Ларри Макмертри - The Last Picture Show

chapter eighteen

While the seniors were in California a great scandal rocked Thalia. All the mothers were agreed that it was the very worst thing that had ever happened in the town: John Cecil was fired from his teaching job for being a homosexual.

The scariest thing of all, the mothers thought, was that it was just by a happenstance that he was found out. If it hadn't been for Coach Popper's vigilance and his interest in the welfare of the children, nobody would have known about Mr. Cecil, and a whole generation of young innocents would have been exposed to corruption. .

The gist of the matter was that Mr. Cecil had persuaded Bobby Logan to take a summer-school course in trigonometry, in Wichita Falls high school. Mr. Cecil was going to summer school himself, at the college there, so he drove Bobby over to his class every day. That seemingly innocent arrangement was enough to arouse the coach's suspicions. He had been planning to have Bobby work out in the gym every day during the summer, so he would be in good shape when football season came. It was a pleasure to work with a fine young athlete like Bobby, and when Bobby told him about the trigonometry class he was angered.

"Why goddamn," he said. "You mean you're gonna sit in a damn schoolhouse all summer when you could be workin' out? What kinda shit is that?"

Bobby was a little embarrassed. "I'll have to have trig to get in a good college," he said.

"Trig my ass," the coach said. "I can get you a scholarship anywhere and you won't need to know a fuckin' thing." He raged on, but Bobby was determined, and that night, thinking it over, it came to the coach in a flash: Cecil was a queer.

He didn't say anything to Ruth about it because it wasn't a thing to talk to women about. The next morning he happened to be standing around the filling station and he mentioned his suspicion to some of the men. They were sitting on piles of old tires, chewing tobacco and discussing masculine matters, and all of them agreed with the coach right down the line.

"Hell yes," one said. "Whoever heard of a man teachin' English. That's a woman's job."

"Oughta see the school board about it," the coach said sternly. The idea got quick support.

"By God, if you don't I will," Andy Fanner said. "I got two boys in that school."

"Well, I tell you, men," the coach said, squaring his shoulders with purpose. "I hate to cost a man his job, but if there's anything I hate it's to see a goddamn homasexyul messing around with a bunch of young kids. I got too much respect for the teachin' profession to put up with that."

It turned out the coach didn't have to say a word to the school board. Some of the men went home and told their wives and the wives called the school board president even before they began to call one another. The school board president was a Pontiac salesman named Tom Todd. When Tom was fourteen years old he had been seduced one night at a family reunion by a male cousin from Jonesboro, Arkansas, and he had felt guilty about it ever since. He went right into action and that very night they got John Cecil before the board and fired him.

All Mr. Cecil could say was that he hadn't done anything to Bobby, or to anyone else. He was stunned and guilty looking though, and the board knew they had their man. They didn't question Bobby Logan because his father. didn't want him to know what homosexuality was yet. If it had already happened to him his father preferred that he didn't realize it.

Mr. Cecil went home and tried to explain to his wife what a terrible mistake had been made. "Why I've never even touched one of my students," he said.

"Oh, they wouldn't have fired you if you hadn't," she said. Then she .screamed and ran across to the neighbor's house and then screamed again and ran back and got the two girls. She didn't return that night, but the next morning she got some of her stuff and headed for Odessa in Mr. Cecil's car. Her sisters lived in Odessa.

Ruth Popper found out about it the night Mr. Cecil was fired. The coach was in an unusually good mood that night and was propped up in bed reading an old issue of Sports Afield-there was a fishing story in it he had read at least fifty times.

Ruth could not sleep with the light on, and was reading the Reader's Digest . She lay flat on her back, and Herman noticed.

"Prop up if you're gonna read," he said. "It ain't good for your eyes to read laying down:"

She obediently tucked a pillow under her head, and as she did, noticed that Herman was looking at her in a very satisfied way. Suddenly, to her complete surprise, he reached under the cover and rubbed her in rough, husbandly fashion. .

"I guess tonight there's a lot of women in this town glad they ain't in Irene Cecil's shoes," he said. "I feel awfully sorry for Irene."

"Why?" Ruth asked. "I've always felt a little sorry for John."

"You would," the coach said, abruptly removing his hand. "I guess you'd like to be married to a queer. The school board fired him tonight. Me and some other fellers found out about him an' took some action. He'll never teach in this part of the country again."

Ruth didn't credit her hearing. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Why didn't you know it, honey," he said, gruffly condescending. "I could tell that feller was queer as a three-dollar bill—been thinking it for years. Reason I never spoke up sooner was because I never noticed him actually botherin' with any of the kids. When I saw he was after Bobby, I knew it was time to put a stop to it. That's one boy I don't intend to see messed up."

He farted gently into the sheets and went contentedly back to his fishing story.

Ruth wanted not to be there; not to be anywhere. She wanted to hug her knees' with shame. Then gradually the shame was replaced by a dull, hot feeling inside her that soon filled her completely. Before she even recognized it as anger it had taken possession of her, and with no warning she swung her feet around in the bed and began to kick Herman furiously and as hard as she could. She kicked the magazine he held clear across the room and her bare heels caught him in the ribs and groin. The coach was so surprised he didn't know what to do. He tried to catch her ankles but he couldn't seem to and she continued to flail at him with her feet until he hastily got out and stood uncertainly by the bed, not sure what was happening to his wife.

"Here, now, here," he said. "You gone crazy? What's the matter with you?"

"You!" Ruth yelled, sitting up in bed. She was beside herself and meant to pursue him out of the house. "You're the matter," she said, her voice shaking. "You fat ... you fat . . ." she didn't know what to call him. Looking around wildly, she saw the open bathroom door. "You fat turd!" she finished, a little lamely.

The two of them were both stunned. Quiet fell on the room. Ruth was panting, but since the coach had got beyond the range of her heels she had lost the urge to chase him. He would have liked to sit back down on the bed, but Ruth looked too strange and dangerous for him to risk it. He knew it would mean a fight if he got near her, so he stood where he was and scratched himself nervously. He would never have believed his own wife could look so dangerous.

"I never done nothin'," he said finally. "What if I did fart?" It was the only thing he could think of that might have made her mad.

"Oh, Herman," Ruth said. Her legs were trembling and all the strength had gone out of her.

"You got John Cecil fired."

"But he's a goddamn queer," the coach said righteously. "He needed it."

"Then how about you?" she said. "Who roomed with Bobby in Fort Worth, John or you? You think I don't know about things like that?_ Now you've ruined John's life."

The coach's mouth fell open. He felt tired and went over and sat down on the couch, fumbling with his undershirt. "Why Ruth, you don't think nothin' like that," he said. "Nobody in this town would believe that. I'm the football coach!"