Tales of a Small-Town Thug

Connie discovers that Rusty Gordon, a former member of the Bones of Wrath, has published a story called “Tales of a Small Town Thug.” Although Rusty alters the residents' names, his targets are unmistakable. He describes Liz as a bossy slave driver, Connie as a lifelong ice-cream worker without a boyfriend, Eugene as a show-off who shares useless facts, and Whit as a man who wears pants from the 1950s.

Whit sees no reason to let Rusty's opinions control them, but his friends cannot stop reading. Liz quietly wonders whether she really uses friends as employees. Eugene asks Whit whether his habit of sharing information reveals arrogance, and Whit honestly admits that Eugene sometimes offers knowledge no one requested.

Eugene examines the work performed through Hand Up and notices that many projects bring him praise. Hoping to serve without receiving attention, he volunteers to replace an absent janitor at Odyssey Middle School. Cleaning after hours seems both essential and almost invisible, exactly the humbling task he wants.

While Eugene scrapes gum from desks, Liz leads Mandy and Trent in preparing a speech-class debate supporting space exploration. Liz assigns Mandy extensive research while accepting nearly every other responsibility herself. Eugene tries to remain silent, but when the students cannot see practical value in space exploration, he delivers an inspiring explanation of its benefits and receives enthusiastic applause.

Eugene is disappointed that even janitorial work has placed him in the spotlight. Connie advises him to keep quiet and stay out of the way. At the next practice, however, Mandy has abandoned her promised research and Trent is too busy to help much. Liz refuses to direct them firmly because Rusty's criticism has made her afraid of appearing bossy.

The students plead for Eugene's knowledge, and he supplies useful comparisons between spending on space and aid to the poor. Then he escapes to clean the furnace room, the least noticeable corner he can find. There he smells leaking gas and reports it before it can cause an explosion that might endanger hundreds of students.

Whit helps Liz evaluate criticism rather than simply obey or reject it. Eugene has looked for a possible grain of truth and asked trusted friends where he should grow. Connie has considered Rusty's character and decided that much of his attack is false. In either case, the wisest response includes trustworthy counsel and God's guidance, not allowing a hostile writer to reshape a life automatically.

Liz visits Mandy and directly says that her distance and refusal to keep a commitment have been selfish. She accepts that God has given her leadership ability and that using it well sometimes requires telling people what they need to do. Mandy agrees to complete the research, Trent contributes visual aids, and their reunited team earns an excellent grade.

A newspaper report praises an alert school janitor named Gene Malston for discovering the gas leak. The misspelled name prevents anyone from realizing the hero was Eugene. Instead of correcting the mistake, Eugene gladly praises the mysterious Gene and allows someone else to receive the attention. The anonymous act finally gives him the quiet service he wanted.

Connie realizes that Odyssey contains many unnoticed heroes whom Rusty's story ignored. Rather than send an angry letter that might only sell more copies of his book, she begins writing an alternative account of the town and its people. Her answer starts with a new title: “Tales of a Small Town Soda Jerk.”