Me and Mrs. B, Got a Thing Going

I still have some unfinished business with Ms. Brodbendt that needs some tending to. So…

On the Walk to the bus stop. I was singing away: “I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot…”

“What?” Bubbles butted in, and he wanted to know. “You did not shoot what? Ms. Brodbendt’s furry old pussycat? You probably should have,” he said.

Cute, very cute.

After that close encounter of the worst kind with me thinking that I was going to get lucky and hit the jackpot playing poker with Ms. B., it never worked out as I had planned. Did in fact hit something, but it wasn’t the jackpot. At least not the one that I’d placed a bet on. Nor was it in the way I wanted it to be. But there’s always another day, and one can always dream I suppose.

Didn’t have to wait very long. The following afternoon I was called to the principal’s office, again. For the first time in a long time though. I was feeling rather apprehensive about going into Ms. Brodbendt’s office. It was like I’d done something really bad, only worse. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so bad going in there. Even if it was after getting into some kind of trouble but, on this day.

I was so very nervous that even the locks of hair on my head seemed to be sweating. Guess I was a bit ashamed of myself for… for whatever reason. Letting down Ms. B perhaps? Or, letting myself down in Ms. B’s presence? Like, me not living up to expectations. Not measuring up to the billing? Ms. B’s mission on this day, (it would seem,) was to reassure me. To smooth over the bruised ego for me. She was so sweet and understanding, in the way she spoke to me.

“Don’t you go beating up on yourself,” she said, then she was to further say: “You’re perfectly okay, nothing is wrong with you, nothing at all. As a matter of fact, I think it was rather sweet.” She winked at me and smiled.

“What do you say? You can come over again this afternoon, and I’ll show you how to do it right, right?” I didn’t respond. Just sat there staring at the boots on my shaking feet on the floor, but then, to the house, we went. Ms. Brodbendt and I.

“Yay…” I stifled a shout. “Ms. Brodbendt and me?” I said, when I… “We’re taking it all the way home — baby.” I was sure that Bubbles heard me. But he never said a word in response.

“Go have a shower.” Ms. Brodbendt commanded me as soon as we arrived at her house. I was more than a bit self-conscious and resented the way that came across. Is she saying that I stink? I tucked my nose under my armpits as soon as she turned her back. Can’t say that it was scentless or pleasant. But still, come on, give a hardworking, sweaty guy a break here. Won’t you?

However, whenever Ms. Brodbendt says jump. I usually ask, how high? So I went to the bathroom and got my shower, just like she wanted. Must admit though. I felt a whole lot better afterward. Now it’s her turn, to get a shower. I sat on the couch and grabbed the remote control for the TV. Turn the big box on and flick through channel after channel. Just to kill some time. Trying to pacify the nervous tensions within.

I didn’t hear the shower going like it was going the last time. Instead, the bathtub was filling up. I could hear the water running out of the faucet and into the tub. Ms. Brodbendt called out to me from inside the bathroom. “Manley! Come here, Manley.” I didn’t budge, “Manley!” She called out again and again.

After the third time, I slowly got up and walked up to the door. And even more slowly I turned the doorknob and pushed it open. She was in the bathtub, covered up with mushy white bubbles. I edged my way back out through the open door, in the same way as I came in, before.

“Come here,” she said in a sort of whiny high-pitched whisper while stretching out her right hand over and across the edge of the bathtub. Reeling me in with those calling fingers of hers.

“No.” I said, “I don’t want to. I don’t feel too good.”

I pulled the door closed while walking back out. I wasn’t sure why, but I did feel somewhat restrained from just gabbling up Miss B. like that. It probably was because of the office. Her station in life, her role in my life. “She’s the principal…,” I whispered to myself, “for crying out loud.”

I didn’t feel quite the same way about doing things to get my fairy godmother’s mojo going. Even though they were both similar to each other in many ways. Both of them were teachers, roughly the same age. Same physical make-up, appearance, and body types, but still. If it was Gaddy’s, my fairy godmother’s place that I had gone to like that. The TV would still be as cold as icicles. Since I’d not be turning it on.

I’d be busy right off the cuffs, getting the biggest bang for my hard-earned bucks. Working the late shift and overtime too, working on my fairy godmother’s bus. Also on the brand-new second-hand Volvo, parked over there by us. The only thing that would be needing to get a turn-on after we get inside the house and close the door behind us. It would have been me taking out the jackhammer keys and turning it over to Gaddy.

Since both of us would have had our other hard (and even the soft,) metallic mechanism and auto body parts already turned on and heated up to a fever pitch. Even before we’d managed to bust in through the half-opened door, like this. But as for Ms. B? It was going to take a lot more out of me, getting used to the idea that I could similarly bang on her door. And to think that I wanted so very much to be doing just that. More than anything in the world at this stage of my life, my teenage boy’s life.

She came through the door and stood in the passageway. With nothing but a big bath towel wrapped around her, like, this way. I saw this from the corner of my eye since I wasn’t looking directly at her. She came over to me where I was sitting on the couch. Took me by the hand and led me into the bedroom and into the big queen size bed and into… (._.)

“What? You mean you want me to tell you every little bit of the gory details, just like that?” She’d made me promise not to tell, you know? Those were the conditions under which we had gotten that far.

Suffice it to say, though. Not only did the innocence and inhibitions tumble and fall there that evening, but the oversized, wrap-up-my-sexy-mama bath towel came crashing down to the floor too.

To be continued.

That’s it for today. Be sure to join us again tomorrow or any time thereafter, for more, as we continue with this story. A story called “HOW to TRAIN A WILD PUPPY DOG NAMED MANLEY.” Don’t forget to like, share, and comment. We sure would appreciate it if you’d subscribe and follow us somewhere too, thank you.

⁓⸪⁓

Just an excerpt from the “MANLEY Book.” A Novel, it’s available wherever books are sold. If you don’t see it, ask for it, they’ll get it for you.

By @writingelk All Rights Reserved.