Chapter 21
“So what did he want exactly, I can’t believe he came all this way out of the goodness of his heart just to see you” Joyce said
“He um…he wants me to be a character witness”
“A character witness, why – I mean, what for?”
“He said, he said some girl has made an allegation that he touched her, you know, ‘inappropriately’ – he started banging on about a man of his standing, blah, blah, worked with young girls for over twenty years, yadda, yadda…”
Joyce stared at her daughter and sat down, still wearing her coat.
“I thought there was something, Illyria looked like she was going to burst into tears. Do you think there’s anything in it – the allegations I mean?”
Buffy sat up in bed, twiddling her fingers, not looking at her mother, which immediately put Joyce on edge.
Buffy shrugged, but didn’t look up, Faith’s words kept on going through her mind…
“Buffy – has he ever, (she swallowed nervously) touched you?”
“What – NO! – Well no, but then, I didn’t give him the opportunity – if he put his arm around me, I always used to move fast or shrug him off…”
“But you think the intent was there?” Joyce leaned forward looking drawn
“I don’t know…I never thought anything of it until…”
“Buffy, you’re scaring me now, until what?”
“Well I thought he was just being friendly – you know when I did good, pulling me into a hug – he knew you and dad had split up, I always thought he was trying to encourage me into seeing him as a father figure or something…”
Joyce grabbed Buffy’s hand
“Did he say that to you? Because that could be classed as ‘grooming’ – it’s what paedophiles do, they lull you into thinking that you’re somehow to blame for their sick perverted actions and-“
“MOM – calm down! Like I said, I didn’t let him touch me, but one day, this was years ago – I was at a rink waiting for my turn to practice, and that other skater Faith was there…and she made some comment about how she thought Coach O’ Connor was creepy the way he ‘touched’ all the time – it was then I became more aware of it, with me and other girls”
“Oh god Buffy, if you have the slightest doubt that his intentions were less than honest, you can’t go in the witness stand and say-“
“I know…that’s why I’ve decided not to”
Joyce felt relieved and sick at the same time.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“What was there to say? ‘Mom, I skated really well and Coach O’Connor hugged me – what would you have said? – He was just congratulating me – he was proud of me? He never touched me in an inappropriate manner, but then I didn’t give him the opportunity to”
The door opened and Patty came in
“Ready for your physio Buffy?”
Buffy nodded and Joyce said she’d go for coffee.
*****************
Buffy put the newspaper down when there was a knock at the door, it was Pearl with lunch.
“Hi me darlin’ how is you this mornin?”
“Great thanks Pearl…oh here…I got mom to sort out some stuff I never used from the dancing school…there are some leg-warmers…a tee shirt, couple of video’s…a leotard and a skipping rope – do you think Keisha would like them?”
“Oh darlin’ she’d LOVE dem!”
“Here you go, tell her I hope she enjoys them!”
“Bless you child! Hey, you caught me huggin’ Dr Hottie before he went las’ night!”
“I know”
“Well, gotta go, and thanks for these!”
“You’re welcome!”
Joyce picked up the paper and said,
“Did you read this on page two?”
“What’s that?”
“The accident investigation people looking into the crash – they reckon from what they can piece together, one guy in a pig hauling truck was the culprit for the accident, he was all over the road according to a biker witness, he slammed into the central reservation, bounced off a truck and hit an on-coming bus full of those schoolboys…shame, they buried two more of them yesterday”
Buffy shuddered, she tried not to think about the accident, she’d give herself nightmares……there was a knock on her room door and a guy stood there.
“Whose that?”
Joyce got up and opened the door
“Ah hello, I was wondering, could I speak to Miss Buffy Summers please”
Thinking it might be somebody from the accident investigation team Joyce was just about to say ‘yes’ and open the door when one of the secretaries came trotting down the hallway
“OO- ooh, don’t let him in – I’m sorry sir, we don’t allow journalists to see patients without their permission first” Joyce frowned and tried to shut the door, but the guy pushed back and called in,
“What’s it like been coached by a pervert Miss Summers – did he ever touch you – give me your story and – ow – OW!”
“Get out, get OUT!” Joyce managed to shut the door just as security arrived to escort the man off the premises.
A minute or so later security came to her room and apologised
“That’s okay, not your fault”
Joyce went out and chatted with them, one guy gave her a different newspaper
She came back into the room, and threw the paper on the bed.
“Look at this”
Buffy picked up the newspaper; it was a different one to the one her mother bought in originally………
The front page had a picture of Coach Angel O’Connor with the Academy behind him, the headline screamed:
‘Daughter of Senator in paedophile allegation’
The piece read, The 11 year old daughter of Senator Greg Harvey was at the centre of allegations against Coach Angel O’Connor, she said he touched her in an inappropriate way during swimming lessons, and had walked into her room on several occasions without knocking, twice ‘catching’ her naked. Coach O’Connor who has many prestigious names on his books including the Olympic medal winner Buffy Summers said that these allegations were totally bogus and false, he’s used this sort of ‘hands on’ approach for over twenty years and never had any complaints before. He said he would fight to clear his good name’
Buffy put the paper down
“I wish they hadn’t put MY name in that piece.” Buffy continued to casually flick through the pages and she stopped when she saw a familiar name…
“Oh god, he was William’s patient here, remember when I told you he was all down and sad, and he couldn’t tell me what was the matter, then I learn through the grapevine about that basketball player Donovan Daly?” Buffy gushed and she carried on reading
“What a shame!”
“What’s that?”
“Well, he’s got bone cancer, but he’s got to have his leg off – EW…he’s at the Cedar’s hospital in Sacramento they say he’ll have to undergo months of chemotherapy and that – poor guy’s only just got engaged too”
“See, there’s always somebody worse off than yourself” Joyce said philosophically, and Buffy agreed.
*****************
Buffy lay back in bed, idly flicking through the TV channels, she settled on the news.
Seeing one journalist standing at some taped off area of the Highway and seeing the airport runway, Buffy turned up the volume and heard the story she’d read earlier in the paper, that was the crash investigation team had put the cause of the accident down to a pig hauling truck driven by Riley Finn.
After the story ended, she was just about to switch it over, when she saw
a picture of Coach O’Connor. Next there was a picture of a young girl skating and then a photograph of Senator Greg Harvey, and then the allegations were read out – the story added that several other girls had also come forward to say that they’d been inappropriately touched too, and Buffy sat up in shock, watching the news item wide eyed.
Joyce wasn’t going to visit that evening, she was going to work at the gallery helping Mr Duggan; they were going to arrange a floor plan for the upcoming exhibition.
At 7 o’clock, Willow came in all smiles and carrying a paper sack
“Got goodies!”
“Great! Hi Will, how are you?”
“Never mind me, what about you?”
“Just learning that my supposed mentor is a paedophile…”
“Oh god that – I saw the paper this morning!”
“They’re all coming out of the woodwork now, loads of allegations!”
Willow sat down heavily with shock
“You’re kidding – what are you going to do?”
Buffy shrugged
“I don’t know…it’s not something I’ve got to think about until the end of January anyway…”
“So, have you seen him today?” Willow asked with a grin, dipping into the sack
“No, he’s gone now…he’s in Europe, Germany to be precise”
Willow looked up and said,
“Germany, what’s he doing in Germany?”
“Saving a top footballer’s career, he’s doing some top soccer-player’s cartilage”
“Wow…Just imagine that - being the best in the world at what you do!”
“As opposed to the SECOND best? – I DID only get the silver, you know!”
“Oh no gods no! That’s NOT what I meant!”
Buffy grinned and said,
“I know!”
Willow smiled and asked,
“So, when do you think you’ll see him again?”
Buffy gave a none-committal shrug and replied,
“Not sure…but I know he’s at my house Christmas day!”
Willow shrieked with delight and jumped up, hugging her friend.
Willow was suddenly aware of being held firmly by Buffy by the shoulders, and Buffy was speaking
“You DO understand, don’t you – I mean besides the fact that he and mom are old good friends, we mustn’t say ‘ANYTHING’ about him coming to our house, XMAS!”
“Yes, sure, I understand…”
Willow sat down and began to take things out of the paper bag
“I have…grapes!”
“Oh yum…William and I ate the last lot between us!”
“Ooooh! William is it!”
Buffy grinned and tried to look into the bag
“Ah, ah! I have………”
“Please tell me food with no nutritional value what so ever, I feel like being naughty!”
Willow grinned and said,
“You got it…just the stuff to cause a sugar rush!”
“Bring it on!” Buffy said with a grin. Willow put the things on the bed and said,
“We have…Twinkies………Oreo cookies…and da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaaaaaaaaaa! Peanut butter cups!”
“Oh god, gimme, gimme, gimme!” Buffy sat up excitedly and Willow took them out of the bag.
*********************************
Buffy lay back
“Oh, did I tell you, I can go home tomorrow!”
“Great – that’s the night my parents are going out with the Leibermann’s I could come round, bring a DVD or something”
“Good, coz I think mom will be stuck in the kitchen for all the rest of this week preparing food for Sunday!” Both girls giggled
*********************************
“And Dr Carling told you not to skate until the end of January, is that right?”
“Yes Dr Travers, but there’s some debate about that” Buffy said quietly
Having finished examining her foot, Dr Travers looked up at Buffy
“I wouldn’t advise you skating before, you could do all sorts of damage”
“Oh, no, it’s not that…my coach – he’s the one embroiled in all the scandal” Buffy said without looking up.
“Oh god yes! I remember now…how awful for you! You’re thinking of changing coaches?”
“I don’t know yet…I think…well I think I’ll have a few weeks at home, think about things”
“Very wise…well Miss Summers, you may go home! You have your physiotherapy schedule?”
“Yes, and the outpatients appointment on the 27th of January”
“Good, well when I say I hope not to see you in here again, you’ll take it in the manner I mean it in!”
“Of course, thankyou Dr Travers, you’ve been very good and kind to me, everybody has”
“That’s what I like to hear, another satisfied customer!”
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