As April got under way, tensions ran high between the Gatteau children. Given the week’s events, further clashes were sure to come and parents would be forced to pick sides in every battle, each child would see to that.
It all began, of course, with Phoebe. She asked her mother to go with her to school to set Mr. Tanner straight. Portia rode to school with them, but remained silent the entire way to school. When they arrived at school, Portia parted ways with the other two. Phoebe escorted her mother to the chorus room.
Phoebe knocked on Mr. Tanner’s closed office door.
“Mr. Tanner?”
“Yes, Phoebe?”
“Can I talk to you again?“
Mr. Tanner waved her inside. Mrs. Gatteau appeared from around the corner. Mr. Tanner met Mrs. Gatteau before. It always ended in frustration for everyone involved. There were times he thought the Gatteaus just might drive him to retirement.
“Good morning, Mrs. Gatteau.”
“Is it?’
Mr. Tanner’s jaw dropped the slightest amount. He was speechless.
“Mr. Tanner, we have a problem,” she continued, “You and I both know that the best singer in your ensemble– and the best by far – is Phoebe.”
“Mrs. Gatteau, I’m letting Phoebe…”
“I know you’re finally letting her sing the solo, but only after she had to beg. The best singer should not have to beg.”
“I…she’s…”
“I think you’ve got to get your priorities in order, Mr. Tanner. Do you want to win this state competition this year or not?”
“She’s my soloist,” interjected Mr. Tanner.
Mrs. Gatteau nodded.
“As long as we’re seeing eye-to-eye on this, I guess there’s nothing more left to say. I’ll see you at the end of the month.”
Mrs. Gatteau stood up and held out a hand. Mr. Tanner rose from his chair and shook her hand.
“Have a good day,” she said.
Mr. Tanner stood alone in his office as the two ladies left. Sometimes, people’s audacity was just unbelievable, even when he just saw it with his own two eyes.
Regardless, the first bell rang. There was 5 minutes to go to the staff restroom, compose himself, and return to Chorus class. He walked through the high school hallways in a daze, cutting through the crowd of students. He stopped at the washroom sink, removing his beige sportcoat and loosing his dark brown tie. He placed his bifocals on top of the paper dispenser, rubbed his eyes, and splashed cold water on his face.
“I could have retired several years ago. Why on earth am I still dealing with this?”
He straightened his tie and jacket before donning his glasses.
“High school children are cruel, but they don’t hold a candle to their selfish, overbearing parents.”
“You got that right,” chuckled one of the other male teachers.
Mr. Tanner tidied his jacket and strode back to class. When he entered the Chorus room, Phoebe stood in front of the microphone, ready to perform.
“Alright, class, let’s just get this underway. We’ll work our way through all the competition numbers. Let’s start with ‘I am What Am.’ Phoebe takes the lead.”
Students murmured then quieted under his guiding hand. Usually, at this point, the class would practice scales and test pitch. Instead, he went straight into the lead-in, plinking it out on the piano. He raised his right hand and pointed to Phoebe.
Phoebe’s histrionics continued, even though she promised Mr. Tanner (two times, in fact) that she would control herself. During her solo, arms flailed, notes fluctuated, and the dramatic pauses in the middle of songs remained.
Forty-five minutes later, class finally ended. The bell rang and each student headed towards his or her next class.
“Phoebe, can I borrow you for a second?” Mr. Tanner whispered.
“Was I great or what?” she said proudly.
“Just come here in private.”
Phoebe followed Mr. Tanner to his office. The news, of course, was not good. Phoebe, of course, did not take it well. She stormed out of class and squealed her tires in the school parking lot as she went home.
“What?!?!?” exclaimed her mother.
“He said he doesn’t want me singing in Philadelphia. He’s going to use Portia instead.”
“How dare he choose her? She doesn’t even like singing. She’d rather be a birdwatcher.”
Mrs. Gatteau rode back to school with Phoebe. When they arrived, Mr. Tanner had already briefed Mr. Coffman of the situation. In turn, Mr. Coffman contacted the district’s director of discipline, Candace Palmer. They were all waiting in Mr. Coffman’s office.
“Mrs. Gatteau,” greeted the secretary, “Mr. Coffman is waiting for you.”
“I bet he is.”
Mrs. Gatteau marched into Mr. Coffman’s office, followed by Phoebe. The three administrators stood up, but Mrs. Gatteau headed directly for Mr. Tanner.
“How dare you tell off my daughter!”
“Mrs. Gatteau, you’d better calm down,” cautioned Ms. Palmer.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Candace Palmer. I handle discipline cases.”
“My daughter is not a discipline case.”
“I’ve talked extensively with all of Phoebe’s teachers. If she doesn’t straighten up right away, I’ll take her our of Chorus class myself.”
“Phoebe?” said Ms. Palmer, “Can you please do us a favor and wait outside?”
Mrs. Gatteau nodded to Phoebe. Phoebe waited in the lobby while her mother discussed her future.
“She’s really a good girl,” Mrs. Gatteau reassured her.
“I’m sure she is, but there have been multiple issues. Mr. Tanner has made a choice and we’re one-hundred percent behind his decision.”
Mrs. Gatteau had little to argue about – all the decisions had been made for her. She got up, thanked the principals and left, taking Phoebe with her.
“What happened?”
“You’re not doing the solo.”
“Why?”
“That bitch told me that if you don’t straighten up, you’re going to be removed from Mr. Tanner’s class for good.”
“What about Portia?”
“I don’t know.”
Phoebe did not show up for afternoon ensemble practice at all. When Portia went to class, Mr. Tanner picked her for the solo. She reluctantly obliged. After class, she decided it would be best if she went to Marcus’ apartment. He was out playing basketball.
“Can I stay here for a bit?” she asked Darren.
“You know you’re always welcome here.”
“Could you do me one more favor?”
“You name it.”
‘Could you please not smoke right now? My throat’s really sore.”
“Sure. I’ll just have a beer instead. Do you want one?”
“Do you have anything else?”
“Just energy drinks and booze in a box, but it’s flat and stale.”
“That will work.”
“Since when does Miss Goody-two-shoes want wine?”
“I’m not all like that. I’m frustrated with my family.”
“Who isn’t?”
“What do you have to be upset about?”
“Marcus keeps getting on me about how much I smoke. I can handle my stuff.”
“He’s right, though. Every time I see you, you’re stoned or drunk.”
Darren shifted uncomfortably.
“Let’s talk about you.”
“Okay. It’s Phoebe. She is causing problems in ensemble and Mr. Tanner wants me to do the solo.”
“Then do it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It’s never that simple.”
“If she doesn’t get her way, she’s going to ruin everything for everyone. That’s just how she is. I don’t care that much about the solo anyway. It’s not what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
“Then why do it at all?”
Portia shrugged, “I still like singing, but I’m starting classes and a new job next week. With a solo at competition, that’s too much to handle.”
“I get what you’re saying.”
Portia hugged Darren tightly. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She kissed him back and lingered, inches away from his lips. Darren drew his hand over the outside of her thighs, tracing the seams on her blue jeans.
“I can’t do this,” she said.
“Okay.” Darren continued kissing and caressing Portia. Soon, his right hand was fiddling with the button on her jeans. It snapped open. His hand delved under the zipper, forcing it apart.
“Darren…”
She pushed him away and he withdrew his hand and his kiss.
“Let’s take this to your bedroom.”
Portia grabbed her backpack and followed Darren into his bedroom. Within seconds, every piece of clothing was on the floor. A few minutes later, Portia regretted her decision. As she began to gather her clothing, the front door opened. It was Marcus.
“Shhh,” whispered Darren.
The door closed and footsteps went through the living room to Marcus’ bedroom.
“Nobody’s here,” said Marcus.
“Okay,” said a girl’s voice.
Portia’s eyes grew wide as she and Darren listened intently to the muffled voices coming through the wall. Soon, it was just shoves, grunts, and all the dirty sounds of sex. Portia’s guilt turned towards anger and vindication. Still, she gathered her clothes, sneaked through the living room, and out through the front door. Darren followed close behind.
She would deal with Marcus tomorrow. Right now, she had to get home. Darren gave her a ride, but she pulled away when he reached over for a kiss.
“I gotta go,” she said.
“Just one more second.”
“No, Marcus…”
Darren tilted his head and looked at her sideways.
“Darren…”
He waited until she got inside before leaving. Portia expected the worst, but it was only her father in the living room.
“Where’s mom?”
He pointed upstairs. Portia went downstairs, deciding it would be better to avoid run-ins with either her mother or her sister tonight.
The basement was dark. Portia sneaked toward the couch, only to be interrupted by Alex.
“Where have you been?”
“I was at Marcus’ apartment.”
“Doesn’t he play basketball on Friday?”
“I was hanging with Darren.”
“Good,” said Alex, “I want to talk to him about a job at the Auto Body Shop. Do you have his number?”
“He doesn’t have a cell.”
“What’s the land line number?”
“It’s too late to call.”
“It’s Friday night, sis.”
Portia gave Alex the number. He called the apartment right away.
“Hey Marcus. Is your brother there?”
“Nah.”
“That’s right, He just left. He’s probably on his way there now.”
Portia fidgeted nervously as Alex talked with Marcus.
“Wait a second, here he is.”
Marcus handed the phone to Darren.
“Hey, it’s Portia’s brother Alex.”
“Uh…”
“I was thinking about working at the Body Shop. Do you know how I can get a hold of Ace?”
“He likes meeting people in person,” said Darren.
“I was hoping to skip that part. Alright man, I’ll talk to you later.”
After the call ended, Portia heaved a sigh of relief. Alex asked her what was wrong. She went into detail, confiding about the day’s events, starting with Mom and Phoebe and ending with Marcus and the mystery girl.
“That’s rough, sis. I can’t believe you hooked up with Darren.”
“It was a mistake.”
“If Marcus finds out, it’s going to feel like more than a mistake.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Don’t say a thing to Phoebe.”
“I guess that makes you my inside connection with Ace.”
“Anyways…”
“Just kidding, P.”
Portia crashed on Alex’s couch for the night. She woke early the next morning, sneaked into her bedroom, showered, and changed. It didn’t matter. Phoebe didn’t even show up for morning Chorus class.
“Where’s your sister?”
“She’s at home.”
Mr. Tanner nodded and said nothing more. Other than the notable absence of Phoebe, class went on as usual. Phoebe did not show for class after school. Portia received a text from Alex. He picked her up after school.
“What’s the occasion?”
“I told you, you’re my inside connection.”
Alex took Portia to Ace’s apartment. They weaved their way to Ace’s office in the back.
“Hey, do I know you?” said Ace. He was tall and thin, just as Portia had imagined. Other than that, none of his features were extraordinary.
Portia introduced herself and her brother. Ace listened as Alex pleaded his case.
“Yeah, I can use a guy like you, but you don’t have any experience in a body shop.”
“I’m a quick study.”
“I’m sure you are. I have just the job in mind.”
“I’ll take anything.”
“Good. Here’s a package I need you to deliver.”
Ace handed a large brown bag, wrapped tightly around what seemed like a bag of flour. Both Portia and Alex knew better. Ace needed a mule and Alex was just that mule.
“I got it under control,” said Alex, “where am I going?”
“It’s a place called Carlisle Barracks.”
“Isn’t that an Army base?”
Ace nodded, “These guys are some of my best clients. Just call this number when you arrive.”
Ace gave Alex the number and then they shook hands. Immediately afterwards, Alex led Portia to the parking lot.
“Are you crazy?”
“Portia, I don’t need a lecture right now. I need money.”
“There has to be a better way of getting money. Be patient.”
“It’s easy for you to say, you don’t have a kid to raise.”
“Dad can help you. I can help you. Heck, Mom might even help you.”
Alex drove Portia home. He should have sealed the deal through Darren first. It would have avoided the drama. He took Portia home and dropped her off.
“You better be careful.”
“Don’t worry, little sister, I got it under control.”
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