A Most Unusual Passage
Copyright© 2026 by J&J
Chapter 26
Elizabeth nodded her head and sat back in her chair. I could tell from her posture she was nervous; probably wondering if I thought she’d made a huge mistake.
“First off,” I started, “I want to say, I think you conducted yourself admirably. I can’t think of one thing that I’d have done differently.”
I could see Elizabeth relax. Her whole body seemed to just collapse and settle into the chair. I grinned, gave a short chuckle, and then continued. “Elizabeth, relax. This is not as big a problem as you may think.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to say what I wanted to without sounding critical. Since our first meeting, I’d sensed Elizabeth felt that because Otis was a small town, the people who lived here were somewhat naïve. It’s an easy trap to fall into. When you are born and raised in a semi-isolated society, you tend to listen first and keep most of your opinions to yourself. It’s easy to mistake that reticence for ignorance.
“Elizabeth,” I started. “First, there is something I think you are missing. Most people around here are aware of how Everett behaves. If they don’t say much about it, it’s because it usually doesn’t affect them directly. That doesn’t mean that they are unaware he is a manipulative and vindictive person. That’s why it won’t be hard for the majority of them to understand and agree with the actions you’ve taken.
“The next item is more personal. What do you want to do, and more important, how will your actions effect not only Everett, but the rest of the community as well?”
I could see by her expression I’d raised an issue she had not actually thought through. After a short pause, she answered, “I really don’t know what to say. I mean, I’ve been so caught up in the present, that I haven’t thought much about how to react. Other than I would like to nail his butt to the wall.”
I glanced at Martha, hoping that she’d jump in; all she did was nod and give me a slight smile, which I took that to mean “You’re doing fine; keep it up!” I could see there was no help from that corner.
Turning my attention back to Elizabeth, “Well, one big question is: Do you intend to stay here? I’m assuming that the answer is ‘yes.’”
I could see Elizabeth was thinking the question over. After a few seconds, she nodded her head.
For some strange reason, I was relieved. I’d never seriously thought of it before, but it now hit me like a ton of bricks. I was going to retire; there was no doubt about that. But, I still felt like it was my school. The school I’d built my whole life around. I wanted it to be managed by someone I trusted and had confidence in, and Elizabeth just felt right to me.
I pulled myself back from my wandering thoughts and continued.
“Let’s take a look at our options: First, we could just ignore the whole thing, and let nature take its course. Second, we might consider an attack on all fronts. Go for the kill, so to speak. Finally, we have the option of raising the issue in such a way that we take care of Everett, but don’t start an all out war that will pull the community apart.”
Elizabeth looked puzzled, “Why would taking Everett down pull the community apart?”
Thankfully, Martha chose to step in. “Regardless of how slimy he is, he does have his supporters. Mostly some of the county business people. Everett’s not above doing a few favors and then expecting something in return.”
Elizabeth was clearly perplexed. In exasperation, she asked, “So what do we do? I sure as hell am not going to let him waltz away like nothing has happened.”
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