Mr. Gandy's Dirty Finger

Jeff Daly was a well respected young man in the small town of Landchuck, Indiana. He was 25 and a Spanish teacher at Landchuck Community High School for the past two years. He was married to a nice and pretty girl named Nancy, also 25. They were both very happy.

Then one day in the teacher's lounge at the high school, Jeff met a beautiful young substitute teacher named Bridgette. Bridgette was 22, half white and half black, and very generously shaped. After hitting it off, Jeff and Bridgette began eating lunch together every day in the teacher's lounge.

As happy as Jeff was when he was with his wife, Nancy, he was even happier during the 30-45 minutes he spent during lunch with Bridgette on school days.

Bridgette was substituting for Mrs. Allen, the typing teacher, who was pregnant with a baby and would be out for a significant period of time.

Jeff's nice and pretty wife, Nancy, worked at a flower shop called Nice and Pretty Flowers. Jeff's 18 year old cousin, Melanie Toole, who was also pretty but not so nice, also worked at Nice and Pretty Flowers. One day, when Jeff got home from work, Nancy told him something about his cousin Melanie.

"Melanie is crazy," said Nancy. "She's with a different guy almost every night."

"Is that right?" said Jeff.

"That's right," said Nancy.

The next day at school, in the morning, Jeff saw something he didn't like to see. He saw Bridgette, his lunch girlfriend, flirting with the shop teacher, Mr. Gandy, over by the aquarium. Mr. Gandy was muscular and quiet, like a shy body builder. He had blond hair on his arms and, though quiet, was always up for dancing with girls.

That day at lunch, Bridgette did not eat with Jeff. Instead, she ate with Mr. Gandy. Jeff was upset. Usually, when he was upset about something, he would vent to his wife. However, he did not vent to his wife about how he was upset that the substitute teacher who he had a crush on was now eating lunch with a different man.

Jeff vented to no one.

Later that night, Nancy told Jeff some more things about his cousin Melanie. And then she made a request.

"Jeff, I think you should say something to Melanie. She is getting out of control."

"What should I say to her?"

"I don't know. But she looks up to you. I don't feel comfortable giving her advice, and anyway I don't think she would take it. But I think she would listen to you. Tell her not to cheapen herself. Let her know that there are guys like you out there, great guys who can be trusted."

"I'll talk to her," said Jeff.

That night Jeff called Melanie and asked her to meet him for lunch the next day at the high school teacher's lounge. He could get her in, he told her.

The next day Melanie met Jeff for lunch. Jeff was sitting at his usual table when Melanie approached.

"Hey, Jeff," said Melanie. "Who is that hot guy by the door?"

Jeff looked up at the door. There were two guys standing by the door. One guy was Mr. Needleknockers, the five foot two inch janitor, who smelled like turkey stuffing and who was built like a gym bag full of organs. The other guy had blond arms.

"That's Mr. Gandy," said Jeff. "The shop teacher."

"I would let him teach me some things in his shop," said Melanie.

"Melanie, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Then Bridgette the substitute came in through the door. Mr. Gandy put one of his fingers through one of her belt loops.

"He asked me for my phone number," said Melanie.

"Mr. Gandy?" said Jeff. "Did you give it to him?"

"Not yet."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know. Do you think I should?"

Jeff thought about what his wife told him the night before. Then he looked at Bridgette the substitute. Then he looked at Mr. Gandy's dirty finger. Then he looked at Melanie.

"Yeah, I think you should."