The Honor Roll: Episode 4. Everybody Knows Everybody

   At Waters Elementary, in Thomas' office, Dwight walks inside, as he brings Thomas coffee, and tells him "Our Kindergarten Teacher quit today." Thomas goes "Mrs.Marks?" Dwight answers "Yep. And Maura's to blame. Mrs.Louise is running the class today, but I have made a phone call for a replacement, but I am unsure how Alice will react." Thomas asks Dwight "Who did you call? I sure as hell hope it wasn't my Dad." Dwight laughs "Next time we ever need a substitute, we'll just team rooms. Pat told me this morning she would be willing to help." Thomas goes "So who's the new teacher?" Dwight asks "Remember Effie Vasco?" Thomas responds "Didn't she retire a few years ago?" Dwight nods "Yes she did. Her and Mr.Feldman didn't get along well. But he didn't get along with anyone, but you know she's Alice's Sister." Thomas responds "I knew that." Dwight tells Thomas "She's on her way for orientation, and did she teach you in Kindergarten?" Thomas answers "Ms.Veal was my teacher. Mrs.Vasco taught First Grade then." Dwight quips "Your memory amazes me Thomas. Well I'm off to check on Mrs.Louise and see how she's holding up." Dwight leaves, as Thomas pages Alice, and tells her "Mrs.Gore, come to my office." Alice, who's put up a new zap-board, and tells her students "No recess, no candy, today it's all worksheets, and no talking!" Alice walks out, as she peeks into Pat's classroom, and motions for Mrs.Judy, and tells her "Thomas has paged me, watch my classroom." Alice heads off, as Judy heads down to Alice's classroom, as Pat asks her students "Mrs.Vasco's returned! What wonderful news?"
    Meanwhile in the Secretary Office, Mary sits at her desk, as she sighs with relief "Bill isn't here today. Alice really wore him out cleaning the classroom." Mary laughs, as Effie walks inside, as Mary yells "Effie!" Effie looks at Mary, and asks "When did you become the school Secretary?" Mary responds "After you retired, I took this position, and helped Feldman out of the door." Effie laughs "I think Dwight did most of the work with him according to my source." Mary tells Effie" Go to Principal Duncan's office, and he'll catch you up on everything." Effie asks "Principal Duncan? Eliza's Principal?" Mary laughs "No Effie. Hasn't Alice kept you up on things here?" Effie answers "Not since I retired. Alice got angry and we haven't spoken." Meanwhile inside Thomas' office, Alice arrives, as she tells Thomas "Judy's watching my class, so keep this brief. I want to make sure my students follow my strict orders after the wrath of Bill." Thomas points to the chair, and tells Alice "I want you to help me welcome our newest teacher, or former teacher back. I am sure it will make your day." Alice is curious, as Effie walks inside, and Alice goes "Effie?" Effie looks at Thomas, and asks "Thomas Duncan? My student in First Grade, Principal? I thought Maura was taking the spot?" Thomas welcomes Effie, and smiles "Mrs.Betty called me to take the job, and I thought Alice could catch you up on the happenings around here.." Alice looks at her younger Sister, and tells Thomas "She can catch up on things for herself! I'm going back to my classroom!" Alice storms out, as Effie sighs "She and I had a huge fight a few years ago when I retired." Thomas goes "Really?" Effie quips "That, Pablo, another issue between Alice and I. She isn't crazy about him, thinks he's too old for me, and basically, we always had spats." Thomas is shocked, as he goes "I thought the two of you were close?" Effie quips "She's the oldest, and it's quite common among family." Thomas takes a deep breath, as he sighs "Although I was an only child, I fully understand." Effie looks at Valerie's picture, and asks "So who's the beautiful woman." Thomas takes a deep breath, and tells Effie "She was my Wife, and passed away a few months ago, but welcome back. Mrs.Louise is your assistant, and let's get your orientation started." Effie reminds Thomas "I taught here for 30 years, and longer than Alice, I think I've got my bases covered." Effie tells Thomas "Well I'm going to walk around and catch up with Anna, and make some calls." Effie walks out, as Dwight walks inside Thomas' office, and as he asks "So how was orientation?" Thomas quips "She's all caught up." Dwight warns Thomas "I bumped into Alice, and I think we're going to have to have a meeting with them." Thomas agrees, as Dwight also tells Thomas "By the way, Maura and Erica's arguing also." Thomas sighs "Damn. Well looks like it'll be a long day." Dwight sighs "I think it will Thomas." Dwight heads to Erica's office, as Thomas comes up with a plan.
    As lunchtime has arrived, Louise, Erica, Judy, and Maura monitors, as Erica glares at Maura, as Erica snarks at Maura "You are damn lucky that Thomas and Dwight are in charge." Maura whispers "Bite me!" Judy looks over at them, as does Louise, as Louise tells Judy "Poor Winnie, working with Maura." Judy quips "I agree. All those years teaching, and now she's assisting Waters Elementary's witch." Maura looks over, and snaps "I heard that! And Winnie enjoys working with me!" Louise quips sarcastically "That's what you think." Meanwhile in Anna's classroom, Anna and Effie talk, as Effie asks Anna "I'm thinking about turning down the offer..." Anna stops Effie, and goes "Don't say that! Mama would be so sad. She always loved you, and like I said, you and Alice needs to work out your differences." Effie sighs "I hope we can do that. I do like the idea of Mrs.Louise as my assistant. So sweet." Anna tells Effie "She's retiring at the end of the year." Effie responds "She's definitely earned it." Anna asks "Did you go visit Ms.Tibbs and Mrs.Wilson?" Effie nods, as Anna tells Effie "Please come back, it hasn't been the same without you." Effie walks out, and tells her best friend "Let me think about it." Meanwhile in the parking lot, Pat sits inside her car, as Winnie sits in the passenger's seat, as both of them smokes a cigarette, and Winnie yells "Alice's coming!" Pat shrugs "Don't worry about her ratting us out." Winnie quips "If it was Maura, different story with her crazy mind." Alice opens the door, as Pat asks Alice, noticing anger "What's wrong?" Alice coughs, as she tells Pat and Winnie "I hate the smell of cigarettes, but I needed to vent! I can't believe Effie returned to the school!" Winnie quips "When Louise retires, I'm seeing about transferring to her class." Pat looks at Alice, and asks her "Why are you upset over your Sister returning to work here?" Alice sighs "Well, her and that old man bothers me." Pat quips "They have been married for years Alice!" Alice yells "He's old enough to be my Daddy!" Pat and Winnie quips "He sure is handsome, and charming." Alice sighs "I see the two of you are on team Effie. I'll go spray on some perfume and return to class." Pat turns to Alice, and tells her "She's your Sister Alice, enjoy your family, and let the grudge go. I know this has more to do with her retiring without telling you first than anything else." Alice leaves, as Winnie turns to Pat, and tells her "Time for me to return to the warden's chambers." Pat quips, as she takes a drag "At least you're not watching over ISS." Winnie responds "I'd rather do that than to be in Maura's room." Winnie returns back inside the school, as Pat quips "If I had to work with her, I'd have to keep an ashtray on my desk. And happy pills. I'd be a zombie."
    As the day comes to an end, and the students get on their buses, Dwight calls Thomas, who sits in his office, as Dwight asks "So is Effie still in the building?" Thomas responds "She's visiting with Ms.Winnie and Mrs.Pat right now." Dwight tells him "Erica and Maura are still arguing." Thomas responds "Deal with them, as I page Alice." Dwight responds "Good luck Thomas." Outside, Erica yells at Maura "You are really beginning to piss me off!" Maura snaps "We are in front of children!" Erica snaps back "And the buses are rolling off also! Don't try pulling the lead teacher crap on me Maura Carson! I know your Partner, and she's just as damn nuts or more so than you!" Maura runs towards Erica, and snaps "Why you bitch!" Dwight runs over, and yells "Ok! Break it up now! The two of you are adults, not children!" Erica looks at Maura, and tells her sternly "You leave me the hell alone, or else I'll fix your face!" Maura laughs "Yeah." Erica reminds Maura "I went to Harvard, and I grew up in New York City, Queens." Erica walks away, as she talks to herself, and Maura tells Dwight "She thinks she's better than me!" Dwight responds "She is. She's a Doctor." Maura storms away, as Dwight walks back inside, as he walks into the secretary's office, as Effie sits and talks to Mary, as Judy, and Anna also stands inside, as Dwight tells Effie "Ok time to head to see Thomas." Effie looks over at her friends, as they tell her "Just go in there and work things out." Dwight and Effie walks inside Thomas' office, as Alice rolls her eyes, as she tells Effie "Ok, if you're coming back, I'm retiring." Dwight and Thomas roll their eyes, as Thomas tells Dwight "Go get Pat." Dwight tells him "She's left for the day." Thomas tells Dwight "Well then, go keep Mrs.Waters, and Mrs.Judy in the office in case I need backup." Alice responds bluntly "No need for back up, I'm leaving!" Thomas looks at Alice, and tells her "Ok, looks like this calls for reverse. I have a zap board, and the two of you are going to work things out!" Alice looks at Effie, as Effie tells her Sister "Alice, you're my big Sister, and I love you. I miss the two of us being close, going shopping, spending time together." Alice responds "You stabbed me in the back retiring suddenly without telling me. I had to deal with Feldman on my own." Thomas asks "So what was the deal with Feldman?" Effie responds "He wanted to fire anyone who had been here for over 25 years, and he was like a dictator." Alice sighs, as she notices a look of uncomfort in her Sister's eyes, as she asks Effie "What really happened? Mrs.Betty and Mr.Fred stopped Feldman cold on that." Effie looks down, as she tells Alice "I can't talk about it." Thomas watches on, and asks Effie "What happened?" Effie responds "He touched me. It was on my 30th anniversary of starting work here, and he walked inside, and told me I had to sleep with him, or he was going to have me fired.." Alice gasps, as does Thomas, as Thomas goes "That's sick!" Effie starts to cry, and goes "Mary knew, and I just walked out, and retired." Alice looks at her Sister, and with sympathy in her voice goes "You should have told me Effie. Jim, and even the old man..." Effie sighs "Pablo." Alice reminds her Sister "I am an independent woman, and I just quit." Thomas looks over at Alice, as Alice tells Effie "We are Gores, and I married ironically a man who had the same last name, but we are family, and you're my baby Sister, and I'm so sorry." Alice starts to cry, as does Effie, as Effie asks Alice "Do you forgive me Alice?" Alice hugs her Sister, and tells Effie "No apology needed. How about you, me, Jim, and Pablo go have dinner tonight at The Seafood House and catch up?" Effie smiles, and tells her Sister "Sounds good to me. I accept, but I'm paying." Alice responds "No. I'm paying." Effie and Alice begins to bicker, as Thomas responds "Stop it before both of you get a zap!" Alice and Effie make peace, as they walk out of Thomas' office, and Thomas hears Mary, Judy, and Anna cheer, as Effie yells "I'm back!" Later in the evening, at The Seafood House, in Downtown Caswellton, Effie, Alice, Jim, Alice's Husband, and Pablo, Effie's Husband stands at the checkout, as Effie looks at her Sister, as she sternly tells Alice "I'M paying!" The cashier responds "It's already paid for." Effie looks at Alice, as they look at their Husbands, and behind them sits Thomas, as he and Pat sits at the table, and Effie and Alice walks over, and Thomas tells them "This place is still great after all these years!" Alice asks "Which one of you paid for our dinner?" Pat responds with a smile "I did, and Thomas left a nice tip, and don't pay me back!" Effie and Alice smiles, as Thomas tells Pat "I got your dinner Mrs.Pat." Pat responds "No. I got it Thomas." Thomas rolls his eyes, and responds "I have it!" Alice asks "Want to get zapped?" Thomas looks at Pat, as he responds "I already paid anyway." All have a laugh, as happiness, and peace fills the air.