RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION
Virginia C. Foley


There it was . . . but . . . a three-letter word that could bring the most starry-eyed optimist to his or her knees. At this point Cain wasn't even close to being optimistic let alone starry-eyed, so his prayerful trust in a benevolent God once more took a lethal hit and sent him to the depths of despair. Blood raced hotly through his veins as his heart pounded with fury in his chest. He looked around the room, but he realized he wasn't seeing or hearing anything. It was as if he was in some sort of a muffled cocoon that was closing in around him and making it hard for him to breathe. He was fighting the urge to faint and he was trying to collect himself when he realized that all eyes were on him, waiting for an answer to a question he'd never heard.

"What?" he asked lamely.

"Do you understand?" The principal asked.

He took a moment to compose himself and sort through the events of the past few minutes as snatches of conversation began sinking in. He wasn't being expelled, but he wasn't welcomed back at school either. They thought it was best for him and for the school. After all, there was only a month left. He would be sent a schedule of his finals, and he could come back to take them. Certain teachers would be in touch with him by phone to discuss any assignments that needed to be completed for a final grade. That way he would still get a diploma. They had discussed it at length before this meeting, and all attending agreed that graduation and honors ceremonies would not be appropriate, nor would prom or other social functions related to the end of senior year. And of course he would have to resign as president of the Student Council. Cain looked around the room. His mother was softly crying. Will looked as though he'd been punched in the stomach. The others were waiting for some kind of agreement from him to soothe their consciences.

"Cain?" said Dr. Randmeier.

"No," answered Cain happy to observe he still had some dignity left. "No, I don't understand at all. Whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty? I haven't even been officially charged with this bogus crime yet, and you have all passed judgment and found me guilty. You said yourself you were sure that in time it would all get cleared up."

"Well, in that case, we . . . "

"In that case nothing!" stormed Cain. "My whole life is crumbling right before my eyes, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I might have made a mistake, but I didn't do anything that merits the consequences I've been experiencing. In my wildest dreams I couldn't have imagined the chaos and bigotry I've been thrust into. Everyone's worried about appearances. Whether or not I actually committed this crime is not important. I DIDN'T RAPE THAT GIRL! I DID NOT RAPE HER!!!"