After an incident at his daughter Norah’s school, Evan Richards returned a few days later to talk to her teacher and discovered that Norah had been spending time with three men at the gym, so he had to act. But what he found out was utterly unexpected. “Mr. Richards, Norah has to eat a healthy breakfast before she leaves her home. I believe that’s why she fainted,” the school nurse told Evan Richards!
The school had called him at work because his daughter, Norah, fainted unexpectedly in class, so he rushed to pick her up. What the nurse said made Evan frown. It didn’t make sense. He usually left for work earlier than Norah – she was 16 and drove herself to school every day – but he always left a hearty breakfast on the stove. She could also grab one of their pantry’s many cereal boxes. He would’ve never suspected that Norah was not eating.
Norah didn’t say a single word on their way home and Evan didn’t want to pry into the matter. But he had to say something. “Get away from my daughter immediately, or i will call the police!” “Norah, I know girls your age are under a lot of pressure, but you must remember to eat well. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Please, eat. I know I don’t get into your business most of the time because you’re 16 and need your independence, but this is my only request,”.
Evan begged her when they reached home. Norah nodded solemnly and sauntered to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Evan sighed and stared at the closed door in contemplation. He wanted to say more. Did she want to lose weight? Was it an eating disorder? Or was she forgetful? What was happening? He had to know more, so he walked firmly to the bedroom and heard distinctive crying.
His fist poised in the air to knock, he stopped when he heard the crying. He couldn’t interrupt her. Yes, most parents would step in, but Evan was not the best person to handle feelings, especially not the emotions of a 16-year-old. He wished his late wife was still there for the millionth time in years. Ivanna died when Norah was just 7, and he had tried his best, but sometimes, a girl needed her mother.
There was also no other mother-like figure in her life because he had never brought another woman home again. Norah had no aunts or living grandmothers. There was no one but him and some uncles, which was not enough. For now, Evan went to his room and cried a bit himself, feeling entirely helpless for his daughter. But the following morning, he was determined to find her a therapist – a female one – Norah might be able to rely on more confidently.
He also decided to talk to Norah’s homeroom teacher, Mrs. Gallagher. She might have more insight into what Norah did in school. She was going to ask if a private therapist would work or the school counselor could do something. He called Mrs. Gallagher, who was pretty busy for the next few days and could only meet him on a Friday, almost two weeks after Norah’s fainting incident.
Evan didn’t want to wait that long, but Norah had not been crying or fainting at school since then, so it should be alright to take things slowly. He arrived at the school prepared to ask many questions, but Mrs. Gallagher surprised him. They were in her classroom, and Evan had taken a seat at one of the student desks. “I’m actually glad you called for this meeting, Mr. Richards, instead of waiting for the parent-teacher meetings at the end of the semester.
Your daughter has been arriving late to her morning classes, and I’ve discovered why. She’s been spending her time at the gym with the school coach and two other men,” the teacher revealed nonchalantly. Evan almost dropped from his seat at her words. “Excuse me?” “Yes, actually, she’s there right now –” When Evan heard this, he didn’t wait to hear anything more, although he probably should’ve.
He rushed to the gym as quickly as possible to see what his daughter had been up to every morning. “NORAH!” he yelled as he burst through the double metal doors of the building. Just as Mrs. Gallagher had said, Norah was there with three adult men. And for some reason, one of them was holding her hand. “GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER IMMEDIATELY, OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE!”
The man holding the teen’s hand dropped it immediately, and the others raised their hands defensively. Norah’s eyes widened in shock and later embarrassment at her father’s actions. “Dad!” she whined, approaching him and trying to hold him back from the other three men in the room. “Norah, stay behind me,” he stated, putting his body between her and the men. “What the hell is going here?
You think you can take advantage of a young teenager? You people are sick!” “Dad! Nothing is happening!” Norah interrupted, but Evan didn’t want to listen. Finally, one of the men, Luke Preston, spoke up. He was the boys’ wrestling coach at school. “Mr. Richards, nothing is going on here. We’re just teaching your daughter how to arm wrestle. She’s pretty good at it.”
Evan’s brow furrowed, and he turned to face his daughter, puzzled. “What?” “Coach Preston is telling the truth, Dad. They’ve been teaching me arm wrestling “She confirmed this by firmly nodding at him. “Mr. Murphy teaches math, and Mr. McCarthy is the janitor. Coach Preston invited them to compete against me.” This new development astounded Evan. His face was no longer angry, but it still showed confusion. “But… why?”
“I fainted the other day, Dad because kids in my class were making fun of my weight. I assumed that skipping meals would suffice. But it only made me want to eat more. So I decided to try a sport, and I’m not very good at anything except arm wrestling “Norah explained, looking up at her father to show him how important this was to her.
“Oh. That’s fantastic that you’re doing well, honey. But will arm-wrestling help you lose weight? “Not wanting to discourage her, he pondered. “Not quite. Coach Preston, on the other hand, told me that if we turned our weaknesses into strengths, no one would ever be able to mock me. My larger stature makes me stronger than others here, and I enjoy how confident it has made me. I’ve also beaten them a few times.
Perhaps we should form an arm-wrestling team “Norah explained, appearing more mature than Evan remembered. She gave the other men in the room a friendly smile. Evan finally relaxed, took a deep breath, and smiled oddly. “So, how about we fight? Coach Preston, what are the rules?” Everyone laughed, and Evan saw firsthand how strong his daughter was. He was proud of her at the time and grateful that a teacher had taught her such an important lesson.
He eventually signed Norah up for therapy to help her deal with her adolescent issues and her mother’s death. He knew he couldn’t help her with these issues, and it’s always better to admit that than try to squirt around the issue. Norah was extremely grateful in the end. They formed an arm-wrestling team for girls at school with the assistance of Coach Preston, and they won several competitions in and around Washington, D.C. Evan had no idea he could be so pleased with himself. His daughter was no longer concerned about her weight, and she was healthy, strong, and self-assured.