Ms. Henderson

It was late one night when Nolan showed up at my place.  I didn't feel like hanging out but he was my cousin, and couldn't turn him away at my door.  He was acting a little more arrogant than usual that night.  He had this really weird smirk on his face.
"What's with you?" I said stretching the sleep out of my neck.
"Nuthin'" he replied as he walked passed me into my apartment.
"Why do you got that stupid grin on your face?"  I said as I shut the door.
"I'll tell ya later."  I hated when he said that to me as if I wasn't worth the time.  He always acted like that even when we were kids.
"So what's up? Why you here?"
"Remember Ms. Henderson?" he said as he strolled over to my fridge and grabbed a beer.
"Yeah, wasn't she like our sixth grade teacher or something," I replied.
"Fifth," he said, "that old hag."
"What about her?" I asked curiously.
"Damn dude, don't you have beer that doesn't taste like piss and shit mixed together?"

He always had something smart ass to say even when we were kids and especially to our teachers.  I remember one time in Ms. Henderson's class we were all throwing paper around the room when she came barging in and singled him out.
"Mr. Ackerman!" she said loudly in her high pitched nasally voice.  We all hated her voice especially Nolan. "Care to explain all this?" she continued.
"Well Ms. Henderson.  I figured since you sound like you have a wall of boogers stuck up your nose that I'd help you out with some paper so you can blow all that crap out." The class started laughing.
"That's enough!" she barked and everyone fell silent instantly.  "You might think this is funny but I will warn all of you, every action has a consequence and this buffoonery will not go without consequence.  Now who's going to take responsibility for this," she said looking around the room before stopping at Nolan.  "I am not going to punish everyone for this," she said,  "just you Mr. Ackerman."
"What?! Why just me?!"
"Because you love to be the clown.  Well, be the clown, there are consequence for that as well.  Now, I could tell your parents but that wouldn't do any good now would it," she tapping her chin with her finger.
"Your father left you and your mother, well she isn't around very often now is she," she said as she strolled over to the chalk board, "which leaves just me to set you straight now doesn't it," she continued as she grabbed the yard stick.
"Now Mr. Ackerman, what should we do about this disrespectful attitude of yours? Shall I give you detention?" she said as she made her way back to Nolan's desk.  "Shall I send extra homework? Oh no no no, that won't do either."
She stood silently by Nolan for a moment before continuing, "spread your hands out on the table Mr. Ackerman."
"For what?" Nolan replied looking a little nervous.
"Just do it Ackerman!" she said slapping the yard stick on the desk startling everyone in class.  We were all deathly silent.  None of us made a sound.  Nolan slowly placed his hands on the desk.
"Now spread your fingers out."
He did what he was told.  We were all a little scared.  We didn't question her, we were all too scared to get into trouble too.
"You see," she said raising the yard stick, "this is what happens when you don't respect authority," slamming the yard stick down on Nolan's fingers.  He screamed out in pain and clutched his hands.
"Oh, did that hurt?" she asked looking at his face.  "Now put your head down on your desk."
He looked up at her with nervous fear and tears swelling up in his eyes.
"Do as you're told Mr. Ackerman or the punishment will be more severe."
Nolan put his head down.
"Now you see when you are in my class you will obey me.  No punishment will come your way if you are a good student but as you can see if you are more like Mr. Ackerman here...a bad student," she said pausing a moment before swinging the yard stick across his back.  Nolan screamed out in pain.  The tears had begun to fall from his eyes.  "Then you will be punished like Mr. Ackerman."

We were just kids then, didn't really know what was okay and what wasn't.  All we knew was the teacher was an adult and they knew more than us so we couldn't challenge them.  Nolan, well he never did end up respecting authority.  He held a grudge against her for years.  He dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began selling drugs.  We stayed close though.

"So you were saying something about Ms. Henderson?" I said cracking open a fresh beer.
"Yeah, that old bitch.  She always acted like she knew best."
"I hated her too man."
"You know, she never did single anyone else out like she did me.  You remember when she whacked me with that fuckin' yard stick.  Felt like a goddamn hammer on my hands.  I hated her for that."
"I know man.  We were just kids then.  What the hell did we know."
"Exactly.  We didn't know shit then.  We know better now. How old do you think she is now?"
"Hell, if she's still alive probably 73, 75 maybe."
"77," he said correcting me.  "She didn't age gracefully I can tell you that."
"Why, did you run into her or something?"
"I went over to her house and paid her a visit," he said taking another swig of his beer with that stupid smirk on his face.
"You know where she lives? Why'd you go over there?"
"You know Brian, I always hated that bitch. I mean really hated her.  I blame her for everything."
"What do you mean?"
He looked at me with that dumb smirk again and completely ignored my question.

"She answered the door like she didn't even know me.  'who is it' she said.  I told her it was Nolan.  She looked at me like she had never even heard that name before.
"Remember Ms. Henderson, I was in your class way back when, Mr. Ackerman."  Oh, she recognized that name.
"Oh yes, Ackerman.  Yes yes, come in come in.  I don't get around as fast as I used to but I could get you some tea if you'd like, would you like some nice hot tea?"  Like I wanted some shitty ass tea.  She looked like hell too.  With an old ratty night gown on and furry slippers.  Deep wrinkles all over her face.
"Nah, don't need any tea," I told her.
"So, what brings you here son?"
"Just in town, paying my old teacher a visit."
"Well, that's nice of you.  Not many pay me a visit anymore.  These days I just sit here watching my stories with my tea."
"I bet.  Why would anyone come here?"
"Perhaps you are right.  So, what business were you in did you say?"
"Didn't say."
"Oh, that's right, didn't say.  What is it exactly that you do then?"
"I sell drugs."
"Oh dear me.  Now why would you do something like that son," she asked me with that disappointed look in her eye like I even cared anymore.
"Because of you.  Do you remember back in the day when I was in your class how you would single me out in front of everyone?"
"Single you out? Not sure what you mean?"  Yes she did, she was a dumb old hag but she knew Brian.  She was just acting dumb.  Didn't want to own up to it.
"You remember how you would whack me with your yard stick.  Do you remember that?"
"Ah yes.  I did have a tendency to use physical discipline every now and again.  A little discipline never hurt anyone.  Otherwise, you kids would never listen.  I'm sure whatever I disciplined you for, you deserved it well enough."
"I don't think so Ms. Henderson.  Remember when you caught a note being passed around in class that said Ms. Henderson was an old hag with wooden teeth that sucked dick for money."
"No, I don't think so."
"Yes you do.  Well, you singled me out like you did so many other times.  But you were wrong.  It wasn't me.  It was your little pet Asher.  Your favorite little student.  He did it.  And you pounded my hands till I couldn't hold a damn pencil. You always picked on me.  Always had it out for me.  No one ever wanted to be my friend or talk to me.  You left me to be like this you old bitch."
"Now, don't use that kind of language."
"I can use whatever fuckin' kind of language I want.  I'm not your student anymore."
"Then, I believe I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."
"Oh, I'll leave but before I go Ms. Henderson, spread your hands out on the table."
"What?"
"I said, spread your hands out on the fuckin' table."
"Oh mercy, now why would I do that.  I'm gonna have to call the police."
"Go ahead.  I ain't scared of no fuckin' police."
She tried to get up but she was slow as all hell.  I pushed her back down into her chair and placed the coffee table in front of her.
"You know, I might have had a chance at being a normal kid," I told her,  "a good kid.  But you always had it out for me and for what?  So you can show everyone how high and mighty you were.  Well you know what, every action has a consequence bitch.  Now spread your hands out on the table."

"And you know what; she wouldn't do it Brian, you believe that.  She was a stubborn old broad I'll give her that."
"Oh thank god," I said as I took a big gulp from my beer.  "I was starting to really think you did something to her."
"Hey, thanks for the beer but I gotta run now," he said as he stood up and gave me that stupid smirk one more time before he left.  The next morning I picked up the paper and read that an elderly woman at the age of 77 died two nights back in what they assume was a robbery.  That's how they explained it, a robbery.  It said she was found hands tied out over a coffee table that were beaten to bloody nubs.  She also had deep contusions on her back.  They also found the weapon at the scene.  A 21oz. framing hammer.  Her name was Barbara Grace Henderson.  I never knew her first name.  They said nothing was taken from the house.