Chapter 14: Coach Bull’s Bull

All three students were academically and mostly otherwise qualified. Melba had graduated Salutatorian of her class, Bob had carried a 3.97 (one ‘B’ his freshman year) GPA through his sophomore year, and Susan completed her freshman year with a 4.0 - never letting her brother forget.

As they walked up the stairs to the main door of their high school, Bob placed his cell phone on voice record and told Susan that she should do the same, “That way we won’t need to take any notes and won’t forget anything we need to know.”

Because the last few weeks of the summer term were still in session, they entered the front doors, turned into the office and stood before the counter separating visitors from the secretary/receptionist. “Mornin’ Bobby and Susan,” she greeted them. “Y’all too Melba. So sorry to hear about y’all’s family. What can I do for y’all now? I got the employment certificates signed by Principal Bashar and over to Uncle Pete”

“Mornin’ Miz Perkins,” Melba responded. “I don’t need anything. I’m working for Uncle Pete and drove Bob and Susan over. They want to check their class schedule and maybe change to some AP classes. I’ll just wait out here until they’re done. If y’all aren’t too busy, we can have a nice visit.”

“None of the counselors are in this morning,” Mrs. Perkins told them, “but Coach Bull is the new vice-principal. I’ll go back and see if he is available to help you.” She walked down the short corridor in the admin complex and returned saying, “He’s in the last office on the right. Go right back”

After thanking her, Melba took a seat and the siblings walked down the hall as instructed.

His real name was Charles Brahmin, but he strongly resembled Richard Moll who played “Bull” in the Night Court TV series. Once awarded by students, the name stuck. Coach Bull coached basketball and track, fielding round ball teams noted for aggressive play, often criticized as ‘dirty’. He was both very protective and demanding of his athletes, and because of a supposed long-ago leg injury, he ostentatiously limped and used that as an excuse to carry a cane that he called ‘my enforcer’.

They entered the open door, greeting him with, “Good morning, Coach Bull.”

Bull motioned them to sit, closed the door and loomed over them, stating through gritted teeth, “It’s not a good morning for y’all, you murdering peckerwood SOB!” Turning to Susan, he continued, “and not for your slut sister either. School rules say y’all can’t come waltzing in here without parent or guardian and demand a schedule change.”

Bob flushed an instant red, while Susan paled. Bob looked at her and slightly shook his head ‘no’.

The Coach was winding up a full head of steam and was shouting, “This school has a zero-tolerance policy, and if y’all so much as look cross-eyed at another of my team, I’ll bring the enforcer down like a ton of bricks. Then as insurance, your sister will suffer for your infraction. Any suspicion at all, I’ll have y’all both strip-searched in the halls. Am I understood?!”

Bobby stood and reached for Susan’s hand. “I understand very well,” Bob told him. “I’ll have my guardian contact you about a schedule change.” He opened the door to leave.

“Where the fuck do y’all think you’re going?” Bull demanded. I haven’t dismissed y’all yet.”

Bob ignored him and led Susan away with Coach Bull yelling down the hall after them.

The first shot of this war had been fired...

As they approached Mrs. Perkins, she asked, “What’s all the yelling about? Did you do something to the coach?”

“Miz Perkins, I don’t really know. Before we said a word past ‘good morning, coach’, he was yellin’ at us,” Bobby told her. “I decided we should leave, and apparently that didn’t sit well either. Probably be a good idea for y’all to tell Miz Bashar that something’s got her new assistant principal all stirred up.” He turned to gather up Susan and Melba, then added, “Thanks so much for your help. We’ll see y’all when school starts back up in August.”

A dazed Mrs. Perkins simply nodded and waved a weak goodbye.

“What was that?” Melba asked as they exited the school. Bobby shook his head and motioned them onward. He climbed into the back seat with the shaking Susan and hugged her close. Once in the car, he pointedly pulled out his cellphone and stopped recording. Then he pantomimed for Susan to do the same. “Drive!” he instructed Melba. “I think a stop at Super Walmart for groceries and all would be a good idea. We can talk in the parking lot when we get there.”

“I think I got it figured,” he started after Melba had parked. “Before he was kicked off the team for cheating, Preston was the coach’s star center. They were headed for a championship when Billy Mitchell, got hepatitis and was quarantined. He was the kid Preston was pressuring into doing his English and history homework. When Billy got sick, Preston’s work didn’t match up with previous assignments and he couldn’t pass any tests. Don’t have any idea why the coach still cares about Preston, but he’s always been touchy on the subject.”

“So what do we do now?” Susan asked.

“We call Uncle Pete and ask him to have lunch with us - at the house so we’ll have privacy. Then we pick up the stuff we need at Walmart. It’s stupid to drive back half an hour when we’re already here. On the way home, we’ll stop at the ‘Pig and Whistle’ and order up a couple of pounds of pulled pork, two quarts of Georgia Hash and rice, some tater salad, slaw, and a quart of peach cobbler. Y’all can order up whatever ya want...” He laughed.

“Oh you!” Susan smacked his shoulder. “How can y’all laugh when that awful man said what he said and threatened what he did?”

“Well, unless we both screwed up, we have it all recorded - start to finish.” He looked at her, then over at the curious Melba. “Melba, we’ll lay it all out at once with Uncle Pete there. Just don’t die of curiosity before we see him. Anyway, I think the bastard handed us everything we wanted on a silver platter. I hope Uncle Pete thinks the same.”

After downing a prodigious amount of barbeque and sides, Uncle Pete pushed back from the table and said, “Now, when I get fed that much that good, I know somebody wants something. Out with it!”

Bob led them all into the family room where he had paired the Bluetooth on his cell phone to the room’s stereo system. When they were seated - Uncle Pete in the large recliner, the three youngsters huddled together anxiously on the sofa - Bob started the recording without preamble.

When the playback was finished, Uncle Pete held out his hand and told them, “If you want me to represent y’all in this, each of you dig out a dollar and give it to me.”

Both Susan and Melba had left their purses in the bedroom, so Bob handed each a dollar from his wallet.

Once he had the dollars in hand, Uncle Pete stated, “The dollar is largely symbolic, but it clearly establishes that you want me to be your attorney, and that I accept the responsibility. Your parents’ will appoints me as your guardian, but this is y’all’s individual choice to make.”

He smiled, “And I appreciate your faith in me. Now! That was appalling! So what do you kids want to happen?”

Susan spoke first, “I want the asshole’s gonads handed to him on a platter. AND I want to see it happen.”

“I’m more than certain we can make that happen,” Uncle Pete replied. “What else.”

“We need to be safe and to be sure we get a good education,” Bob added. “We went there to see what AP classes are available. If we can, we’d like to use the Accel Program at the college so we can take classes with Melba. We are academically capable, but I’m pretty sure our high school has to sponsor us. That way we’d be getting college credit and our high school diploma.”

“I want to stay with Bob and Susan,” Melba chimed in. “And I want you to help me become a lawyer. A really good one, like y’all.”

Uncle Pete smiled at her and nodded.

“I bet Coach calls that bitch from social services,” Bob warned. “We need to head her off at the pass and fix it permanently.”

“Let me make some phone calls,” Uncle Pete replied. “Y’all get lunch cleaned up and put away, and get outta those shorts and into church goin’ clothes. By the time you’re done with that, we’ll mosey over to see Sheriff Peterson and probably on to the courthouse.”

By four o’clock that afternoon a deputy sheriff had presented a summons to Coach Bull, Mrs. Hawkins, Mrs. Perkins, Principal Bashar, Nancy the 911 operator, and the two nurses from the hospital. They were to appear in Judge Joshua Bradford Rule’s court by ten the next morning. Bull and Hawkins were exultant, believing their summons was the result of their own complaint phone calls.

When Bob and Susan entered the courtroom with Uncle Pete, all the subpoenaed were present, as was Melba, who was seated in the back next to Sheriff Peterson. Coach Bull and Mrs. Hawkins were seated, heads together whispering. Once the arrival of the Judge was announced, they all stood while he entered, sat, and called the hearing to order. He looked around and stated, “There’s a pot full of charges, allegations, accusations and whatnot before the Court this morning. They appear to be related and intertwined, so instead of separate hearings, costing time and money, I intend to sort them out together this morning. That said, this is a hearing and not a trial, but normal rules of decorum and probity will apply. You will give your statements under oath.”

He looked around, and continued, “Is anyone here represented by an attorney, or wish to have one present? When you are sworn in, state if you are represented or desire representation.”

The bailiff swore in each person, and until he called Bob, all stated they had no attorney present and desired none. At Bob’s name, Uncle Pete stood, gave his full name, and declared, “Your Honor, I represent Robert Pepper Quayle and his sister, Susan Elaine Quayle, in two capacities. As family attorney, I was appointed their guardian in their deceased parents’ wills. The wills have been filed but have not been through probate. I brought three certified copies of the wills with relevant passages highlighted. Robert and Susan have also hired me separately, on their own, to represent them in any legal matters that concern them.”

Bob and Susan were then sworn in, and Melba was also sworn, after stating, “I’m over twenty-one and Uncle Pete is also my attorney.”

With the preliminaries behind them Judge Rule began. “Mrs. Hawkins, your complaint is first in the queue. Please begin.”

She stood and began, “Your Honor, I’m a case worker for the county’s social services. When I went to the hospital to take charge of the two orphans sitting there,” she pointed, “I was denied access to their records and prevented access to them by these two individuals.” She pointed to the two nurses. “Then that woman, Nancy Barlow, yelled down the hall calling me a bitch and threatening to call the sheriff on me.” She continued to relate the initial encounter with a reasonably accurate narrative, concluding with, “So I left and went back to my office.”