A dysfunctional family

"Whose parents are we meeting with?" you quietly ask Diana as you walk down the stairs.

"Valerie Cummins. There was an incident Saturday that nearly resulted in her expulsion. Mr. Watts and Mr. Carter intervened and reached out to Valerie and a compromise has been reached. Her parents wanted to meet."

You nod as she leads the way into her outer office where three people sit waiting, a couple on one side of the room and a woman on the other. Their expressions are cold and irritated. Muriel Holliday, the Headmistresses white haired secretary looks up, rolling her eyes for an instant as she sees her boss, her eyes flickering to the waiting people.

"Good afternoon," Diana says to the waiting trio. "Mr. Watts and Mr. Carter are available now, and I've asked Dean Hawkfeather to join us as well, please join me in my office." She holds her door open, smiling a welcome at the visitors.

The man, obviously Valerie's father, gets up with a half-smothered snort of annoyance and strides into the room, followed by the much younger blonde who you assume to be his wife. Valerie's mother, an attractive, full breasted woman in her forties, shakes her head as she enters the office. You and the other men follow, and Diana directs everyone to seats around her conversation area.

"For the benefit of everyone, let me make introductions," she says. "This is Coach Watts, Mr. Carter and Dean Hawkfeather. William Cummins, Valerie's father; Deborah Cummins, her mother; and Suzanne Cummins, her stepmother. I received an email from Mr. Cummins requesting this meeting, and I invited Mrs. Cummins to attend as well."

"That's a problem right there," Mr. Cummins snaps. "I wanted a meeting between you and I, not a damned convention." You stiffen at the man's tone, and note Brian doing the same, but Diana simply smiles.

"I understand, however I felt it inappropriate to proceed without notice to all concerned adults. Mrs. Cummins, Deborah Cummins, that is, informed me that she would be attending. As she is one of the contacts for Valerie, and her parent, there is no reason she should not."

"Well, whatever," Cummins says, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I want to know what right you think you have to threaten my daughter with punishment or expulsion. And what the hell is the meaning of this nonsense about paddling students for violations of this stupid Code of Conduct? That just isn't happening. Not to my daughter!" You find yourself instantly disliking this pompous and arrogant man but admire Diana's calm assertiveness as she replies.

"The office of Dean of Students was revived this year by order of the Board of Regents," she says. "That decision was communicated some time ago. The Code of Conduct has been provided to students and parents at the time of registration for many years. The Board of Regents hired Dean Hawkfeather as Dean of Students, and it is his decision, which I fully support, to adhere to the letter of Code. The Board of Regents is in agreement, and legal counsel for the Academy has been consulted and support the decision."

"You can't have this man spanking naked girls! It's not going to happen! I'll have you all fired, and this place shut down if you even try! Lay a finger on my daughter and..."

"Oh, shut up Bill!" Deborah Cummins intervenes sharply. "Enough with your bullshit of trying to intimidate people with your money. If you haven't figured out by now that the backers of this school regard your money as pocket change and think you're a joke, just try any of your threats and see where it gets you."

Valerie's father reacts as though she'd struck him, his face reddening with anger. Before he can reply you get to your feet, determined to head off what looks like an imminent explosion.

"Let me explain the decision to adhere to the Code of Conduct. I'm aware that it has not been enforced to its full extent for many years. It has also not been altered or amended, and therefore its provisions are still in effect. I was hired with a mandate to restore discipline to the Academy, an issue which they felt had become problematic, particularly after last year. I'm a 'by the book' man. The book in question is the Code of Conduct. In my experience, deviating from established rules leads to capricious and uneven, and therefore unfair discipline. Therefore, until such time as the Code is changed, its provisions will be enforced and enacted."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Cummins shouts, rising to his feet and pointing a shaking finger at you. He looks ridiculous and you notice Mason smiling and shaking his head ruefully, as you answer, keeping your voice calm but adding a touch of steel to it.

"I think I'm the Dean of Students at Pink Rose Academy for Young Ladies. Appointed by the Board of Regents of that institution, with a mandate to restore discipline and answerable to them, and to Headmistress Naylor. I don't respond to threats, and I strongly advise you to take your seat sir."

The reaction in the room is like you've cracked a bullwhip. Cummins tries to hold your gaze but after a moment he drops his eyes from your and sits, trying to recover his dignity. You see Deborah Cummins smile, and Suzanne Cummins drop her eyes and put a hand over her mouth.

"I don't like it..." he begins, but once again Valerie's mother interjects.

"Yes Bill, you've made that plain. Now perhaps we can hear about Valerie's particular situation? If you've finished puffing yourself up like an overwrought rooster that is?"

"There's no need to be rude," Suzanne Cummins says, speaking for the first time and exchanging icy glares with Deborah. "But I think all of Valerie's parents are interested in what's going on with our daughter."

"You're not her mother sweetie," Deborah snarls acidly. "You're just the slut that's fucking her father."

For an instant you think the younger woman is going to launch herself at Deborah, but Diana slaps the flat of her hand on the coffee table, startling everyone.

"Enough!" she snaps. "I didn't welcome you here so you could demonstrate your dislike of each other or so that you could conduct an impromptu family brawl. You will all behave yourselves from this point on, or this meeting will be over. Do I make myself clear?" Once again you admire how much steel the young Headmistress has in her, and mentally applaud as the three visitors make an obvious effort to get their emotions under control. When they are settled, Diana glances at each of them in turn and begins to speak.

She recounts the details of a hazing incident that Mason interrupted, and her initial decision to remove Valerie's eligibility for sports. You see Valerie's father shifting uncomfortably in his seat, obviously not liking the depiction of his daughter, while her mother looks stoic, and the stepmother looks slightly amused.

"As you are aware, this is not the first incident involving Valerie. She has had a history of behaviour problems since her first week here. She has not responded to previous attempts to adjust her attitude, but it seems that the removal of her sports eligibility mattered a great deal to her. She reached out to Coach Watts and Mr. Carter and with their counselling, has promised to behave. She has been told that further incidents of this kind, or serious breaches of conduct will result in her expulsion."

You notice that both the mother and stepmother look at Mason and Brian thoughtfully as the headmistress speaks, while her father fidgets in his chair, obviously struggling for control of his emotions.

"I don't believe this!" he finally blurts. "I can't believe my daughter would be a party to this kind of thing! There's some kind of mistake, either that or this man is lying!" he waves his hand at the biology teacher.

"Mr. Carter's observations were confirmed by the other girls involved," Diana says calmly. "There is no doubt that the events occurred, and I regard your implication that any of my staff deliberately lied about a student as scurrilous. You will withdraw it, Mr. Cummins."

Once again, the man tries to stare down an opponent, and once again, as he had done with you, he dropped his eyes. You smile as you watch the confrontation and notice his ex-wife gloating at the man's surrender.

"So, to be clear," Deborah Cummins says, turning her gaze on Mason, "Exactly what did you witness Mr. Carter?"

"I came into a classroom where Valerie and another girl were watching two other girls having oral sex. Valerie and the other observer made comments and gave instructions to the other two, effectively ordering them to proceed." You keep a straight face as he recounts the details, wondering how you would have reacted to stumbling onto the same scene.

"And this wasn't just play acting."

"One girl was half undressed, exposing her lower body. The second girl was between her legs. There was no doubt that the oral sex was very real. The recipient of the oral sex had an orgasm as I entered the room."

"And Valerie threatened you?"

"Yes. She said that her father would have me fired."

"But that didn't deter you from taking her and the others to this office."

"No ma'am. If I was deterred every time a student made a threat, I wouldn't be much use as a teacher. And frankly, if Mr. Cummins or any other parent can get me fired for doing my job, the job isn't worth having." You give a Mason a nod of support as he speaks. The man has some guts and isn't afraid to speak his mind.

"Well said Mr. Carter," Deborah Cummins says with a smile, giving a sideways glare to her ex-husband. "Clearly you are a man of character. Thank you."

"You're an alcoholic, aren't you?" William Cummins says with a snide smile at the older teacher.

"Yes sir. A recovering alcoholic. I haven't had a drink in over two years." Mason seems utterly unfazed by the question.

"Well, that would seem to call your judgement into question," Cummins says as though he's scored a point.

"Do you have to be a complete ass, Bill?" Deborah asks. "Whatever Mr. Carter is or was, he certainly isn't blind. Get it through your head that Valerie has some problems, and for once somebody seems to have reached her."

"What's that supposed to mean? I reach her, we have a good understanding," he snorts defensively.

"That's why she's always acting out I suppose. Give it a rest Bill, you ignore her half the time and let her do what she wants the rest of it. She thinks she's competing for your attention, and she's right," she says coldly, with a glance at Suzanne.

"I will have no more of you exercising your marital discord. My office is not a group therapy center," Diana says sharply, glaring at the three Cummins. Deborah nods and murmurs an apology, while Bill sits simmering impotently in his chair. Suzanne gives Deborah a quick hateful look but otherwise doesn't react.

"Valerie has been told to wait in the outer office," Diana adds. "I'm going to bring her in now so you can hear some of this in her own words."

As the Headmistress rises and opens her office door you feel a sudden increase in tension in the room and notice a quick glance pass between Brian and Mason.