Page 2 of Precise Justice

“Robbie,” he heard a familiar female voice say from behind him. He turned his head to see Ms. Hart standing next to him.

“Yes?” Robbie answered.

“Are you almost done?”

“Yes, do you need me for something?” Robbie answered again, only this time, hopefully. Ms. Hart was young, early twenties, and Robbie had a bit of a crush on her.

“You’re wanted in the school psychologist’s office,” she told him.

“Did she say why?”

“No, she didn’t.”

Being summoned to the school psychologist’s office was not a surprise. Since returning to school following the holiday break last January, Robbie had been seeing Dr. Andrea Brie on a regular basis, once or twice a week. Robbie believed he needed someone objective to talk to. To listen to his inner difficulties, let him speak of them and get an emphatic ear.

Robbie dumped his lunch tray then headed toward the exit. As he walked out, he saw Junior and his pals at a table near the door.

“Hey here’s the shrimp who throws like a girl. You know, we need a waterboy,” Junior said.

Robbie stopped, looked at Junior while waiting for the laughter to die down. When it did, he said, “Someday, Junior, you’re gonna be working for me. Maybe I’ll let you wash my car.”

“Ooooh!” several of Junior’s pals said trying to goad Junior into doing something.

“Watch yourself, little man,” Junior snarled as Robbie walked away.

Robbie knocked and started to open the door before he heard her response.

“You wanted to see me…” Robbie started to say. What made him pause was the site of two other people in the office. One of them was the school nurse, a bit of a heavyset woman in her late fifties or early sixties.

Alice Griebler had been a nurse in the Minneapolis public school system for over thirty years. No children, never married, of course the rumor mill made her out to be a lesbian which was not true. As was the psychologist, nurse Griebler was very well acquainted with Robbie.

The other unexpected person in the room was Robbie’s mother, Priscilla Craig-Powell.

“Mom, why are you here?” Robbie asked.

“We need to talk, Robbie. About you, of course, and your future happiness,” Priscilla answered.

“Robbie, we’re all friends here, please have a seat,” Dr. Brie said.

Priscilla and nurse Griebler were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Dr. Brie was behind her desk. The chair set up for Robbie was positioned so all three women could look at him and he could see them.

Dr. Brie began by saying, “Robbie, we’ve reached a point with your, well, I guess we could call it, your well-being, that we, the three of us, decided it was time for a candid conversation.”

“Okay,” a puzzled Robbie shrugged and said.

The light in Robbie’s head turned on and he continued by saying to Dr. Brie, “Do you mean…you know, what we’ve been talking about for the past month or so…? Um, that stuff?”

“Yes, Robbie,” Brie answered.

“Have you talked to my mother about it?” Robbie asked.

“Yes, in fact, she knew about it,” Brie replied.

Priscilla, who was the one sitting closest to Robbie, leaned forward and placed a hand on his right arm.

“Darling Robbie, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Priscilla said.

Robbie gave a startled look at his mother and blurted out, “Does dad know?”