Betty Hamilton was the piano player for the school vocal programs. She was a permanent fixture, and had been, for more than 20 years. She was also, one of my more infrequent stops.
At 56, she was more of a grandmother figure to most of the students. To me, she was something more... she had earned my respect. (Another story, for another time)
She had placed the small blinking light in the corner of the choir loft window that sat over the cafeteria. It meant that she wanted to see me, which normally, but not always, meant that she wanted sex.
Her sexual proclivities were, for the most part, pretty vanilla, though at times she wanted something less mainstream.
When I was a sophomore, she had just lost her husband of many years and was looking for comfort, I was a young boy in a man's body, trying to deal with man-sized problems with no moral compass and no mentor. I provided her with what she needed, she saved me from the real monster that I was unleashing, by one, helping me see it, and two showing me that it could be restrained and kept handy for when my life needed a monster to help sort things out.
As I matured and she needed less attention, we developed a way to communicate that she could control and thus to keep her risk at a minimum.
She was, the "Crone" in my "family of choice".
The light would go up whenever she decided, but my response time was set to coincide with the vocal programs scheduled "break". There were no classes during the period before lunch, so, if we needed it, the doors could be locked for two hours with no one to question. She had a tape of her practicing the piano that she played while we were together to cover our sounds and discourage interruption.
I was in no hurry as I ascended the stairs to the music department Being half a class early. The orchestra room was at one end, the instrument storage came next, then the uniform room, keeping both the band uniforms and choir robes safe and clean, and at the other end was the vocal room, where Betty would be waiting for me after this class period was over. I could hear that both ends of the floor were being used as I turned the knob on the uniform room to find a comfortable place to wait. It was, characteristically, unlocked.
I slipped in and found a neatly stacked pile of moving blankets in a near corner and headed to them. In the process I passed a couple of closets, that I knew from other times using this room, housed the choir robes, hanging and covered. What was not normal though was the gasp I heard coming from behind the door. Listening quietly I recognized the sounds of heavy breathing inter mixed with an occasional quick intake of air. I was bored, not feeling necessarily malicious, more curious, I opened to door to see who was banging whom...
Sitting in one corner partially covered was a little girl I new but had no particular liking for. Linda was a mousy little girl, no great beauty, but not ugly either. She was one of those self righteous little Christians that carried their Bible everywhere, ready at the drop of a hat to pray you into salvation... I generally avoided her... but in this instance, she had secreted herself, probably while doing something legitimate, like taking inventory, in one of the closets to have a little time to "rub out" a quick one.
White cotton panties pulled to the side, fingers doing double staccatos on her personal instrument. She was shocked into immobility for just long enough for me to see, then her legs slams shut, her hand out of the way, a stifled scream, and then a real look of horror when, instead of closing the door and leaving, I squatted down on my haunches next to her.
"Leave me alone!" she whispered intently, trying desperately to get as small as she could. There was no room for her to go or get away until I moved.
"Well, isn't this fun?"
"Go away! Getawaygetawaygetaway!!! Don't touch me Casey! I'll scream!"
"If I touch you I can make you scream, that's a guarantee... are you sure you don't want to know what it feels like if it is some body else's fingers? I don't mind showing you..."
"That's disgusting Casey... please.. just leave me alone... please."
"You've never had much use for me Linda... maybe give it a try and that would change."
I leaned in a bit, crowding her. She took a short swipe to slap me. It wasn't a very good or quick attempt so I ended up holding her wrist.
"She told you to leave her alone Casey..."
The words were right, but the delivery was weak, frightened... no confidence behind them at all...
I stood up, dragging Linda up with me. She jerked to get her wrist free.
Reed Wilcox was 5'5 and would have to carry 25ibs of rocks in his pockets to weigh 100lbs. An exceptionally intelligent ginger that played the violin. We had been at school together since the 7th grade.
"Did you wake up with a death wish today Reed?"
"I just want you to let her go..."
"And if I don't?"
He paused, took a deep breath and said, "Then I will make you."
Some challenges you have to respond to with quick, extreme violence, others you can laugh off... some you can ignore... this was none of those. He knew that I knew that he would get broken into little pieces and I would not break a sweat, and yet he stood his ground, shaking in his boots, but standing his ground none the less.
I kind of let go, with a push, of Linda's arm, shoving her to the side and out of the way. Reed looked at me, ducked his chin and charged. He ran into my straight arm, and I grabbed him by his button down short-sleeved striped shirt to keep him on his feet. He grabbed my wrist with one hand and pummeled my forearm with the other. Wild eyed and panicked, he flailed about like a non-swimmer dumped out of a boat, and at the same time he yelled, "RUN Linda! Quick, run!"
She did not run... instead she cane at me from the side, hitting my shoulder and upper arm... everywhere that it would hurt her hands more than it hurt me... then she went after the arm that held Reed.
Being not only a singer in the choir, but also a musician in the orchestra, Linda's nails were neatly trimmed and short, so I did not react when she tried to dig in to the wrist. She was facing him, her back to me, trying to get him out of my grip, he was trying with everything he had to get her to run away to safety. She was having none of it. When she escalated buy trying to sink her teeth in, I grabbed a hand full of dishwater blond hair and held her teeth away. It reminded me of a cartoon.
I had him by the shirt front, her by the hair. He was grabbing my hand in her hair to get her away and she was grabbing at my hand in his shirt trying to get him away... neither one of them was having any success.
"Let her go Casey!"
"Leave him alone ya big jerk!"
I gave them both a little shake and said, "Stop! Just stop for a minute dammit... both of you!"
They quit struggling, both looking at me suspiciously... neither one letting go of the purchase they had on my hands.
"Linda, I am going to let you go. When I do, leave."
"No!"
"Please Linda, just go." Reed pleaded.
"Not until he let's you go!" then turning to me as I let go of her hair. "Let him go! You don't need to hurt him."
"I was never going to hurt either one of you..."
