An Absence of Principal Read Free Page A

headache when he blew it, and the screaming, the running and the jumping children just made the pain worse. If he was a drinker he would have understood the constant headaches he was having in the mornings, but these weren’t drink-induced pains. Doggett’s living-on-the-edge lifestyle and his other addictions were what brought on the morning agony. The stress had become insurmountable.
    Shanna walked up behind him and brushed against him accidentally on purpose. Doggett, busy serving as master of ceremonies and head referee at Stephen F. Austin Elementary’s 47th annual Field Day and Soda Bash, could not be bothered. Besides, he convinced himself as he blew the whistle again that he had sworn off Shanna’s advances. It was his first step back to respectability and to being a decent husband and father.
    Doggett knew he could give up his extramarital fling with little effort compared to the task he had ahead of giving up his gambling. That would be impossible, and he in fact had no idea how he was to even go about it.
    “Mr. Doggett, what’s goin’ on, man?” The voice came from behind him and it was instantly recognizable. Tony Nail had walked up behind him. Tony was Stephen F. Austin’s head custodian and a popular man on campus, mostly because of the fact that he never had to administer discipline to the students. Tony would likely win a popularity contest between the still much-admired Mr. Doggett due to his carefree ways and not having to send students to the woodshed.
    “Hey, Mr. D, saw you last night down in the rough part of town,” Tony announced loud enough for Shanna and a couple of nearby teachers to hear.
    “Where abouts?” Doggett asked, fearing the worst.
    “Odessa. Second Street. Bad neighborhood, Mr. D. Don’t mean to tell you your business, but, man, that’s a dangerous place.”
    Doggett brushed it off, trying to explain to Tony he was on his way to helping a teacher friend who had broken down on the west side and had stopped to ask for directions, even though an excuse like that didn’t seem likely given the fact that the only place Tony could have possibly seen him was in the parking lot of the 49-Dollar Inn waiting to meet up with Junior Walker.
    “Oh, dog, you telling me it’s a bad place, Tony. Don’t ever wanna go back there. Say, man, what were you doin’ over there if it’s such a bad part of town?”
    “Got my homeless ministry up and running on the west side. I’m over there a lot. Takes a little extra effort to spread God’s goodness in that part of town, but, man, it’s worth it, lemme tell you,” Tony said.
    Little Timothy Turner crossed the finish line dead last in the 50 yard dash, a full three lengths behind Margaret Camby and a kid with a sprained ankle from Mrs. Morgan’s class. In keeping with the supportive spirit of the school system in Midland, though, the cheers for little Timothy in last place were just as loud as they would have been had he broken the tape when he crossed the finish line. Timothy fell into Mr. Doggett, exhausted, and the principal helped him up and gave him his trademark fist bump.
    “Timbo, you tried your hardest, little buddy,” Doggett said to the boy. “I’m awfully proud of you.”
    “I’m just not into athletics, Mr. Doggett.”
    “Well, I thought you did great. I like the way you never quit. Says a lot about your spirit, Timbo. But if I know you, you have bigger things in your future. Doctor. Lawyer. Astronaut.”
    “Or maybe I’ll be a principal someday like you, Mr. Doggett,” Timothy said.
    “Maybe, Timothy. May be. You can do whatever you want, kiddo.”
    “Hey, Mr. Doggett, are you OK? You seemed kinda sad last night when I came back to school.”
    “Oh yeah, yeah, I’m good, Tim. Got some sad news on the phone ab out an old friend. But everything’s OK.”
    Doggett was telling lies as fast as he could make them up, another sure he was on a downward spiral. He could barely keep up with the deception his life had