Indy,

I’ve always loved Rockwell’s Shiner for the number of untold stories surrounding the obvious one. The empty portion of the bench… are we waiting for someone who may not arrive?

Where is the the second person (or perhaps more than one other person) involved in the fight?
Why is the filing cabinet partially open?
What’s with the key on the bulletin board, and is that a candle snuffer?
I love the unreadable expressions on the adults.  Frustration?  Admiration?
Is that the mother or a teacher in the office with the Principal?
Does the girl always have her sleeves rolled up, or was that done specifically for the physical debating?

allan g. lie
Golden West

Allan, here are the answers to your questions.

The girl’s name is Samantha O’Shaughnessy and she’s the middle child of five. The other four are brothers who call her “Sammo.”

There were two other people involved in the scuffle but they’re definitely NOT coming to the principal’s office. I’ll explain why in a minute.

The filing cabinet is open – (see photo at the bottom of the page) – because the secretary had to find the phone number to call Sammo’s mother whose name is Siobhan (pronounced Shevaun.) She’s riding a bicycle toward the school right now because it was her husband’s week to drive and the O’Shaughnessys have just one car. He’s in a carpool with 3 other men.

What looks like a bulletin board is actually a lost-and-found.

The key was dropped in the school hallway by a distracted mother who kept it in her hand the whole time she was driving to the school to deliver the crafts project that her son had forgotten to bring from the garage at home. The key fits her husband’s tool cabinet.

What looks like a candle snuffer is actually a jump rope left on the playground by Kelly Caruthers.

The woman with the principal is the school secretary. She’s annoyed by the fact that Samantha shows no remorse. But the principal is trying to figure out how to let Sammo off the hook.

Sammo’s sleeves were rolled up by the school nurse who was inspecting her for upper body cuts, scratches and bruises. There weren’t any.

Here’s what happened.

Teddy Boskin is a bully. And he’s big. All the kids are terrified of him.

Sammo was playing tetherball with her friend Elaine during recess when Big Teddy walked up behind Elaine and pounded the tetherball with the side of his fist while she was jumping for it. The ball spun around the pole and slapped Elaine on the cheek so hard that it knocked her to the ground. Elaine began screaming, so Sammo jumped toward Teddy who planted his palm in the middle of her chest and shoved her backward. But Sammo didn’t fall down. She absorbed the shove by shifting her weight to her back foot – her right one – then rocked forward to throw all the weight of her body toward Teddy. She punched Teddy’s nose so hard that blood splattered down his shirt. Enraged, Teddy swung a fat right hand and hit Sammo in the eye. It was the only blow Teddy would land. Before he could pull his fist back to his body, Sammo jammed a thumb in his eye and drove a knee into his groin. Teddy dropped to the ground and Sammo “gave him the boots all around.”

The school nurse is driving Teddy to the doctor’s office for stitches on his chin.

Heh, heh, heh.

The other person injured is Mr. Clarkson, the 6th grade history teacher and football coach who made the mistake of grabbing Sammo’s left arm to pull her away from Teddy. When he yanked her arm, she went with the spin and rocketed a fist into Mr. Clarkson’s mouth before she knew who it was. Mr. Clarkson is on his way to the dentist with a tooth in his shirt pocket.

Never mess with a girl who has four Irish brothers.

Indy