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Jenny Thomas was the school’s psychologist, and had her offices next to the school infirmary. Peter had expected her to take about ten minutes to walk from her offices to his, given she’d have to wade through all the students changing classes, but was surprised when he heard a knock on his door, it opened and Jenny walked in. He gave her a curious look, which she answered with, “I call forwarded my calls to my cell phone. I heard about the flap this morning in Kathy’s science class, and all the rumors flying around, and figured you’d want some help so I was waiting for your call as I talked to Margot.” Jenny walked over to stand by Peter, appraising the faces on the three women sitting in front of Peter’s desk. Marge’s was a mixture of fear, concern, and love. Kathy’s was raging anger. And Terry’s? Jenny saw a mixture of emotions cycle on her face. Concern, fear, anger, love, and longing, likely for her husband. Of the three Kathy was the worst right now, with her raging emotions having boiled over and threatening to do so again. She walked around Peter’s desk, knelt in front of Kathy and told her, “Kathy, look at me.” But Kathy continued to glare at nothing, furiously swinging her left lower leg back and forth. Jenny knew in this state it was unlikely the gentle approach would work, so she reached up and firmly took Kathy’s chin and forced her head up and said in a firm voice, “I said, look at me!” Not only was there fury in Kathy’s face but also in her eyes, as she now angrily glared at Jenny.

Kathy was expecting to get chewed out because of what she said and did in her science class, so wasn’t prepared when Jenny told her, “I know exactly why you’re angry, and it’s got nothing to do with the rumors or that girl accusing you of trying to deny you were raped.” Jenny was slowly shaking her head as she dropped the bomb by saying, “No, that’s not why you’re angry. You’re angry because that accident caused you to transform into a girl. Isn’t that right?” Jenny let go of Kathy’s chin and saw the fire in Kathy’s eyes replaced with tears. As they ran down Kathy’s face she said in an angry voice, “I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to be a girl. I just wanted to be Walter. And I want it to go back like it was before that accident!”

Jenny then looked at Marge and told her, “You must love Kathy very much, to stay by her side through all this. That takes a lot of courage to do so given everything that’s happening right now.” Jenny saw Marge purse her lips then nod her head, saying, “Yeah, I do.” Jenny smiled at Marge, patted her knee then turned her attention back to Kathy. “Kathy, I’ve been allowed to read your medical file, and the doctor’s reports. And you know as I know, there is no going back to being Walter. All the chemicals that contaminated your body have permanently transformed you into a girl. There is no going back to the way things were before the accident. You are a very beautiful girl and will be a girl until the day you die. You need to come to terms with that or your life is going to be a living hell. And I’d like to help you if you’ll let me. It might not be easy for you to be honest with yourself, but if you let me I will help you get through all this.”

Kathy’s head dropped, the tears now dropping onto her dress. She slowly nodded her head and said in a soft voice, “I just wanted to be Walter. That’s all.” She fell forward onto Jenny’s shoulder and began to cry. Jenny held her as she whispered to her, “It’s going to be alright. I’ll help you get through this.” Marge reached over and put her arms around Kathy, and her head on Kathy’s back. Jenny reached over and put her left hand around Marge’s back, and comforted her as she helped comfort Kathy.

Peter looked at his sister, and saw she too had dropped her head and was shaking it from side to side. She was kicking herself for not listening when Peter told her that Kathy needed counseling. He walked over to his sister, put his arms around her and pulled her into him before telling her, “I do love you sis. We’ll all get through this together.” She wrapped her arms around her brother’s waist as he held her, and let the tears fall freely. She needed Shelby tonight.

As silence reigned in that office, they all heard, “Attention please, this is an announcement. All students and teachers will report to the main gym for an assembly at 1:30 this afternoon. This assembly is not optional. Security will be watching the main corridors and teachers having a free period will be monitoring the halls. Each teacher is to take their class out into the hallway, then lock their classroom door before leading the class to the gym. Any student caught trying to avoid the assembly will immediately receive a one week suspension. This announcement has ended.”

Peter had told the receptionist exactly what to say, he wanted to make sure everyone knew something serious was up but not what. He saw the girls had calmed down somewhat, and Terry was more relaxed in her holding onto him, so he told the four, “I think we all should go get some lunch. Then after lunch, Kathy, you and Marge can go with Dr. Thomas and talk for as long as you need. And make plans for you two to continue to meet with Dr. Thomas for as long as she feels you need to talk.” Peter saw the two girls nod their heads, and felt Terry nod hers as well. Whether she was nodding at lunch or Kathy and Marge talking with Jenny, he didn’t know, but would ask her later. Then Jenny turned her head to look at Terry and told her, “That applies to you, too, Terry. I can see this whole thing has had you on edge from the beginning. We’ll set up a time for us to meet.” Peter expected his sister to explode and tell Jenny she didn’t need to talk to anyone, she was fine. But was surprised when she said, “Okay. I’d like that.”

It was Terry who said, “If we’re going to lunch, I need to freshen up first. Plus, I need to pee.” Her last declaration caused everyone to laugh, before it struck both Marge and Kathy they too needed the ladies room. “Mind if we come along, mom? I have the same urge as you?” Terry chuckled then told her daughter, “Not at all, sweetheart. It’s how girls often go to the ladies room. It’s safer that way.” Peter told Terry, Marge, and Kathy to go ahead and he and Jenny would wait for them at Margot’s desk. Once the three left Peter’s office, he asked Jenny several questions about how to handle this afternoon’s assembly. Her suggestion? Don’t put the blame on one individual. Find out where the rumors came from then go from there. “I can’t really tell you what to say, Peter, but I think once you find out where the rumors came from you’ll figure out the rest for yourself.” Jenny patted Peter’s hand before walking out of his office, down the short hallway, and stood waiting at Margot’s desk. Peter joined her a few moments later.

When the five walked into the cafeteria, silence had followed them from Peter’s office. As the five stood in line, then got their food, all eyes followed their every move. Once the five sat down, away from everyone else, murmurs started before talking once again filled the cafeteria. Terry could see the concern on Peter’s face, and asked if there was anything she could do, getting a, “No, but thanks,” from Peter. When the four women finished their lunches, they stood up, leaving Peter to his thoughts. Before Jenny walked away she told Peter, “Just be as concerned for the students as you’ve always been. You’ll figure out the rest.” She patted his shoulder and followed the other three women out of the cafeteria.

At 1:20 p.m., there was another announcement telling the school to proceed to the main gym for the assembly. When teachers and students started entering the gym, they saw Principal Stepel walking in a circle around the picture of the school mascot painted at center court on the gym floor. He was holding a wireless microphone. A few stragglers came running into the gym, found their classes and sat down before Peter looked up, got a nod from one of the teachers, then looked at the teachers standing by the four double doors in the gym, nodded his head and the four double doors slammed shut. Echoing throughout the gym. He continued walking in a circle before he lifted the microphone to his mouth and said, “Tonya Springer. Would you stand up,please.” The girl who is always exuberant in class was suddenly very shy, having the eyes of the whole school watching her. Peter looked where he knew her class was sitting, looked at her and asked, “You told Kathy Williams that a rumor was going around that she’d been raped after the dance last Friday. Who told you about that?” Tonya blinked a few times before answering, “Um, it was Mary Sternner.” “Thank you Tonya, you may sit down. Mary Sternner. Would you please stand,” Peter told Mary. And so it went, student after student, asking who they heard the rumor from and what they were told.

Mark Bass had just told Peter who told him and it was now Tommy Wertz who was standing, facing a patient Principal Stepel. “Tommy, it would seem you are the one who brought the rumor into school. Where did you hear it and who from?” Instead of looking at Tommy, Peter had started walking in circles around the mascot at center court. Waiting for Tommy to answer his question. When he heard Tommy say, “I heard my mom and dad talking about it, Principal Stepel,” he stopped dead in his tracks and looked up where Tommy was standing. Tommy’s last name was Waltz, but that wasn’t his step-father’s last name. Marten’s last name was Drover, and he was one of the police officers who found Robert suspended high up on the flagpole. “What did you hear you dad say, Tommy?” Peter tried to radiate calmness as he waited for Tommy to give his answer. “Well, sir, he told my mom because of the sign that was hung around Robert’s neck, he and his partner, Brenda Maxwell, thought the kid might have been after some girl at the dance. And my mom asked him if that boy might have tried to rape the girl. My dad said it was a possibility. And because of what Kathy Williams did to Robert earlier last week, I, um, just figured he was going to try and rape Kathy to get back at her.”

Jenny had quietly entered the gym and had been listening to how Peter was handling himself and the subject of the assembly. So far, she was pleased to see how he was handling things and actually giving a demonstration of how things can get out of control. “Thank you, Tommy. You may sit down.” As everyone watched, Peter again walked the circle around the school mascot, before bringing the microphone to his mouth as he walked. “Folks. When I first heard about this rumor I wanted to rip all of you a new one for your stupidity at passing on something you hadn’t even bothered to find out if true. But that wouldn’t have been right, it would have done more harm than the good I wanted it to do. Instead, we’ve been in here going backwards from person to person until we finally reached the beginning of the rumor. And if you were listening closely, as we went backwards, the bits and pieces added to each successive telling was removed. Until we heard the truth, that Robert might have had the rape of Kathy Williams on his mind last Friday night. I am, though, very disappointed with all of you for spreading something that has caused several people to be hurt. Though in a way, you actually did those people a favor, because they’d been harboring anger and this finally brought it out into the open.”

Peter continued to walk the circle, giving the students time to digest what he just told them. Then he went on. “I was called last Friday night by the police department and told there was a boy suspended from the flagpole in front of the school offices. When I arrived, Robert Bakes had been hoisted to the top of the flagpole, his mouth was taped shut and his hands had been taped behind his back. And he was stark naked. A sign had been hung around his neck that said, ‘We warned you to leave her alone. Now maybe you’ll get the message.’ No one knows who did this or when Robert was grabbed. We don’t know if it was a group from this school or a group from any of the other schools he had attended. But it has been postulated that he was after a girl at last Friday’s dance, and because as Tommy pointed out, it could have been Kathy Williams because of how she humiliated him earlier in the week. But the important thing here is that, THERE...IS...NO...PROOF what he intended. And because Tommy wasn’t included in his parents’ discussion, he didn’t get the whole story. And because he didn’t get the entire story, none of you got it either, and added your own bits and pieces as each of you passed the story along. Until it got to Tonya, where she told Kathy an erroneous rumor. And that started her anger rolling and as those in her science class know, wasn’t pretty.” Peter stopped his walk, stood in the middle of the painted mascot, and started turning so he looked at everyone as he turned. “Can you now see why rumors should never be repeated. That you should ALWAYS verify what you hear before passing it on. Because what you hear and what you actually discover, may not be the same thing. I know most of you grew up with Walter, now Kathy. You saw how he reacted when he encountered those situations. I’ve seen the admiration many of you have for him because of the way he does handle those situations. Even those of you who were just introduced to him at the beginning of the year, have come to admire him for his courage to face a situation not with anger but with humor and acceptance. So none of you set out to hurt Kathy, but you have. Just by spreading a rumor that wasn’t true. I can’t really fault any of you for doing it, it’s something students have been doing since they started attending school. But learn from this hard lesson. Think about how the person you’re talking about will feel if/when they hear something that turns out to be a lie.”

Jenny was very proud of how Peter handled a tough situation. Instead of using harshness, he used love and compassion. Instead of acting as a tyrant, he acted as a mentor. He showed patience when he could have been highly aggressive. And as Jenny looked at the students looking at Peter, it showed on their faces. His status with them went up ten fold.

Peter looked up at the clock on the gym wall, saw it was 2:30 p.m. and made another decision. “I see it’s 2:30, so for today you will go back to the class you were about to attend and be dismissed from school at 3:30 from that class. But please, people. Think about everything I’ve said to you. Think about how you’d feel if you were in Kathy’s shoes right now. Not only did she hear something she knew wasn’t true, and called a liar, but because of that accident that happened to her, she’s now struggling because she became a girl. That’s it, go to your classes. And thank you for your courteous behavior while in the gym.”

Peter just stood in the middle of the gym floor, his head hung to his chest. Jenny wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see tears falling to the floor. It had been tough on him to keep his temper in check, and yet try to impart a lesson these kids needed to hear. She’d have to pull him in for a chat, and soon.

Jenny had talked with Terry and the girls for about a half hour, setting up appointments for the girls right after school and for Terry in her other office, downtown, at seven in the evening. She had kept their first meeting short, since all three were still upset by today’s events and needed to calm down so they could think clearly when they again met with her. Plus, she needed to get to the gym to make sure Peter was going to be alright and not blast the entire school because of that stupid rumor. Everyone associated with that family needed help because of what happened to Walter, and she hoped she could convince them of that over the next few meetings.

As the girls left Jenny’s office at the high school, Terry walked between both girls, an arm around both of them. Both had an arm around her and were leaning into Terry as they walked to the parking lot. As they reached Terry’s car, Marge softly said, “I could use some ice cream right about now.” Terry chuckled and answered with, “Yeah, three bowls of chocolate this time. A girl’s comfort food for times like this.” Terry climbed into the driver’s side of the car, as the girls again sat beside her in the front seat, again with Marge sitting beside her. It was Kathy who broached the subject when she said, “How can people hear the truth but choose to believe a lie? I don’t understand it. Are they so hungry to latch onto something that they’ll accept anything they hear? Aren’t they interested in the truth?” They were a block from the ice cream parlor when Terry said, “Sweetheart, if a lie is told often enough people soon accept it as the truth. And when they hear the truth, they accept that as THE lie and refuse to believe what they’re being told. What you experienced today is not an isolated event, it happens all the time, all around you. People have become lazy, too lazy to try and find out the truth for themselves. They want to sit back and let someone else tell them what they believe the truth happens to be. Whether that’s the truth or not. While it was a hard lesson you received today, always believe what you hear with a degree of skepticism. Until you can verify it for yourself, no matter how long it takes.” They pulled into the parking lot for the strip mall, Terry parked in front of the ice cream parlor. When they came back out of the parlor each had a bowl with three scoops of Dutch chocolate in it. They sat down at one of the outdoor tables and proceeded to luxuriate in the calming effects the chocolate provided them. Not noticing the shadow that had parked some distance away.

Robert’s radio came alive with Peter’s voice, asking, “How are they doing, Robert?” Robert laughed and told Peter, “They just went back into that ice cream parlor and came back out with another bowl full of chocolate ice cream. Peter, they’re either going to be some sick ladies later tonight, or they were really bothered by the events from today.” “Thanks, Robert. Just make sure they get home safely.” Peter had spoken to Robert before he went into the gym, asking Robert to keep an eye on the three once they finished their meeting with Jenny. Peter told Robert that he wasn’t sure, but he felt the first thing they’d do after leaving the school would be to hit that ice cream parlor, it’s what they usually do if one of them is upset. And Peter was right. After Peter signed off, Rober just shook his head, saying to himself, “Damn, such nice people having to go through shit like today. On top of everything Walter’s had to go through so far. Sure hope Kathy doesn’t have more of this shit to go through, or can weather it if there is more.” He reached into his top shirt pocket, took out an energy bar, tore the wrapper open and sat there eating the bar as he watched the three girls go back into the parlor and get yet another bowl of chocolate ice cream. He chuckled to himself and said, “Yep, they’re gonna be three very sick ladies tonight.”

Three bowls of Dutch chocolate ice cream hardly phased the three, at least not right at the moment. All three had been that upset by the day’s events. They got back into Terry’s car and headed to Marge’s home, where the girls again said their own intimate goodbyes until tomorrow. It wasn’t until Terry and Kathy got home that things got a bit interesting, as both hurried into the house and occupied both bathrooms at the same time. It wasn’t as though they were green about the gills, just that the amount of ice cream they had eaten had caught up with them. And made things a bit painful at the moment.

When Shelby walked through the front door, he saw Terry and Kathy sitting on the couch, leaning against each other, their eyes closed, holding their stomachs. He laughed before asking, “Let me guess, too much ice cream again?” When he laughed again, Terry opened one eye, looked at her husband and told him, “Blow it out your ear, buster,” before closing that eye and moaning just a tiny bit. Kathy didn’t even open her eyes as she told her dad, “Yeah, what she said.” Shelby laughed again then walked over and sat next to Terry, pulling her into him. “Must have been pretty bad for you two to eat enough ice cream to make you wish you hadn’t. Wanna tell me about it?” It was Kathy who told her dad, “It was about what happened last Friday at the dance.” Shelby gave Kathy a puzzled look, which she didn’t see since her eyes were still closed, as her stomach continued to complain, and asked, “What happened last Friday night?” Terry gave Shelby the short version by saying, “Robert Bakes happened.”

Shelby gave both of his women a real puzzled look as he told them, “Okay, how about you two back up, start at the beginning, and stop giving me crib notes. Who’s Robert Bakes.?”

Kathy let out a very unlady like burp before telling her dad, “He is a boy who used to go to our school. He had transferred from another school, and had transferred from another school and another and…,” “Um, okay I get the point. He got kicked out of several schools before settling in your school,” Shelby said to shorten what he knew was going to get long winded. “Okay, what did he do that got him kicked out of your school, sweetheart?” This time Kathy opened her eyes, sat up and looked at her dad before asking, “How’d you know he got kicked out of our school?” Shelby rolled his eyes, looked up quickly, shook his head before replying, “Well, you did say he ‘used’ to go to your school, and he was kicked out of several other schools, so it followed he got kicked out of your school too.” Kathy gave her dad a funny look and said, “Oh, yeah, I guess it does,” and closed her eyes and put her head back on Terry’s shoulder.

Shelby waited a few moments then asked, “Um, isn’t someone going to get to the rest of the story? Like, why he got kicked out of your school? How all this involved you, Kathy? And why did you eat so much ice cream you both come close to looking like death warmed over?” Terry raised her head off Shelby’s shoulder, turned to look at her daughter, who had lifted her head off her mom’s shoulder, and was now looking at her mom, before they both turned to look at Shelby and performed synchronized raspberries at Shelby. They both resumed their original positions. “That bad, huh?” Shelby wisely asked the two women.

“Earlier last week, that butthole came up to Marge and I and proceeded to tell me I could do better than with my sister. He was talking about Marge. So in my Walter fashion, I gave him better than he gave us. It carried on for a few moments until I ended up humiliating him as a lot of students watched the exchange. You see, dad, he is, or was, one of those boys whose only goal at school was to see how many notches he could carve in his bedpost, and that’s what he wanted with me,” Kathy told her dad without moving from Terry’s shoulder or opening her eyes. “And what he was going to do at the dance is just conjecture, since no one’s talking, dad. But it isn’t conjecture what happened to him, though, because it was witnessed by two police officers making their rounds at school. One of the officers happened to be the step-dad of the boy who started the whole rumor thing today.”

Shelby was having a lot of trouble following what Kathy was talking about, since it sounded like this and that had something to do with this and that. “Um...I think I just walked in on the middle part of this movie. Care to start with the conjecture then go to what the officers found on their rounds at the school?” Kathy suddenly sat up, Terry did the same. Kathy quickly got up off the couch and headed for the stairs at a fast walk. And as she started running up the stairs, she hollered, “SURE DAD, JUST AS SOON AS I TAKE CARE OF SOMETHING FIRST.” Terry bolted off the couch and did another fast walk before telling Shelby, “Yeah, what she said,” and Shelby heard two bathroom doors slam shut. Shelby chuckled to himself and said to no one, “You’d think after the last time those two would learn. Too much ice cream goes right through those two.”

Shelby heard two toilets flush almost simultaneously, then the faucets were turned on, then Terry came down the hallway about the time Kathy came down the stairs. Both went into the kitchen, Shelby heard two glasses clink, the faucet run, then two glasses being placed on the counter before Terry and Kathy came back and resumed their original positions. Once Terry and Kathy were settled, Shelby said, “So, conjecture, and rumor?”