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Date Posted: 03:24:15 07/12/14 Sat
Author: Karen Joy (Dunbar)
Subject: Another Summer Assignment.

This is a sequel of sorts, that Nettie requested I do for the June 2014 challenge.

September 2005
London, England

"How was school? Any different than back in Virginia?" Harm asked Mattie.

"Other than no boys, not much different than any other first day of school I've attended. It was kinda like my first day in DC, didn't know anybody in any of my classes. English teachers, the world over, have to get original, we have to write a what I did over the summer essay. At least mine will be easy to write about: going to your wedding, the move, and literally getting back on my feet. The only problem I'll have is keeping it to the three pages that she wants by tomorrow" Mattie explained.

"I'm going to get out of this uniform, its been one day, but now I know why you, Mac, and Jennifer occasionally complained about wearing them." The school Mattie was attending required the students to wear uniforms. Mattie had been given a choice of schools and had chosen what she considered to be a small female only private school.

"Depending on whether you decide to go to Grade 13, or head back to the States, you only have one more year of having to write one of those essays, after this one." He told a retreating Mattie. Mac was still in San Diego, having to serve in her post for six months, before she would be transferred to a position with the US Embassy in London.

After supper, Harm told his ward to work on her schoolwork, and he thought about the essay that nearly got him expelled from high school.

Flashback
September 1980
La Jolla, California

"Harmon, please see me after class." It was the second week of the school year, but his first day of school. Harm Rabb waited for the rest to leave and he sauntered up to her desk. "Per your mother's request, you are to finish all your assignments before you are released to play football, and as your home room teacher, I have informed the rest of your teachers to do the same. You will have "The Good Earth" read, up to chapter 7, and write an essay on it tonight, this will catch you up with the class. I also require you to write a 5,000 word essay, detailing what you did this summer that caused your absence. You insist you want to attend a military academies, I know they expect a higher standard from their students, so I expect no prevarication. It will be typed, double-spaced, I want it by Wednesday end of the school day. I'll write you a pass to Mr. Castleberry, so he won't consider you late for your next class, which is PE."

Harm took the form, and left. He'd be busy for the next few days, if the rest of his teachers would be following suit in the area of homework. He took it as a challenge, to ready him for the Naval Academy.

Thursday morning he entered the school, and saw the vice- principal Mr. Bernard who requested he come to his office.
"Ms. Colvin, your homeroom teacher asked that I speak with you." Harm had no idea what he'd done to get the , other than start school a week late.

"Students here at La Jolla Preparatory are expected to follow through on their required assignments. What you turned in to Ms. Colvin has been determined, by the faculty, to be a complete work of fiction, a boatload of lies."

"What, "The Good Earth, is fiction, so that cannot be what you are talking about Mr. Bernard."

"Rabb, we do not condone insolence, you are on shaky ground with us, the days you missed are considered unexcused, first strike, you are being quite insolent with me, second strike, and most damning is this essay. Third strike, therefore you must meet with your parents, your counselor, the principal, Ms. Colvin and myself. It is scheduled for 4 pm tomorrow. Here's a pass for Ms. Colvin's class as school has started for the day."

That evening he talked with his mother, who despite her anger at what he'd done was behind him in regards to his supposed insolence, and the essay on his summer. She would be in his corner. Frank, who'd been more understanding than she'd been was in Detroit for work and wouldn't be able to attend.

The next afternoon Harm and his mom were led into the principals office. "Mr. MacCowan, Mr. Bernard, I'm going to get to the point. My son was not insolent, you did not specify just which essay you were haranguing him about being full of lies. Therefore, that point is moot. The absences I do not condone, but there is nothing that can be done about that. Did you ask where Harm was?" There were shakes of the head from the other adults "Did you consider the possibility he's just been through an ordeal?" Still more shakes of the head. "Thought so." Turning to her son, she took a newspaper clipping out the portfolio she had with her, and passed it to the principal who looked at it, and passed it on to the other adults. "Harmon William, it appears you need to prove your case to them. Tell them what you told the federal officers on Thursday and Friday, after you got back."

"My dad was shot down Christmas Eve of 1969, in North Vietnam, I believe he's still alive, and after saving money for a few years, I contacted a Mr. Stryker, who has gone to North Vietnam to look for MIA's and POW's like my dad."

Mr. Bernard, who'd been in Vietnam during the Tet offensive, was amazed that a high school student would intentionally go to a war-torn country, remembered now it wasn't so war torn. "Go on," Harm could see that at least Mr. Bernard believed him.

"I met him in Bangkok, we slipped into the country, and met up with his contact, we spent several weeks searching, and just when we actually came very close to finding proof there were still American's being held," Harm's voice cracked with emotion as he told the group, "the Vietnamese army started shooting, and they hit a few people in our group."

Ms. Colvin realized that he'd left a few items out of the essay. "What happened?"

"There were some women in our group, one of them was Stryker's wife," using air quotes when he said wife, "and her daughter Gym" Harm composed himself before going further, "Gym, her mom, and one of the old men were shot and killed, I joined in the shooting, and I think I got a few of them, we had to high-tail it out of the country, and we weren't able to get any solid proof. When we got back to Bangkok some reporter took my picture, I didn't know it at the time, tho, and before Stryker and I could go back to find more proof, there were guys from the State Department giving me a one-way ticket home. One of them, I couldn't believe it, looked like he was just out of college, and despite the heat was wearing a three piece suit. Thursday and Friday I spent being de-briefed by the CIA, the State Department, the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force. Mom told me that if they hadn't insisted on my answering their questions, I'd have been at school on Thursday despite any jet-lag, so I could argue that Thursday and Friday, I was getting an intense course in government."

Mr. MacCowan thought a few minutes, and then asked Trish Burnett and her son, Harmon Rabb to leave the room while they decided his fate. Five minutes later they asked them to return.

"It has been decided that you will not be suspended from school, much less expelled, as we expected you would be. In the future we will be more precise regarding assignments when we call students into the office. You had been given multiple assignments in a short time, two essays in just Ms. Colvin's classes, we considered your confusion as to the specific essay was understandable. We now realize, the essay was entirely truthful, just because something seems implausible, it may not be. As far as the absences, we realize that you spent three days unexcused, Wednesday you were returning the the States, and because of the length of the flight, you will have to serve detention for only two of them because we realize Wednesday you were on a plane. You had a good point regarding Thursday and Friday being instructive, and on that point we request that you write a three page paper due Monday morning, on what you can tell us about that experience."

Harm sighed in relief, despite that fact he now had more homework. He could handle two days of detention. Even if it meant giving up his Saturdays.

Ms. Colvin was much more conciliatory, she'd rushed to judgement with the earlier assignment. "I do realize that some of what you were asked might fall under classification issues, so let us know only what you can tell us." Harm nodded, he could do that, the CIA was emphatic about him not telling anyone about his trip.

"I think we are done here. Thanks for coming" Mr. MacCowan said as they all stood, the rest leaving his office.

Mr. Bernard, who was the JROTC instructor for the school, and knew of Harm's dreams of being a naval aviator, "You know, Rabb, when your flying days are over, you might consider going into law, you had a very persuasive argument."

"Me, a lawyer, no way" Harm laughed as they went from the office to the school doors and into the warm September afternoon.

End Flashback

Harm looked at the clock and realized that he had spent most of the evening thinking about his trip to Vietnam, and the essay that could have derailed his career before it even started. Mac would call him in about twenty minutes, if she left work on time and had no traffic issues. He went into his office and turned the laptop on and checked the La Jolla Preparatory website, to his amazement Mr. Bernard was still there despite being in his late sixties. The man didn't appear to have aged much since he'd seen him last in the mid-90's, he was now Principal, according to the site this would be his final year, he was retiring in 2006. Noting the email address he began to compose a note to him, thanking him for unintentionally guiding his future. If Bernard responded he'd say more, but for now he was just saying thank you. He shut down the laptop and left the room, walking down the short hallway, he noted that Mattie's room was dark, with the exception of lamp, telling him she was already in bed. Getting ready for bed, he'd just stripped down to his boxers when his phone rang, and he quickly answered it, just in case Mattie was asleep. It was Mac.

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Replies:

[> Excellent story. Thanks for sharing. -- Beth, 06:26:50 07/12/14 Sat [1]


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[> Always glad to see new stories, this plot in depth and different, enjoyed the read. -- JoyZ, 11:35:37 07/12/14 Sat [1]


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[> A good story loved it -- Bev uk, 16:26:37 07/12/14 Sat [1]


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[> Forgot to add, this a June 2014 challenge piece -- Karen Joy, 13:08:13 07/13/14 Sun [1]


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[> Very clever, Karen Joy, thanks for sharing. -- jan, 23:02:19 07/13/14 Sun [1]


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