A Most Unusual Passage
Copyright© 2026 by J&J
Chapter 18
It was too early to be awake, but I hadn’t slept very well. Between the emotions of the day before, concern for Marcus and anxiety about today, I was surprised I had slept at all. I had just stepped out of the tub and wrapped myself in a robe, when the phone rang. I froze; a call this time of the morning ... it had to be the hospital. I crashed through the door back to my bedroom and grabbed the phone, knocking the base to the floor. KaKLang!
“Kitten? Are you OK?”
“Daddy!” I answered breathlessly, “Yes, I’m ... no, not really. Things are in a mess here.”
“I was worried when you didn’t call last night, and I kept trying till very late. I didn’t figure you and Mary ... ah, Martha ... could be having that much fun in Denver. You said you were going to get back early.”
“Martha and I had a great time. But when we got home, we found Marcus unconscious.”
“What happened? His heart?”
“No, it looks like he fell and hit his head on a rock; he’s in a coma. The doctor expects him to recover, but they don’t know how long until he wakes up.”
“Sounds like Otis High has a new principal.”
“I’m just not ready, Daddy; Marcus hasn’t even started showing me around.”
“Doesn’t matter now, Kitten; fate has dealt the cards; you have to step up to the plate. It’s your duty.”
“Even if I don’t have a clue about what’s really going on?”
“That doesn’t matter. The secretary probably knows more about the actual day-to-day running of the school than even Marcus. You know how to give people confidence, to keep them calm and on track. You know how to be a leader.”
“You sound exactly like Martha.”
“Then obviously Martha is very wise, and you should listen to her, Kitten.”
“Oh, she is, Daddy; I wish you could meet her.”
“I’d like that. Now, both of us older and wiser folks agree, so you best be getting ready, Madam Principal.”
“I will, Daddy. I’ll do the best I can. I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you; you know that ... and, Kitten...”
“Yes, Daddy?”
“You CAN do this. You can do anything you really want to. I’ve always known that about you, even when I could still carry you on my shoulder.”
As I walked into the school, I felt every eye on me, so I strode through the halls as though I had always been the principal. Years of experience surviving in a mostly male profession, competitive sports, and even handling those occasional predatory dates that could smell fear in a woman, had taught me how to exude confidence, even if I didn’t feel it.
Smiling at everyone without stopping to chat, I went straight to Marcus’, well, temporarily, my office. Inside, I closed the door and took a deep breath. I felt almost like a child playing dress-up; the rest of the school might be buying this act, but I knew this was still Marcus’ school. In time, I might make it mine, but that time was not yet.
Tap, tap, tap, I heard a gentle knock on the door. “Come in,” I called.
Fancy stuck her head in. “I’ve got you a cup of tea. Hazel said you liked English Breakfast, Ms. Manigault.”
“It’s Elizabeth, especially in this office. Thank you very much for the tea. Could I get you to step in, and shut the door?”
Fancy stepped inside and closed the door. I motioned for her to take a seat by my desk.
“Fancy,” I said, “I won’t beat around the bush; we both know I don’t know the first damn thing about running this school. I don’t even have a set of keys. I need your help.”
“I already promised Martha that I’ll do everything necessary to get you through this. I want this to work, for your sake and the school’s.”
“Thank you,” I replied, “that means a lot. Now tell me, what do I need to do?”
“As long as things run smoothly, very little. Unfortunately, the times I’ll have to come get you will be because of problems. But those don’t come up too often. You should make an announcement this morning. After that, just be here.”
“Any advice on the announcement?”
“I’d be upbeat and positive and not make too big a deal of it. More like he has a case of flu. I would avoid making it sound like I was taking over permanently. Wouldn’t hurt to try to get them to cut back on visits; Martha’s wearing herself out playing hostess.”
“Ok, what do I do to make an announcement?”
“It’s easy,” she replied, “there’s a microphone built into the speaker phone on your desk. Just push the button marked ‘PA’ to make an announcement. You push the button marked ‘SEC’ to talk to me.”
I looked at the phone. Most of the other buttons were familiar to me with one exception.
“What is this button marked ‘SEC DICT’?”
“That button,” replied Fancy, “allows me to hear you, but not the other way around. It was originally intended for dictating letters and such. It has become even more useful when Marcus finds himself in a meeting that might become contentious. He presses the button, and I take notes of the meeting for him. I’m a notary public and court reporter, so my notes are considered legal documents.”
“I’m used to the school secretary being a notary, to notarize transcripts and records,” I said, “but a court reporter?”
“Don’t be too impressed; you’re in the Wild West, remember? In a lot of states, court reporters have to be specially trained and certified. In Colorado, they’re hardly regulated at all. It’s actually harder to become a notary. But it’s handy in a small town to have one to take depositions and sworn statements, since Denver lawyers don’t much care for driving out to Otis. Sometimes, Marcus has found it handy to cover his butt. Angry parents have a way of remembering what they want to remember and then running to the school board with it.”
“But is it legal to take notes without the other person knowing it?”
“It is, as long as you have a sign posted. There it is, right by the desk.”
She pointed out a small but perfectly legible sign that stated: All conferences may be recorded by a notary/court reporter at the discretion of the principal.
“It’s all perfectly legal and very useful,” Fancy continued. “So if you ever find yourself in a conference where you’re concerned that not everyone will remember the same thing; hit the button. I will keep a fair and impartial record that, if necessary, will stand up in court.”
She paused and looked at her watch. “The kids are all in homeroom. This is the best time to make that announcement.”
I took a moment to compose my thoughts, and then reached over and pressed ‘PA.’ “Your attention, please; this is Elizabeth Manigault, your new assistant principal. I’m sorry I haven’t even had a chance to meet many of you, but I hope you will help me get to know you over the next few days. As most of you have already heard, Mr. Martel had a serious accident yesterday, hitting his head on a rock. He is in the hospital in Brush and is so far still unconscious. However, I have personally talked with his physician, who is very optimistic and expects a complete and rapid recovery. I know all your thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Martel and his family. I know many of you and your parents came to the hospital in person last night. I know Mrs. Martel appreciates your support; however, I would remind you that currently, she is with Mr. Martel in his room, with only immediate family allowed, so visits to the hospital are pointless. Any news from the hospital will be announced over the PA system immediately. I thank you all for the wonderful way you have made me feel welcome here. I hope to reward your hospitality with hard work on behalf of this school that Mr. Martel has run so well. Obviously, we will all miss him, and I wouldn’t even try to fill his shoes, but I want to make sure that the school he returns to in a few days is running as well as the one he left last Friday.”
I snapped the button off and turned to see Fancy silently applauding. I took an exaggerated bow.
“Bravo, bravo, encore,” laughed Fancy.
“If it’s that good,” I said, “I’ll take it on the road.”
I spent the morning visiting classes and taking questions from the students. Mostly, they were about Marcus, though a fair number were about me, especially from the girls. I spent the lunch hour sitting with groups of students, answering questions but mostly trying to listen to them. I wanted to see in what ways they were like the students I had known and in what ways different. I shouldn’t have been surprised, when the result was that they were completely the same AND totally different. Yes, I know it’s an impossible contradiction; adolescents are made up of impossible contradictions.
In the afternoon, I returned to my office, Marcus’ office, to just be available if I were needed. So far, it had been much easier that I had ever imagined the first day could be. I looked up at Fancy’s now familiar tap-tap, which she used before entering my open door.
One look at her face told me that my easy day was over, even before she spoke to confirm it. “Mr. Miller from the school board is here to see you.”
Dealing with Everett was the very last thing I wanted to do today. It was the last thing I wanted any day; but I felt particularly vulnerable with Marcus hors de combat and Everett suspected of some unknown scheme. Despite this, I had no choice except to welcome him.
“Send him in, please,” I said to Fancy while conspicuously reaching for the SEC DICT key on the intercom.
She saw my motion and winked before returning to the waiting room to send Everett in.
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