9

“Mrs. Timmons, I have a dentist’s appointment today. My mother made it a long time ago,” Fex said. “Can I start Monday instead?”

“Why”—Mrs. Timmons looked up from her typewriter—“I don’t know why not. He isn’t in yet, but the minute he gets here, I’ll ask him. Can you stop back in about an hour?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“I’m sorry about the whole thing, Fex.” Mrs. Timmons grabbed for her pencil, which seemed to grow behind her ear. She worried it around in her hair like a dog with a bone. “I was the one who said I’d seen you coming from the office yesterday. That’s how Mr. Palinkas knew it was you who’d put the drawing there. I suppose I shouldn’t have said I’d seen you.”

“If you saw me, you saw me,” Fex said. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does,” she said. “It matters to me. I hate to see you in trouble, Fex. Why did you do such a senseless thing?”

“I don’t know,” Fex said.

“Next time you’re tempted to do something foolish, think twice.” She pushed her chair away from her desk and stood up. “Mr. Palinkas is a good man, a good principal. He cares about all you kids. He doesn’t need to be paid back in insults and childish pranks.”

The door opened. Mr. Palinkas came in. He raised his eyebrows and poked his stick in Fex’s direction. “I said after school, not before.” He took off his gray hat, which always looked as if he’d sat on it, and hung it on a hook. “Good morning, Mrs. Timmons,” he said.

Mrs. Timmons laid her hand on Fex’s shoulder. “He has a dentist’s appointment today that his mother made some time ago, and he wondered if he could start work on Monday.”

“You tell ’em why you have to stay after school?” Mr. Palinkas punctuated his words with little jabs of his stick.

“Yes,” Fex said, forgetting the “sir.”

“How’d they feel about it?”

“My mother was upset. She said it was dumb.”

“How about your father?”

“I didn’t tell my father. Just my mother. My father gets really sore when he hears I did something like that. So I didn’t tell him,” Fex said, his voice belligerent. At least I’m not lying, he wanted to say. At least I’m telling you the truth. I could’ve lied. Give me credit for that.

Mr. Palinkas nodded. “You’ve done this kind of thing before, then?” he asked.

“Well, not exactly. But a couple of times when kids dared me, I’ve done some dumb things, and that really makes him mad.”

He hadn’t meant to say that about someone daring him. But it was out. He couldn’t call it back.

“Did someone dare you to put that picture on my desk?” Mr. Palinkas seemed genuinely interested.

“Yes, sir.” If he asks me who, I won’t tell him, Fex decided.

“I see.” Mr. Palinkas sat down heavily in his big swivel chair. “It’s not a new concept, you know. Daring people to do things you don’t dare to do yourself.”

“I suppose not.” Fex had never thought of it quite that way. But that was true. Barney dared him to do things he wouldn’t dare to do himself. That put things in a different light. As Audrey would say, he was a fall guy. A first-class jerk of a fall guy.

“It’s a coward’s trick. It always amazes me to realize how many cowards there are around. The world’s full of them.” Mr. Palinkas took a cigarette lighter out of his pocket and snapped it on and off several times.

“Gave it up,” he said. “I’m trying to stick to it. But it isn’t easy. Not at all. Don’t know if I can do it. My wife gives me a hard time. She hates the smell of cigarette smoke. Says I should have enough strength of character to quit for good.” Again he snapped his lighter. “I’ve given up smoking three times,” he told them, shaking his head. A small silence fell on the room.

“It’s all right, is it then, Mr. Palinkas, if Fex starts Monday?” Mrs. Timmons said in a bright voice.

“Yes, it’s all right. Monday’s fine.” Mr. Palinkas pulled at his nose, then looked down at his jacket and brushed at it as if he’d spilled something on himself.

There didn’t seem to be anything more to say.

Mrs. Timmons nodded to Fex. “See you then,” she said.

“Thank you,” Fex said. “Thanks a lot.” He backed out and stumbled over the doorsill.

Mr. Palinkas looked up.

“Better watch your step,” he said.

“Yes, sir.” Fex turned and ran.