One Little Lie

When Gaylon Daughnna woke on Saturday morning, the last day of June, he felt good. Real ly good. It was his thirty-sixth birthday and life couldn't be better. He'd just been offered a job at Whormer Prep that paid a whopping seventy-eight grand a year for doing what he gladly would have done for nothing. Teaching. It was a real rush seeing the light bulb over a kid's head suddenly pop on because finally, he'd gotten it. Although, scuttlebutt had it that these Whormer kids walked around with light shining on their carefully cropped, privileged heads all the time. No matter. There was always something he'd be able to teach them. 1

And if fortune hadn't already smiled on him enough, he had a fiancee who adored him. Beautiful Nona of the dark brown hair and the light brown eyes. They'd had a lot in common since she was a teacher also. He'd see her later at the luncheon being held by the Whormer faculty to welcome the newcomers. She was his plus one. He got out of bed, raised the half open window to it's full height, and deep-breathed in the scent of freshly-cut grass, summer flowers, and damp earth. He could take it easy for a while today; the luncheon wasn't until two.2

In the kitchen, he held his coffee cup in one hand and browsed through The Sentinel spread out on the distressed wood table. He used his free hand to turn pages. Suddenly, the hand holding his coffee cup began to shake; hot coffee spilled on the table and on his bare thighs . He jumped up from the chair, scalded. God, this can't be right! Are they insane? Am I? He couldn't believe what was in black and white before him. This has to be somebody's idea of a sick practical joke! On page five, his photo stared wide-eyed back at him and a caption asked in bold eighteen point type: DO You Want This Man Teaching Your Child? 3

The article said he'd been named in a child molestation case, and been let go from St. Ursula's Preparatory School For Girls under a cloud of suspicion. It even mentioned the juvenile detainment involving two under aged girls. Damn! I thought those records were supposed to be expunged or at the very least sealed!4

There was a lot the article failed to mention. 5

It forgot to say that yes, he'd been named in that case but the child had recanted. Sharon McGinty had made the whole ugly thing up because she hadn't liked the grade he'd given her in English. The story she'd told her parents, the police, and anyone else who'd listen, had been dirty and disgusting. He remembered wondering how such explicit filth could come out of such a young mouth. Allegedly, he'd lured her into an empty classroom after school, pushed her against the wall, and half undressed her by pulling her skirt up and her panties down. He'd told her to unbutton her school blouse, buried his face in her breasts, and rubbed himself up and down against her. According to her story, he'd heard someone coming, stopped, and warned her if she told anyone she'd be sorry. After that, she'd gone home and told her parents. 6

Fortunately for him, he'd been in the company of his fiancee and her brother, 7

Aju Junior, at the time this had supposedly taken place. Faced with their statements, Sharon had recanted, but the damage had been done. People never looked at him quite the same way again, and he'd been asked to leave his home by the condo board, although he'd been proven innocent. As for the other, it had happened when he was thirteen, and the under aged girls had been his sister and cousin. He'd defended their honor against a bully and the other party had suffered a broken nose. Nothing really had ever come of it. He'd forgotten all about it. Until now. Suing the hell out of the police department, the McGintys and the condo board had given him immense pleasure. With the settlement, he'd moved himself two towns over to slightly more affluent Willem County. Now this. There's no way they're going to hire me at Whormer now. Dammit, who could've leaked this? Why'd this have to come up?8

As if on cue, the telephone rang; it was dean Weinholtz from Whormer Prep requesting a meet before the luncheon. This doesn't look good for the home team, Gaylon thought as he turned the shower on full blast. Even though he was innocent, he felt sullied by the attack in the paper. He only hoped that things wouldn't turn out the same way as last time. 9

Dressed in a navy pinstripe suit, white shirt and red, white, and blue striped power tie, he fit the picture of a true metrosexual. Navy blue Italian leather shoes completed his outfit. He felt confident whatever was going on would be resolved, and he'd be able to get on with his life. 10

Self assurance turned to wide-eyed shock as he opened his front door and saw the hateful words CHILD MOLESTER! scrawled in red paint across it. What the?? This. Is. Not. Happening. As he turned around from locking the door, a gob of mud hit him square in the chest, staining the suit, tie, and shirt. Three or four glass projectiles came close to hitting him before he shielded his face with his arms. He ran for his car; the mob followed close behind. Out of projectiles, they hurled insults and epithets. Angry shouts of “Get the fuck out of town, you perv!” and “We're gonna cut your nuts off, ya' sick bastard!” bombarded him as he managed to make it to the car, jump in, start the engine and drive off. A quarter mile down the road he stopped and tried to pull himself together. 11

Jesus! Had the whole damn world gone crazy? He quickly took stock of himself in the rear view mirror. I'm a freakin' mess! He tried to remove the semi-dried mud from the front of his suit and shirt, but smeared it and made more of a mess than there was in the beginning. Whatever. I guess I can explain this, he reasoned. He drove off and didn't stop until he reached the grounds of the school and pulled into a space in a lot reserved for Visitors Only. How could he explain everything he had to explain looking like this?12

When he got out, he was relieved to see no people camped out waiting for him on the steps or in the bushes He got to the dean's office in record time. Slightly out of breath, he told the startled receptionist he was there to see dean Weinholtz. Well he looks like ten miles of damn bad road, she thought as she buzzed through to her boss. “Mr. Daughnna is here to see you. You can go in now, Mr. Daughnna.” 13

Gaylon knew he looked bad, but how bad was made apparent when he looked in the floor to ceiling mirror behind the dean's desk. In addition to the stained suit, his hair was wild and he had a dark smear of mud on his face. Dean Weinholtz, his back turned to him, was able to see Gaylon through the mirror as well. “Have a seat, Mr. Daughnna.” What happened to Gaylon and Pat? Gaylon thought as he sat down on the hard chair. The dean swiveled around to face him.14

“I won't beat around the bush, Mr. Daughnna. I trust you've seen the papers?” 15

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Gaylon replied: “Yes I have, and there's a lot they're leaving out. I can assure you I'm no child molester. I've been totally cleared of those charges!”16

“Perhaps. But the mere mention of inappropriate behavior sends shock waves through the parents, the donors and the school board. Besides, it would be a very awkward position for the school under the circumstances.”17

“What circumstances would those be, Pat?” Gaylon said, taking the mud-soiled handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiping his brow.18

Leaning across the ebony leather desk, dean Weinholtz buzzed the receptionist and told her to “send them in.” Who in the hell is them? And what has them got to do with me? The answer came soon in the forms of Sharon McGinty, her father, and Nona. 19

“What are you doing here?” Gaylon said, addressing Nona, but getting a reply from Jim McGinty.20

“We've got every right. My daughter's attending school here this year. And that means you're out, you degenerate!”21

“I was cleared of everything, remember that? Because your daughter 22

lied, McGinty. She made the whole thing up in her sick little mind.” 23

Turning to Nona, Gaylon said: “Tell them, Nona. I was with you and Aju Junior when all this was supposed to have happened!”24

Instead of the affirmation Gaylon was expecting, Nona's next words put the finishing nails in his coffin. “They're re-opening the investigation, Gaylon. Aju Junior says he was confused about the time and it was at least an hour later than we both thought. So really, at the time Sharon says this happened, you were still on school grounds.”25

In a state of shock, Gaylon white-knuckled the sides of his chair. “Nona, I was with you and your brother. We went for ice cream at Scooter's. Don't you remember that?”26

Nona was composed. She looked Gaylon straight in the eye and calmly said: 27

“That's correct, but we didn't get there until four thirty. Not three thirty. You didn't come outside of that school until four o'clock.”28

“Plenty of time for you to have had your hands all over my daughter, Daughnna. You're not going to skate away this time. Mr. Weinholtz assures me that nothing of the sort will be going on because you won't be teaching here! And if I have my way, you won't be teaching anywhere else, either.”29

In a last ditch attempt to save himself from this informal lynch mob, Gaylon tried appealing to Sharon McGinty who was twirling a strand of hair around her finger and popping chewing gum. “Sharon, tell your father and everyone you just made this up because you didn't like the grade I gave you. Please, you can make this right if you just tell the truth. Please.”30

For a moment he saw a flash of the girl who maybe wanted to put things right, but that was instantly replaced by the smirking teenager who didn't care who or what she destroyed. “Daddy, please make him stop. I told you the truth. He did everything I said! I just said he didn't because I was scared and everyone was acting like they didn't believe me, but he did it! He did!” Sharon said hysterically.31

Jim McGinty ran over to comfort his daughter. “It's alright, sweetheart. He can't hurt you anymore.” Addressing dean Weinholtz, he inquired:”Can't you get him out of here? I'm paying a lot of money so Sharon can attend this school. Get rid of this scum!”32

The dean rose from his chair and stood beside Gaylon. “You see how this is an untenable situation for all concerned, Mr. Daughnna. I'll have to ask you to leave the school premises or have you escorted out by security.”33

Dazed, Gaylon looked around him at the sea of disapproving faces. “Alright, I'll go but this isn't the last you'll be hearing from me! Come on Nona, let's get out of here before I forget I'm a gentleman!”34

Dean Weinholtz looked at him as though he'd just crawled out of a sewer. “I'm well aware that you sued the Ashford County school board, Daughnna. But this is Willem County. You don't have a leg to stand on and if you mess with me I'll personally kick the crutches right out from under your ass, so don't you threaten me!” Turning to Nona he asked: “Didn't you tell him?” 35

“Tell me what? What's he talking about Nona?” Nona refused to look at him and kept twisting a crumpled Kleenex in her hands. Finally she spoke. “ Dean Weinholtz has asked me to fill the position that he was going to give to you. I-I accepted.”36

“YOU WHAT? Oh, I don't believe this. Tell me you're joking!” He grabbed Nona by her arm and tried to make her look at him. 37

“Let her go, Daughnna!” He buzzed the receptionist. “Get security in here now, Hazel!”38

Gaylon let go of Nona's arm. In the last twenty minutes he'd lost his job, and his fiancee. He had no home to go to either. “Security won't be necessary.I'm leaving.” Giving Nona a last look, he turned and walked out. 39

It took him two full minutes before he could stop his hands from shaking enough to put the key in the ignition. He drove around aimlessly with nowhere to go. There was no home where he would be welcome. The police were looking for him too. Thirty-six years old and my life is down the tubes, shot to hell because of one little lie. He was so deep in thought, and so intent on driving, he never saw the cinder block that dropped from the overpass, smashing his windshield. He never felt the crash as his car careened into a power line. 40

The coroner thought he looked rather surprised.41

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