To Tell The Whole Truth?
Part 01: Middle School CP Consequences
Paula Claire Douglas and Nina Elizabeth Thompson grew up on the same block in a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas, Texas from the time they were born. Nina was about a month older than Paula. When they were eight first the Douglas family and then the Thompson family moved to larger homes on different streets, but still in the district of the same elementary school.
Those two girls had been each other’s primary playmate through the end of Seventh grade. That was when Nina’s father Fredrick, an aerospace aircraft executive, was transferred to a different company of the same conglomerate located in Wichita, Kansas. The girls tried to remain close, but each made other gal pals. Eventually they lost contact.
Paula’s father Matthew Douglas was a rising banker when Paula was born and has been a Senior Vice President since she was eight. Shortly after the Thompsons moved to Wichita, the Douglas family bought an even larger estate in the same suburban city, but in the district of a different high school.
While in Wichita, which was supposed to be a brief re-assignment that stretched for five years, the Thompsons sold their Texas home at a major profit. Then when Matthew was promoted to Division President of his original company in Texas, they decided to buy a far grander home.
Coincidentally for their senior year of high school Paula and Nina were attending the same campus. They had lost touch and did not have the same classes. It was funny how they became reacquainted. That time, in April 2013, they had Mrs. Allison Fuller to either thank or blame. Both had her as their Advance Placement American history teacher, but at different periods.
Back in Seventh grade Paula and Nina were in Mrs. Cynthia Powell’s first period homeroom English class. There were only a couple of weeks of school left and they knew Nina would be moving to Wichita shortly after summer vacation started.
So, on a very fine late spring morning they decided to ditch school. They hatched their cunning plan during lunch the previous day. Both woulddeliberately miss their bus. Then they would ride their bikes to meet at a convenient mall.
They had not figured on the fact that the school district of that city had just started an anti-truancy program. A few minutes after the girls did not answer roll call for Mrs. Powell, the school office was informed. In turn the attendance secretary phoned the homes of the girls.
Their mothers were shocked. By then Shirley Thompson was primarily a stay at home mom. She had graduated from the University of Texas at Austin at age 19 as a business major. Eventually she was recruited by American Airlines as a cabin attendant, not a stewardess! She was so proud of her perfect attendance record from pre-Kindergarten to her high school graduation.
To be continued….
