The Bee Page #2

This was inspired by my beautiful best friend and girlfriend, who not only survived years of abuse, but has also thrived as a mother, partner, nurse, and shining light.

• Fiction

								


So Katey Prudomme stayed at the Wilkins and away from her mom and the devil. It wasn’t easy because she loved her mother. But she loved herself, too. So she took a big breath, settled in, and studied. Thank God her dad had instilled in her, from an early age, self-respect.
Bravery would come later.
                                               ****

The day of the Bee was busy, pardon the pun. Katey could barely remember all the rules and regulations that came along with the competition. But since she’d participated before, she kind of cruised along on autopilot. Besides, the main rule was still: Spell a word correctly, and advance. Honestly, it was nice to have something to occupy her mind, other than thoughts of molestation, scrutiny, and her favorite- invisibility. Oh if only…

The auditorium was jammed. Family and friends were cheering on contestants, whooping it up like it was Michigan- Ohio State on the gridiron in December! But, in all fairness, this was just as big for these kids and their kin. Some parents, as in other walks of young life, put undue pressure on these youngsters to ‘perform’. But that was never Bob Prudomme’s way. “Katey, just breathe easy and do your best”. She hoped that mantra would stick with her just a little while longer.

A little later, during the third round, she glanced up at the back of the room and saw him. She knew he’d show up. And she knew two other things: he’d be four drinks in, and, if she won, probably try and take the credit. Her stomach began to churn. It seemed everything inside her body wanted to be outside. Like NOW. It was all she could do to keep it together. Her mind stirred and roiled with all the same questions from the past week, and no new answers. Mr. Wilkins was hosting and every so often, he’d catch Katey’s eye, seemingly asking ‘you okay?’ She’d try to smile. 
Herb knew. And he also saw when Staxx walked in. Katy was miserable, and Herb was thinking this should have been the time of her life. Herb had a thought…then put it away.

The next cut was coming, and Katey was trying to get into the quarters. She was next up, yet all she was doing now was wiping tears away and trying not to look out. She had already heard some stupid, half-yelled comments from her half-wit stepfather, and being in the same room was making her sick. She was now a combination of mad, scared and vengeful. But what to do? Best to focus on the task at hand. 

Herb Wilkins loved the Bee. Loved sponsoring it. Loved hosting. Loved being around it. But not today. Normally he’d be thrilled to be asking these bright young people to spell words that would confound most adults. But his duty today was to his young friend. His heart was breaking for her. He could feel her sadness.

After Lisa Lancaster spelled ‘nauseous’ incorrectly, Herb thought that should have been Katey’s word. After all, it bore a close resemblance to how she must be feeling. But up she stepped, this brave teenager with a bright future flickering because of someone so callous and senseless. Katey had come to him. And what did he do? He punted. Successful businessman, my butt! Help this girl! And here she was…

Herb had a returning thought…

Katey stepped up to the mic on shaky legs and tried to focus. Thoughts of misspelling on purpose came to mind, just to get out of there. But what would her dad think? And as she put that musing aside, she looked at the moderator. Her friend. The man who told her ‘somehow, someway, things would be alright’. And she saw something. Something in his eyes that did more than just meet hers. They connected. These two friends, one fourteen the other fifty-eight, really saw each other. Perhaps more than any two people ever had. She could feel he wanted so desperately to help her. And would.

The Bee was made up of a list of thousands of words, chosen ahead of time by a panel of five people. Four of whom flanked Herb Wilkins. Katey’s word was ‘logorrhea’, the definition of which was a pathological inability to stop talking. Well, that certainly wasn’t Herb’s problem at the moment.  He just needed to utter one. Just one. And hope to the heavens that his young friend would know…that it’s going to be alright.

“Miss Prudomme, the word is ‘pedophile’”.

One would have thought a giant Electrolux had been activated, sucking every ounce of oxygen from a one thousand-plus seat building. Panel members scrambled through sheets of paper. The member to Herb’s immediate left, Gladys Fryman, mumbled “How’d THAT make it through”?? Audience members gasped, audibly. Everyone was puzzled.
 
All except one.

Katey had been spelling words with her dad, and without him, for close to ten years. Even after he died, she felt him with her when she competed. Holding her hand. Now, there was someone to hold the other. Thank you, Mr. Wilkins.

“’Pedophile’. R.I.C.H.A.R.D.S.T.A.X.X. ‘Pedophile’”

It’s been said that when’s someone’s been drinking a bit, a monumental event can sober them up immediately. Well, damned if it wasn’t true! Richard Delbert Staxx  got up and tried to look anonymous. But since he was the only one to stand, anonymity went out the window. And some audience members, God love them, were actually wondering what Miss Prudomme had actually spelled. For some reason, it just didn’t sound right to them…
                                               ****

Other people there that afternoon realized, albeit a bit late, what was happening. And when it dawned on most everybody, the people who knew Staxx were not surprised. He was found by police eight hours later at a motel on the outskirts of town. He claimed he was innocent- that Katey Prudomme made it all up. Well, two things: he conveniently had his laptop with him, loaded with items of a ‘questionable variety’. And, as it turned out, Katey DID have proof of what had happened. When he tried ‘showing himself to her’, she noticed, with disgust, both a birthmark and a scar in the…area of question. She’d tried to forget it, but, thank goodness, she did not. Matter of fact, she would have loved to, perhaps, add a scar or two to Mr. Staxx. But prison should take care of that.

As far as Katey’s mom was concerned, that kind of public humiliation is very hard to deal with. But Mrs. Prudomme  also knew it was microscopic next to what her daughter went through. She had played a part in this. A big part. Now, the ball was in her court. And she vowed not to miss it.

After Katey’s ‘misspelling’, she was out. But the moderator croaked out ‘correct’ nevertheless. Herb went over and caught Katey before she fell from sheer exhaustion. He comforted her and brought her off-stage. He gave up his post as moderator, not only that day but for all-time. And was happy to do it, knowing full well he’d done his job. And then some.

Who knew a Spelling Bee could save a life!
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