Bathroom

The bathroom was clearly the easiest spot. He ran over as Tanya stepped out with the bed sheet furled around her. She waited until he was safely stationary in the very back and then opened the door.

"Hi, Coach! What do you need?"

"What was all that racket?" he heard Vanessa ask, "Is there someone else here?"

"No," Tanya wheezed, "I was just in the shower, uh, singing to myself."

"Oh, sorry to interrupt. Do you need a towel? Here, let me get you one."

"No!" Tanya exclaimed, "I'm fine!"

But it was too late. Vanessa stepped into the bathroom and halted aghast at the sight of John cowering in the girls' bathroom, clad in nothing but a towel.

Kate's prediction that Vanessa would "freak" fell well short of the mark. After about two solid hours of yelling, she declared in no uncertain terms that the board of education would have her throat if they knew anything remotely like this was taking place under her watchful supervision, and that the only responsible solution was to shuttle him directly back to the airport and onto the next flight home, which is exactly what she did. Tanya unfortunately suffered the brunt of her anger as well. She was denied participation in the meet, and the team ended up ranking a disappointing 32nd as a result.

Later in life, John often looked back on his aborted trip wondering what might have been. Maybe you should rewind the story and find out!

The End