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The Job Coach
Errol Wayne Anderson

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 Woven throughout the story are the challenges and joys of working with Special Ed students, the care of an elderly grandparent going through Sundown Syndrome, and sexual harassment. Also, Amanda fears the difficulties associated with a misspent youth will threaten her new relationship with the love of her life, Bill Jasco, a private detective.

The Flint Hills harbor terrifying secrets as well as an unexpected presence as the reader rushes towards a surprise ending fraught with danger and heart-stopping conflict!

Excerpt from The Job Coach 
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Chapter 22

Neta-Rose, Snow-Angels and Ducks 
 

WHEN AMANDA WENT TO WORK following their weekend trip to

Sparta, she felt drained. With all they had been through with

the shooting, the hospital and the sheriff’s office they were both

much more tired than they were before they left. It was nice to be

alone with Bill, but the trip turned out to be such a nightmare she

was glad when it was over. And now, Amanda didn’t know whether

to look forward to this week or dread it. At best, Neta-Rose would be

a pain, but Neta-Rose could hardly help that.

      The week before, while Neta-Rose was sick, Amanda approached

Beth in her office and voiced her concerns about working with Neta-

Rose. Neta-Rose was a big person and could do some harm if she

decided to. On the other hand, Amanda was big too. If she was forced

to defend herself she could do some damage as well. The problem

was, as long as they were away from school there may not be a witness

around who could tell what happened. If there was no corroborating

witness to confirm Amanda’s story as to what happened, it

could be bad news for her especially if she had to hurt Neta-Rose in

order to protect herself. 
 

Chapter 22: Neta-Rose, Snow-Angels and Ducks / 230 
 

      “Amanda, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Beth

said. “Her teachers agreed that she isn’t aggressive and we do not

believe you will have any trouble with her—at least not physically. But,

I’m glad you came to me with your concerns. I might also suggest that

you document your concerns and that you spoke to me about them.”

      “Okay. That’s a good idea,” Amanda had said. At the first

opportunity, Amanda did just that. Now, she felt she was covered. 

      Monday started as usual. She took her morning students to

work, and then, at the proper time, she took them back to school.

After lunch, Amanda went to Beth’s office. Neta-Rose was listening

to Beth as she was being instructed in appropriate behavior. Amanda

thought maybe her conversation with Beth caused this conversation

with Neta-Rose. If that was so, then she was glad for it.

      Once Beth finished with Neta-Rose, she turned to Amanda and

said, “Okay! You guys have fun.”

      Amanda smiled as she said in upbeat fashion, “Hello, Neta-

Rose. You’re looking good.”

      Neta-Rose returned the smile and said, “Hi.”

      “Have you ever exercised before?” Amanda asked.

      “No,” Neta-Rose answered. Amanda was sure she already knew

that answer.

      “Why don’t we leave, and we’ll talk on the way,” Amanda

suggested. 

      When they arrived at the YMCA, they were shown their options

for exercise. They could walk around the indoor track, ride an exercise

bike, utilize the various repetitive machines for arms, back, legs

and so on or a treadmill. Neta-Rose chose the treadmill. After about

two minutes, she said she was too tired to continue. Amanda talked

her into trying it a little longer. She lasted for about another minute,

so Amanda asked her if there was any other exercise machine she

thought she would like to try. Neta-Rose pointed out the fact that she

could sit down and ride the bike so Amanda said, “Go for it.” She

did—for about another two minutes. 
 

Chapter 22: Neta-Rose, Snow-Angels and Ducks / 231 

After they had been there for about an hour, and by way of

exhortation, kidding, and cajoling, Amanda felt Neta-Rose had exercised

a total of ten minutes.

      “Well, it’s time to go,” Amanda said. “We’ll come back

tomorrow.” 

      By the middle of the following week, the scheduled arrangements

had fallen into place but Friday of that same week the exercising

issue became a problem.

      When they arrived at the Y, Neta-Rose refused to get out of

the van.

      “Neta-Rose, we only have an hour before we have to start back.

Come on.”

“No!”

      “Why don’t you want to go in?” Amanda asked.

      “Because, I don’t like it in there!”

      “Why?”

      “Because, I don’t,” Neta-Rose replied. “Look,” Neta-Rose continued,

“you blond-headed bitch. I’m not going in there, and that’s all

there is to it. Just shut up!” She finished off with some choice cursing.

      Amanda’s mouth dropped open as she flushed in anger. Neta-

Rose may have the mentality of a ten-year-old, but she had learned to

curse like a sailor. Amanda got back in the van, started the engine

and backed out of the parking spot.

      “Where are you going?” Neta-Rose demanded. Her lower lip

stuck out in pouting mode.

      “I thought you might like to go to the mall.”

      Neta-Rose brightened. “Yeah, I want to go to the one on

Windmaker!” she happily exclaimed.

      Amanda wondered if caving in to her was the right thing to do.

Finally, she said, “Okay… If we go to the mall, do you think you can

clean up your language?”

      “Yes,” Neta-Rose answered. 
 

232 / The Job Coach • Errol Wayne Anderson 

      Neta-Rose would surely get more exercise walking from store to

store in the mall for an hour than she had been getting at the Y.

Amanda wondered what Beth would have to say. She knew that she

could get her butt chewed for not getting permission, but, on the

other hand, Amanda was reasonably sure she couldn’t pick Neta-

Rose up and carry her into the YMCA.

      Amanda decided to call Beth and explained, on the way to the

mall, what happened and what she wanted to do. Beth agreed that

the exercise was the main thing. She told her to go ahead and walk

the mall, reminding Amanda not lose track of the time.

      “Just remember, you need to get all your students back to school

in time to catch their buses,” Beth said. 

      Neta-Rose was enjoying the mall trip immensely. She hurriedly walked

from store to store, even running some of the time. She would stop

and press her nose to the store windows as she looked at the different

clothes, shoes and accessories. At one point, she turned to Amanda

and said, with a note of sadness in her voice, “I’m too fat to wear

that.” She was pointing at a pretty dress that looked to be a size eight.

      That was Amanda’s opportunity and she wasn’t about to miss it.

“Now you hit on it, Neta-Rose. Would you like to wear that dress?”

      “Yes,” she answered, nose still to the window.

      “Well, that’s the reason we’re here. If you’ll keep working with

me every day, I believe we can get rid of a lot of that weight.”

      Suddenly Neta-Rose saw something else across on the other side

of the mall. “Oh, look,” she said as she hurried to still another store. 

      When twenty minutes were over, Amanda had a difficult time

convincing Neta-Rose that the time was up.

      “You said we could walk for an hour,” Neta-Rose argued.

      “Neta-Rose, we spent too much time going to the Y. We only had

twenty minutes left by the time we parked and walked inside,”

Amanda tried to explain. 
 

Chapter 22: Neta-Rose, Snow-Angels and Ducks / 233 

      “I don’t care. I want to be here for a whole hour. You said!” she

exclaimed.

      Reason finally won out, but Neta-Rose was in no hurry, and by

the time they got to the van, they were on short time—real short time.

Amanda rushed to pickup the other students, arriving back at the

school as the buses were loading. 

      Going to the mall opened all kinds of ideas for exercise for Neta-

Rose and Beth wanted to make sure there were guidelines put in

place. The decision was made that they could get creative as far as

exercising was concerned, but they had to exercise at the Y at least

two days a week and exercise on the machines there. That would

instill the idea that there was personal discipline involved in taking

care of one’s self.

      Amanda got permission to take Neta-Rose on walks in Pioneer

Park, Settler’s Lake and even walks in graveyards to read names and

dates on the tombstones. On one such occasion, they went to a graveyard

that had several ponds with ducks and geese on them. Neta-

Rose watched as others fed the ducks and geese.

      “Look!” she exclaimed, “I want to feed the ducks, too! Please.

Can we?”

      “I don’t know,” Amanda said. “What are they feeding them?”

“Bread,” Neta-Rose said. “We can get some bread at the store.

Please? Please?”

      Amanda was favorably impressed with the two “pleases” back

to back, but she said, “Well, I don’t know. I don’t have food to throw

away.”

      “It wouldn’t cost much, honest,” she said.

      “Well, we don’t have time today, but we’ll see.”

      “Tell me now, Miss Snow. Can we?” she begged.

      Amanda looked at her, wonderingly. This twenty-year-old

young woman was like a little child in so many ways. “Okay, I’ll see

if I can work it out, but, you have to understand, I’m just a poor para. 
 

234 / The Job Coach • Errol Wayne Anderson 

      It’s hard for me to find money to throw away, but—I promise—I’ll

see what I can work out.”

      That following weekend, while Amanda was buying groceries,

she found day-old bread on sale. She bought a loaf for the following

week’s trip to the graveyard with the duck ponds.

      Amanda took Neta-Rose to the YMCA on Monday and

Wednesday, and on Tuesday and Thursday she could choose where

she wanted to go for exercise. Friday was reserved for the ducks and

geese if Neta-Rose had been cooperative during the week. 

      During the second week of November, it snowed about three

inches during the night. That wasn’t enough snow to close schools,

but it was enough to throw snowballs, make snow angels, and generally

romp in the snow during their visit to Pioneer Park.

      These afternoons became Amanda’s high point of the day.

Although Neta-Rose still grumbled at the idea of the work of exercise,

Amanda could normally get her to do some exercise, and, by the

end of the second week of November, Neta-Rose had lost eight

pounds.

      One Friday morning, about a week before Thanksgiving

break, Amanda came to work as usual and walked past the kitchen.

She heard the most terrible cursing coming from where students

were being served breakfast. The terrible language was coming from

Neta-Rose.

      Following a string of well-chosen curses, Neta-Rose looked up

and locked eyes with Amanda. Amanda turned around and left.

Later, Amanda asked around and found that Neta-Rose was

upset because the food she wanted was not on that day’s menu. She

was taking out her frustrations on the server who had nothing to say

about what was served.

      When it came time for them to go to the duck ponds, Amanda

went to Neta-Rose’s classroom to get her as usual. The only difference

was that she carried, instead of bread for the ducks, plastic

gloves and plastic trash sacks. 
 

Chapter 22: Neta-Rose, Snow-Angels and Ducks / 235 

      Amanda had spoken with Neta-Rose’s teacher about the incident

of cursing and asked her if Neta-Rose had been reprimanded.

Amanda was told that they ignored the incident as they

normally did.

      “You mean that has happened before?” Amanda asked,

incredulously.

      “I’m afraid so.”

      “Do you mind if I try something?” Amanda asked.

      “What is it?”

      Amanda explained and received permission.

      “What is that for?” Neta-Rose asked when she saw the gloves

and sacks.

      “This is for you. Here, put these on,” Amanda directed as she

handed her a pair of plastic gloves.

      “What for?” she wanted to know.

      “For exercise, you’re going to pick up trash, today,” Amanda

explained.

      “No! I wanna go feed the ducks!” Neta-Rose exclaimed.

      “I have a hard time believing that you really want to go feed

the ducks.”

      “Yes I do!” she corrected.

      Amanda took a stance directly in front of her and looked her eye

to eye. “It’s hard for me to believe that you really believe you deserve

to have a privilege after what I witnessed this morning.”

      “What?” Neta-Rose asked.

      “Did I hear you cursing that server this morning?” Amanda

asked with a penetrating stare.

      “Yes,” she admitted. “But she wouldn’t give me what I wanted!”

Her voice was accusing and her facial expressions were animated as

she tried to place the blame on the server.

      “Sorry, but I’m not buying,” Amanda said as she handed the

gloves to Neta-Rose again. 
 

236 / The Job Coach • Errol Wayne Anderson 

      “No!” Neta-Rose said and folded her arms.

      Amanda looked askance, “Okay,” she looked at her teacher and

asked, “don’t you have some history for Neta-Rose to read?”

      “Yes, I should say about ten pages. We can get right to it,” she

said as she reached for the history textbook.

      “I don’t want to read history! I want to feed the ducks! You said!

You said!” Neta-Rose’s voice had a plaintive quality to it as her face

contorted as if to cry.

      “Don’t you cry!” Amanda exclaimed. “You’re a twenty-year-old

young woman. You have no business crying like a child when you

don’t get your way.

      “I wanna feed the ducks!” she exclaimed again.

Her teacher spoke up and said, “I suspect that if you don’t go

out and follow her instructions today, Miss Snow will never take you

to feed the ducks again.”

      “You got that right!” Amanda confirmed.

      “You’re just doing this because you saw me this morning!” Neta-

Rose accused.

      “Yes, you’re right about that,” Amanda agreed.

      “You ain’t nobody! You can’t make me pick up trash!” Neta-

Rose exclaimed.

      ”This nobody para is the para who takes you to feed the ducks.

And I’m telling you—no trash today—no feeding ducks ever again.

Your decision, girl!”

      Amanda’s eyes locked with Neta-Rose’s and Amanda determined

to hold her gaze and force her to look away. Amanda was

also just as determined that Neta-Rose would be the next person to

speak.

      They held each other’s gaze for a full minute. Suddenly Neta-

Rose’s hand shot forward and grabbed the gloves, “You’re so bossy!”

she exclaimed.

      “Let’s go to work,” Amanda said. 

Chapter 22: Neta-Rose, Snow-Angels and Ducks / 237 

      Once outside, Amanda took her to an area where the wind had

blown candy bar wrappers, loose notebook papers and trash of every

description up against a fence.

      “Go to it,” Amanda said. Neta-Rose shrugged her shoulders and

started picking up trash.

      Amanda watched her for a few moments then she pulled a pair

of plastic gloves from the inside pocket of her coat. She put the gloves

on then took out another plastic sack. Amanda began picking up

trash as well.

      “You’re going to pick up trash, too?” Neta-Rose asked,

surprised.

      “Yes,” Amanda said. “I go where you go and do what you do.

I don’t like it much, but you’ve got me out here picking up trash, too.”

      The work was repetitious and boring. Soon, Amanda’s mind

was drifting. She smiled as her grandfather came into her thoughts.

The smile didn’t remain long, because Amanda began to wonder

what she was going to do with him. How long would it be before she

could no longer leave him at home alone? What would she do then?

What kind of care would he have to have? Could she possibly afford

to have someone come in to take care of him? What would she do

with him while she tried to enjoy her relationship with Bill?

      She smiled again as Bill began to dominate her thoughts. He had

become so important to her. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind,

“Maybe Grand will die and free us.” She shuddered with self-incrimination.

How could such a notion ever, ever enter her thoughts? She was

so ashamed. She forced the whole mess out of her mind.

      Amanda checked her watch to see how much more time they

had. Their time was nearly up. When Amanda looked at Neta-Rose

again, she noticed that tears were on her face. “Are you all right?”

Amanda asked.

      Neta-Rose looked at her with the most sorrowful look Amanda

had ever witnessed. Suddenly, Neta-Rose launched her bulk at

Amanda and grabbed her around the neck. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

I won’t do it again. Honest!” she exclaimed as she hung on. 
 

238 / The Job Coach • Errol Wayne Anderson 

      Amanda was so taken aback that she almost lost her balance.

“Okay! Okay!” Amanda yelled as she worked to loosen her hold.

      “I won’t do it any more, I won’t do it any more,” she said over

and over again.

      They both fell to the ground with Neta-Rose still hanging on. “I

hope not!” Amanda exclaimed under her breath. She extricated herself,

stood, tested the working parts of her neck, and, once satisfied

she was still in one piece, helped Neta-Rose get up. “What’s the big

idea of tackling me like that?” she asked.

      “I’m sorry,” Neta-Rose said again.

      Amanda had a hard time believing what had just happened,

but after she had a moment to pull herself together and think

rationally again, she said, “You know, we still have a few minutes

before we’re done, but we can quit now if you agree to do one more

thing.”

      “What?” Neta-Rose asked, somewhat suspiciously.

      “If you really meant what you said, I mean, if you really are

sorry, you should apologize to the lady you cursed. That would be

the adult thing to do.”

      Neta-Rose mulled that over for a few moments then asked, “If I

do, will you take me to feed the ducks?”

      Amanda smiled as she looked at her student who was fast

becoming one of her favorites. “Well, not today. We’re out of time.

But, I’ll take you two times next week. Promise,” Amanda said.

      Neta-Rose brightened, “Okay!” she agreed.

      Amanda took her to the kitchen and she kept her word. Neta-

Rose did, indeed, apologize to the server and promised not to do it

again.

      “Well, Neta-Rose,” Amanda announced as they walked from the

kitchen back to the hall, “I have to go get the other students and bring

them back to school so they can catch their buses. Would you like to

go or would you like to stay here in the Resource Center?”

“I wanna go with you,” she answered without hesitation. 
 

239 / The Job Coach • Errol Wayne Anderson 

      “Okay, let’s go, then,” Amanda said pleasantly. She led the way

to her van with a feeling of satisfaction that she had never known.

She had shown Neta-Rose the error of her ways, even assigned punishment,

and then was the overseer of the penalty without losing Neta-Rose’s respect

or friendship. Amanda felt sure this had to be one of her greatest

accomplishments as she drove away from school.

      “Know what I did?” Neta-Rose asked.

      “What’s that?” Amanda responded.

      “I prayed and asked Jesus what the right thing was for me to do,

and I think that He said I should mind you. And that was right,

because now I get to feed the ducks two times. Wasn’t it?”

Amanda didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t help but be

amazed at Neta-Rose. She cursed a blue streak one day and prayed

to Jesus the next.

      “Don’t you ever talk to Jesus?” Neta-Rose asked.

      “No! He’s way too busy for me,” Amanda answered. “Why

don’t you turn on the radio? See if you can find some good music.”

      “Okay, I know where the good music is. Can I change the

station?”

      “Sure, go ahead. There’s Amy,” Amanda said as she drove up in

front of the women’s clothing store.

      Once they stopped, Amy climbed into the van and exclaimed,

“Man, am I ever glad to see you! My boss just about worked my tail

off, today!” As usual, her enthusiasm was infectious.

      “That’s good for you, Amy. Keeps you out of trouble,” Amanda

said, affably.

      “I get to go feed the ducks next week. Two times!” Neta-Rose

happily exclaimed.

      “Oh, really!” Amy said in mock exclamation. 
 
 

      For the rest of the story, you’ll need to read The Job Coach.