WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Chapter 6 All the Sides of the Story

As Adam reached the site of the realtor's office the next day, his heart sank. He had hoped that Elizabeth had reconsidered the new protest, that maybe God had found a way to stop the girl and her friends without the Roves' help. But no, the protestors – including several of Adam's best friends at the college – were marching up and down the sidewalk. One had a sign saying PAY FOR YOUR DAMAGE, another said GET REAL, REALTOR.

The good news was that there was no horse this time. The bad news was that Adam couldn't see Jane. She had promised to meet him here, even though she had a class just before this.

"Get outta here!" yelled a shrill but familiar voice. Katie Terrant was standing in front of the office entrance.

"Ignore her," commanded Elizabeth. Everyone complied.

"I said get outta here! Bitches and bastards!"

The protestors turned angrily toward her at the insults, but Elizabeth held up her free hand. "Wait! Go inside, little girl. This isn't about you."

"DON'T CALL ME A LITTLE GIRL!"

"All right, sorry. But this is between your father and us. Go inside and send him out."

"He ain't here, and what affects Dad affects me."

That floored Elizabeth, who presumably was wondering the point of a protest where the protestee wasn't even there. Her silence gave an opening to a newcomer.

"Wait!"

Adam turned and saw a weird sight; instinctively he thought of turning it into a picture. Agnes was sitting in a wheelchair, her head in bandages, and hanging onto the armrests for dear life. The reason she was hanging on was that Jane was behind the wheelchair, pushing it as fast as it would go. It looked dangerous, but Jane must know what she was doing; her brother had been wheelchair-bound for more than three years.

Jane reached the protest line and stopped, leaving Agnes looking relieved. "Hey! Hey!" called out the injured girl. "I've got something to say."

Her voice wasn't carrying strongly, but everybody stopped to listen.

"I don't remember the details of the accident very well; my doctors said that's normal for head trauma. But one thing I do remember is: I wasn't seated very securely on the horse. I don't have that much experience riding, and that sign was throwing me off balance. I should have had the sense to get off. So falling off was at least as much my fault as it was Mr. Terrant's."

It was as Adam had noted, minutes before the accident. But now Agnes was admitting it.

"It wasn't my Dad's fault at all!" yelled Katie.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked calmly.

Katie looked terrified at what she had blurted out, but there was obviously only one way she could follow up. "It – it was ME."

"You?" echoed Elizabeth.

"Yes. My Dad was on the phone – I turned the radio to drown your speech out, I didn't think—"

"But why didn't your Dad say so?" asked Elizabeth.

"He was protecting me! He loves me!"

The protestors stared at each other, then threw their obsolete signs down. Meanwhile Jane took a cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to Agnes. "Katie, could you tell us how to reach your Dad? I think he and Agnes need to have a nice talk---"

As Adam and his wife returned to their apartment house that evening, they found nearly the whole drama club standing in front in the cold, Elizabeth at the head of the group.

"I don't want to renew the argument," Jane said wearily.

"Neither do I," said Elizabeth. "I don't know how you did it, Joan, but you were right all along, with your 'feeling'. Agnes and Mr. Terrant came to a compromise, just split the medical costs, which they might have done earlier if we hadn't created all the fuss. We all agreed to keep the Katie girl's confession secret so it won't end up on any records. I'm sorry, Joan. And I wanted to say that in front of everybody who was there when we had that catfight."

"What about all that stuff you dredged up about me in high school?" demanded Jane angrily. "I'm still mad about that."

"Um, yeah," said Elizabeth. She turned to the drama club. "Yeah, Joan did some crazy things in high school. But the really crazy thing was, they all worked out. The cheerleader gig, that ended up solving a scandal about an abandoned baby. And dating the class bully turned out to get him arrested. And that gay girl – I'm not sure what that was about, but at least it meant the poor thing had a friend with her when she died." She turned back to Jane. "I don't know how you did it, how you kept doing it, but you did."

Jane was suddenly pensive, and Adam was worried. How was his wife going to explain things without bringing God into it?

"Crazy was the wrong word to use," said one member of the club. "I think I know a quote that's appropriate. Thoreau said 'If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.' "

Adam sighed in relief. As long as people didn't demand to know who the other drummer was, their secret was safe. And the interruption apparently gave his wife time to think of something else to say.

"I have some things to take back, too," said Jane. "Elizabeth, your ass isn't THAT big."

Everybody burst out laughing, and the ice was broken. Ironically, a chill wind blew in at exactly that point, and that gave Adam another idea.

"Why don't all you guys come into our apartment out of the cold? It'll be crowded, but we'll warm up all the quicker."

"Cool idea," said Jane, "I mean – oh, you know what I mean. I'll go unlock the door."

She went in, with the rest of club following her. Adam decided to bring up the rear, but just as he was about to go in, he was startled by a whinnying sound.

Turning around, he saw Cowgirl God, sitting on Her horse as usual. He walked up to the divine visitor in order to talk softly. "Don't fall off the horse," he advised.

She smiled. "Don't worry. Unlike Agnes, I have Perfect balance."

"Did we do things right this time?"

"It might have been simpler if you had blocked the original protest, but don't worry, you made it good."

"The rights and wrongs were so confusing."

"They often are, Adam. But what turned out to be right?"

"It was Jane that figured it out," said Adam. "That both sides were wrong. That we shouldn't choose sides, but think outside the box. And we have to risk alienating both sides in the process."

God nodded. "Your college friends are intelligent, but it is difficult for them to empathize with a middle-aged man who is trying to run a small business, or who might lie to protect a beloved child. Nor could a financially strapped family understand how to deal with ardent, idealistic young people. The situation required somebody who could transcend 'side'. And your learning that was at least as important as the actual resolution." She picked up the reins.

"Um, can you tell us when you'll be back?"

"No. As Gandalf said in LORD IN THE RINGS, expect me when you see me."

"But I know we'll see you," said Adam, "because there's always a next crisis."

"Yes. But be proud that you solved this one."

God smiled again, and Adam thought it took something awesome to make God smile. Then She gave her usual wave and rode off. Presumably she was going back to heaven, now that everything was all right with the world.

THE END

(Author's Note: I appended the conversation between Adam and Cowgirl God in response to a review)