He Who Hesitates Is Lost

He Who Hesitates is Lost

Several states over, in Texas, Jerry and Rachelle had to face Mark.  Jerry and she requested new room-mate assignments, and generally informed the random public that she and Mark were no longer “together.”  The furor of students, coming back together at school, ground down to a new status quo, as students took up the slack in academic traces.  Together, they fortified their trust, deciding to be scrupulously honest with each other, as they prepared for Mark (and any sycophants) to assail them in return. 

Upon consideration, they agreed that setting Mark up with a girlfriend was not a good idea, since they were not interested in providing it as a service.  Besides, society had a way of pairing people off in advance.  Mark was a fine specimen, and wealthy, but his character stood between him and better blood.  Rachelle called her father, as a precursor to facing Mark and, eventually, his predictably angry dad.

Her story to Delancy, her dad, took liberties with the truth.  Her license extended to telling of a drunken party with pictures, and arrived at Mark's belligerent threat to ruin her, if she didn't pose naked for his friends.  Jerry had nobly come to her aid, threatening to out him for academic dishonesty if he didn't back down.  Mark had flown off the handle, leaving her to seek asylum with Jerry's parents. 

Delancy had maintained a close relationship with Rachelle before she left for school, and he was a lawyer, so he divined that the story was likely doctored up.  However, he could speculate that love for Jerry was the ultimate cause of her dissimilitude.  Whether she admitted it or not, there was a reason Rachelle had not called him at the time, and that reason was Jerry.  Mark's dad was an important man, but coming from Drafter money, Delancy was not venal.  “Rachelle,” he warned.  “Nothing is swifter than rumor.  Be aware that Mark's dad is important, OK?  Mark doesn't have to tell him the truth, anymore than you have to tell me every little thing.  If he goes off on Jerry, it won't matter who started it.” 

“Yes sir.”  Rachelle's reply was not the meaningless platitude that other children of privilege might have given.  She knew what a warning was worth. 

She was scarcely off the phone, before her mind was scheming away.  Mark's coaches would be her first real opponents (their star player was hardly a star pupil,) so her story to Mark's Dad included them.  It told of Mark sneaking around behind the Coach's back to bed his daughter.  Rachelle wished it was a trophy wife, but she couldn't count on corroboration; however, a daughter could be accused of lying to cover up an abortion. 

Dotting her i's and crossing her t's, Rachelle's next call was to Coach himself, telling of a drunken confession by Mark, made in an unguarded moment.  She made it from a pay phone at a local supermarket, and deliberately neglected to identify herself.  This would dovetail neatly with the drunken carousing in which Mark would surely have indulged himself.  He was predictable, and that was Mark's way of dealing with a bruised ego.

Hardest for Rachelle, was explaining to Jerry.  She was not proud of lying; it was in self defense.  The reason she didn't like sharing lies with him was that one day Jerry would have to assess her truthfulness with him, at a time she likely could not anticipate.  At that future date, she didn't want Jerry to doubt her veracity.  She didn't really want to teach Jerry to lie this way, either.  The corruption of the best is worst.