Excerpt . . . again.

       

Going back in time to The Famous One written as a fictional biography. A piece from the chapter titled "Different Endings".

     Joey got in trouble in his gym class for hiding the most popular kid’s tennis shoes. He told the teacher he hadn’t done it, but the teacher didn’t believe him because Larry Miller was the best athlete in the class, and he told the teacher he thought he saw Joey looking at his shoes while Larry was headed to the bathroom. Joey had hidden the kid’s shoes because he’d heard him bullying Trey the day before. Joey had tossed them over the fence at the far end of the playground where there was a large patch of overgrown brush and blackberry bushes that stood about three-feet high. The shoes were an expensive brand, and Joey never retrieved them or gave up their location. As far as he knew, no one ever found them, but it earned him a trip to the principal’s office.

      “So, Joey, do you have anything to say about this?” Mr. Welch asked, seated on the corner of his large desk with his hands folded.

      “I didn’t do it,” he lied.

      “Well, do you have any idea who might have?”

      “Could’ve been anyone.”

      “Why do you say that?”

      “Miller’s a jerk. There are all kinds of kids who don’t like him.”

      “I see. Any of these kids in your gym class?”

      “Sure.”

      “But you have no personal knowledge of which one might’ve hidden his shoes.”

      “That’s right.”

      “You know, Joey, those particular shoes will be quite expensive to replace,” Mr. Welch said thoughtfully.

     “So? Kind of doesn’t matter, really, you know? I mean, a guy loses his shoes, he’s got no shoes. It’d be hard for anyone to replace their shoes, don’t ya think?” Joey asked cleverly.

      Mr. Welch stared at Joey with an expression of both understanding and concern for the young man who he could see had already acquired an edge and the beginning of a cynical attitude. “Good point, Joey. Well, since no one can verify that it was you who hid the shoes for certain, you are free to go. However, just in case you did hide the shoes—and hear me out, I’m sure you would’ve done so with a motive that you felt was justified—there are always consequences to wrong actions. They just don’t always happen right away, and sometimes they do more damage to the inside of a person than to the outside. Now I’d prefer not to see you in my office again for anything of this nature. Fair enough?”

      “Yeah, okay.”

      Joey never told a soul—not even Trey—that he had done the deed until much later in his adult life. When he and Trey and Kelsey walked home from school, Trey asked him all about the meeting with Mr. Welch. Joey shrugged it off, saying it was no big deal.

      “But, Joey, everybody says you did it, and some of the kids think it’s really cool,” Trey said excitedly.

      “Well, it wasn’t me, so I guess I’m not so cool, huh?” Joey smiled briefly.

      “Joey,” Trey said confidently, “you’ll always be cool.”

      Joey looked over at Trey with a little surprise and embarrassment and then resumed looking down at the sidewalk as they approached Trey’s and Kelsey’s houses.

      “See ya in about 15 minutes,” Trey said as he crossed the small lawn to the two steps that led to his front door.

                             

 

Father, only you know what's best for me. Only you give me words and inspiration. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.