Mrs. Bavaqua

Mrs. Bavaqua is the gruff woman in charge of Odyssey's Division of Fluid Management, better known as the Water and Sewage Department. During County Government Day, she puts disappointed student Charles Thompson to work in the courthouse basement. Days of rain soon call her away to flooded streets, leaving Charles alone with alarms, a ringing phone, and an overflowing system. From the field, Mrs. Bavaqua calmly coaches him over the radio as he struggles to open a stuck emergency valve. Her instructions help Charles save the town's water supply. Practical and demanding, she understands that unglamorous public work matters. Under her supervision, Charles discovers that responsibility and courage are not limited to the exciting job he originally wanted.