Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5 — A New Menu
The school was closed for two full weeks.
It made national news.
‘The Garbage Principal’ was trending everywhere.
The investigation uncovered a massive web of embezzlement.
Trent hadn't just stolen the food budget.
He had stolen from the library fund, the sports team, and the maintenance budget.
He had offshore accounts.
He was facing twenty years in federal prison for fraud and child endangerment.
The school board was entirely replaced.
The parents formed a new oversight committee.
My dad was elected as the head of it.
He didn't want the job, but nobody argued with him.
When the school finally reopened, everything felt different.
I walked through the front doors on Monday morning.
The air didn't smell like bleach and old cabbage anymore.
It smelled amazing.
It smelled like roasting chicken, garlic, and fresh bread.
The lunch bell rang at noon.
The students walked into the cafeteria hesitantly.
We had trauma associated with this room.
But the room had been transformed.
The walls were scrubbed clean.
The condemned tape was gone.
A brand-new local catering company had been hired.
Behind the counter were smiling chefs in clean white uniforms.
I grabbed a tray.
I walked down the line.
There was fresh salad with bright red tomatoes.
There was real, actual roasted chicken that looked like chicken.
There were warm, soft rolls.
There was cold, fresh milk.
I sat down at a table with my friends.
We all just stared at our plates for a minute.
Nobody wanted to be the first to eat.
We were waiting for the trick.
I picked up my fork.
I took a bite of the chicken.
It was warm. It was juicy. It tasted incredible.
I closed my eyes and smiled.
My friends immediately dug in.
The cafeteria was filled with the sound of happy, talking students actually enjoying their meal.
I looked over toward the kitchen doors.
My dad was standing there with the new principal.
Dad was holding a clipboard, checking off invoices.
He looked up and saw me eating.
He gave me a small nod.
I nodded back.
They used to tell us that eating garbage built character.
They were wrong.
Standing up to the people feeding you garbage is what builds character.
And knowing that we fought back made the fresh food taste even sweeter.
May you like
I took another bite.
It was the best meal I had ever had.
