Solomon's Private File #416
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 34 in this story, in the Fall of 2060.
Solomon's Private File #416 "Tangled Web"
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off of the track team. Why?" He said, "It's a school matter, and
private." I said, "Public school, and he's going to be very much not
private about it. Nor are his parents. Think about why I'm here, and
what my involvement really means." He sighed, and said, "He's messing
with my daughter." I said, "What do you mean by messing, and what has
she said about it?" He said, "Sam's been bragging about having sex with
her. She denies it." I said, "Did you hear Sam say that?" He said, "No,
but the boys did." I said, "Did they tell you each one of them heard
it, or that one boy said Sam did, and they repeated it?" He said, "They
didn't mention that." I said, "So you didn't actually question them to
determine the truth, and instead you chose to assume your own daughter
is a liar?"
He started thinking some unpleasant thoughts. I said, "Do you know
what your boys now think of you, when they aren't laughing at how
easily you can be manipulated to ruin people's lives for their
pleasure?" He was feeling very bad then. I said, "So you've kicked out
your best athlete, with the potential to win State for you, for a false
reason, to satisfy the jealousy and resentment of less talented
teammates, and you have the nerve to call yourself a coach? What
actually are you coaching? How to become monsters?"
He was feeling VERY miserable. He said, "Have you told the
principle?" I said, "No, you will. Will you do anything at all to make
this right?" He said, "What can I do?" I said, "Considered apologizing
to your innocent victims? Your daughter might forgive you. Your wife,
will take more work. You may have lost Sam. All sports may have lost
him. The remaining boys are to be rewarded by staying on the team they
deliberately made less competitive? You've ruined a good track team.
What will the other sports' athletes think of you for this? Organized
sports in school is supposed to build character, not destroy them! I
didn't tell your principle first, so you can do something that might
help YOU improve enough to maybe keep your job. I'm not here to punish
you, but to HELP you. And them. Try to act like you deserve it. I can't
give you the courage and honor to do the right things. Only you can.
But I can give you something else." With my open arms, he knew that
was. We hugged, and I helped him to sit. I said, "You know I'll be
watching. Actually, I can't avoid that. Good luck." I shifted out.
George said, "Wow! I see why you didn't want the Corps on that. Your
authority blasted him! Can I poke in the situation in support if
needed?" I said, "Yes. I know you want to. More than I do, actually.
That's why I let it be monitored. Go ahead." Coach called Sam's father
at his work, and said, "I was wrong to kick Sam off the team. He's done
nothing wrong." Father said, "I'm relieved to hear that. What caused
the change?" He said, "Solomon corrected me." Father said, "Wow! Er, is
he back on?" He said, "I don't know yet if there will be a team to come
back to, or a coach. I really screwed up! I'll be seeing the boys this
afternoon, with some hard questions. We'll see what comes from that.
And I have to tell the principle." Father said, "Going to be tough. He
was a runner." He said, "I'm too depressed to groan." Father chuckled,
and said, "Good luck."
He went to see the principle. He said, "Solomon came by my office
today." He said, "A problem with a student?" Coach said, "A problem
with me. I didn't handle a situation well. I made some mistakes, and
overreacted. He er, told me about it." He said, "Reamed you a new one?"
Coach said, "Yes. I suspect it was too much for the Corps to manage.
situation. Principle said, "I can understand where you were coming
from. I have daughters, myself. You've got a lot of fence building to
do." Coach said, "I have to find out who started the attack. That boy
is OUT." Principle said, "Right. Full support on that. We want Sam
back. None better in all ways." Coach sighed, and said, "Yes, if I
haven't ruined him."
Back in his office, George ported in, and said, "As an administrator
of the Stephen school, I manage the Corps." Coach said, "I thought
Solomon does that." George said, "He gives me the actions, and I assign
the people to do them. You know they say, to avoid doing things; 'Let
George do it.' That's me. I'm George. You know the boys are going to
lie. Here's a lie detector, and here's the switch. You know what
happens with it." Coach grinned, and said, "Yes I do. I assume after
this use, it will be gone?" George said, "Good assuming. I asked to
help, and Sol agreed. He wasn't happy with this. We try to not increase
that." He said, "I understand. Were you in that monster?" George said,
"I was. Looked better from the outside. Their remaining Adepts are nice
people. A little hairy, though. I'll be watching. Good luck." He ported
out.
He told the boys to come to his office before changing, in the locker
room. He said to them after they all sat, "I have some more questions
about what Sam said. Basically, what exactly did he say?" Three of them
looked at one boy. Coach said, "Wait a minute. You all said you heard
Sam say it. Let's clear that up first. Did each of you directly hear
enough. Just answers here. You next." He said, "I didn't." And the next
was the same. The last boy said he did, and there was a red flash on
the desk. They knew what it meant. One of the boys said to the liar,
"You mother fucker, you lied! Sam was my friend!" He was about to hit
him, when George ported in, wearing a Corps armband, and stopped him.
He said, "No violence! You're track, not gladiators. I mean, not
football players." Coach tried not to laugh.
George said to him, "Sol isn't the only one of us with an odd sense
of humor. We share a lot." He said to the guilty boy, "Argo, that's in
interesting name. The original was the name of ship that Jason sailed
to go after the Golden Fleece, named after the maker, Argus. The team
were called the Argonauts. But that's ancient mythology. Your modern
day mythology had a more sinister intent. What did you have against
your coach's daughter?" He said, "I didn't!" Red flash. George said,
"You know about our lie detectors. Don't be a fool. At least not any
more." He said, "I won't say!" Coach said to George, "I think I know
what you're doing. Thank you. I'll talk with her about how to better
reject a boy." George said, "And Sam was a convenient two-for-one
deal." He nodded.
He said to the boy, "For lying about Sam, damaging the reputation of
a teammate, and convincing your fellow team members to go along with
your lies, you caused Sam to be kicked off the team. He's back, and
you're off." Argo said, "I'll complain to the principle!" Coach said,
"Good way to get suspended. We already agreed on it. One more thing,
that's personal to me. You damaged my daughter's reputation. George is
here now, but Solomon was here before that. I don't know for sure, but
if you don't work to repair my daughter's reputation, they might have a
consequence waiting for you." George said, "Yes. No sex of any kind for
five years, suspended on good effort reputation repair. Do you think
that's unfair?" He said, "I do! It IS unfair!" George said, "Alright,
we'll do it for six years. Fair now?" He was about to complain again,
when another boy poked him, and said, "Don't make it worse!" Argo
gulped, and said, "It's fair." George said, "Remember, you're got to
work hard in repairing her reputation, or the consequence happens.
Results count!" He nodded to the coach, who said to the boy, "Clean out
your locker and go." He left.
Coach said to the three boys, "You actually believed him?" Two said,
"He sounded so er, honest." One said, "He threatened me and my younger
brother. I had to go along with him." George said, "He won't do
anything about that now. You didn't betray him for real, the lie
detecter did. But you know we'll be watching. We love everybody, but
some people we really don't like sometimes. Lesson here, is people like
to believe the worst of people, to make them feel better about
themselves. Superior. You know that's how you felt. Try to avoid that.
You don't really know what's true about what people say of others, and
why. Gossip can destroy lives. Do you really want to do that? Would you
like that to happen to you? As Sol would say, keep the Golden Rule
shining!" He ported away. Coach said to the boys, "Someday we'll all be
like them. What a world that will be!" There was full agreement.
Sam walked in then. Coach said, "I apologize for overreacting. I was
wrong!" Sam said, "I accept. It's your daughter who you're going to
have a real problem with." Coach said, "Not as much as you might think.
She didn't tell me the whole truth about Argo." Sam said, "Oh! Now I
get it. She dumped him!" I said in the air, "Oh what a tangled web we
weave, when first we practice to deceive." Grins.
I shifted to George's office so we could hug. I said, "Good teamwork!
But shining?" He grinned, and said, "It's your rule, one of the best in
history. And you used tarnish and shining with it before. We all love
it, and want to make it a popular saying, to make it LIVE." I said,
"Alright! You don't have to go over the top with it." He said with a
grin, "I like the tangled web quote. Fit well."
I said, "Marcel world action is concluded. Here's the shows." He read
the crystals, and grinned widely. He said, "Handling each other! Great
one. Got a lot of sexual issues. Good disclaimer about different things
being right for different societies, but you know the shoe's going to
fit more than they want to accept." I said, "That's the point. I can't
just tell them so they can reject it, so I show them in reality where
they can see it working, and it's good." He said, "Got a lot of good
basic science in it too, but as part of the story, so it's not a
classroom to the viewers. Naked kids we can excuse by they're not being
human, and it happens a lot here. Seeing student rescues is a first,
but very important for all of us that they know this. It's not all fun
and games for us." I said, "But we do have a lot." Grins, and a hug.
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