Chapter 19

Roberta Kramer was back on her feet. "Your Honor," she declared, "this trial has been a complete farce!"

You've got that one thing right, Callaway thought, even if you're totally wrong in your sense of direction.

"I suppose we have established that at least a few of these children are a bit brighter than average..." There was a ripple of laughter through the courtroom as Callaway could no longer control himself and rolled his eyes to the amusement of the spectators. " ... but can Mrs. Conroy teach? What about ... about physical education?" Kramer blurted, evidently quite proud of herself for coming up with a point she didn't think Bobbie could handle.

"Now why do you suppose I thought Ms. Kramer would sooner or later come around to that one?" Bobbie said aloud but in a tone of voice she might use in talking to herself. "Maybe it's because our classroom is on the thirty-eighth floor of a downtown office building. Oh, well..." With that she smiled acidly at Kramer, reached below the table and pulled out a large packing box.

Before the day of the trial but after learning which courtroom would be used, Bobbie had come down to the courthouse and looked the room over carefully. First, because the courtroom was very large and the courthouse dated from before World War II, its ceiling was very high — somewhat over twenty feet. Moreover, there were several large hooks set in the ceiling, possibly having been used to suspend heavy ceiling fans in the days before the building had been air-conditioned.

Going into the box Bobbie took out a coil of rope. With a warm smile she said, "Judge, I'm really not dressed appropriately for what I'm about to do. I hope it won't offend the Court's sensibilities if I strip down to a point that is still well beyond what I would have to wear at a public beach — and far beyond what I normally wear." At that comment all of the children laughed and giggled knowing that Bobbie's normal beachwear was being nude.

"I think we can live with it," Callaway replied. "After all, you're doing it at the State's request."

With a quick grin Bobbie slipped off the white dress she was wearing and stepped out of her pumps. Now she was wearing only a tiny white bikini which left her cheeks bare, and a white camisole. Her fully-revealed figure was utterly magnificent. After carefully measuring out a length of rope, she coiled it and then with a casual-appearing flick of her arm and wrist sent the coil sailing up toward the ceiling. She caught the ceiling hook on her first try.

"What on earth is she doing?" Kramer exclaimed.

"Hanging a climbing rope on the ceiling," Andy replied acidly. "What does it look like she's doing? Besides, it's a lot easier throwing that line than it is to throw a rope made of braided vines. That's what Mrs. Conroy was using most of the past year."

Now Bobbie had two lengths of line in her hands with the bend hanging high above her from the hook in the ceiling. Again going to her box she removed a length of much heavier rope. This time it was the type normally used in gyms for rope climbing and even had a leather-covered knot on the bottom. Measuring out to the halfway point she hung it around her neck. Looking up at the ceiling she gripped the double length of line and hauled herself upward.

Kramer and the spectators gasped at what they were seeing. As soon as her weight was suspended from the rope, the incredible muscle development in her arms and shoulders became apparent. Without using her legs or feet at all, Bobbie just hauled herself quickly up the rope to the ceiling.

Once there, she used her feet for the first time, wrapping the rope around her leg and then using her feet to hold herself in position. Then she carefully hauled down on the length of heavy rope around her neck to bring its end with its attachment fitting to hand. When she had the end, she carefully fitted it over the ceiling hook making sure that it was solidly fastened. Shifting over to the climbing rope, she then lifted the first rope off the hook and let it drop to the floor.

After again checking the attachment of the climbing rope she went down so fast it was almost as if she were falling. Again there was a gasp from the spectators while the children just looked at each other. They couldn't understand what the spectators thought was so special. All Bobbie had done was to hang the rope on the ceiling after all. To them it was no big deal.

After picking up the thinner line and putting it back in the box she said, "Okay, kids! Let's get with it." Looking at the children, she raised an eyebrow and with a grin and a wink said, "Surely you're not going to climb dressed like that, are you?"

Then she looked up at the judge and said, "It's show-time again. Although the girls will not be wearing bras, I think you'll agree that it's at least six months to a year before they'll need them."

Callaway just grinned and nodded. He also winked his eye that was away from the state's side of the room.

Meanwhile the spectators were amazed to see how quickly the small children undressed, carefully folded their clothes and placed them in neat piles on the table. When they were stripped down to their underwear, the boys were only wearing white jockey shorts while the girls were only wearing very feminine-looking cotton briefs. Most had tiny pink bows on each side at the leg openings.

Looking at Bobbie, Andy asked, "Teams, Mrs. Conroy? Please, can we do it as teams?" The other children all cheered the suggestion.

"Judge, what Andrea is asking is if they can compete as two teams of five children. It's what we often do in school. While normally we use two ropes at once, today I'll have to use a stopwatch since we have only one."

Just then Roberta Kramer spoke up. "Surely, Mrs. Conroy, you do not expect those children to climb that rope!"

"I don't?" Bobbie replied wide-eyed. "What do I expect, then? It's really not very good to eat."

"But ... But rope-climbing is only for boys and then only at the high-school level. In the primary grades we walk in circles—"