Exhibitionist Boy

It’s sports day at Thye’s school  and break time is almost over. In a few minutes, the 1500m race will begin.  Every athlete and teacher on duty will have to swelter along the stadium track.  As Thye walks down the steps of the grandstand and heads in the direction of the washroom, he receives a phone call from his principal.
              "Mr. Thye, I want you to come over to the security office at Bintang Plaza now, " commands the principal in a grave tone.
              "Yes, but may I know what is happening?" asks Thye, totally perplexed.
              "Your student, Christopher, was caught exposing his genitals to a female sales assistant."
              "What!?" Thye exclaims in disbelief.  Christopher is a shy, soft-spoken boy who was transferred to Thye’s school from Bintulu three weeks ago. Thye finds it difficult to associate him with the perverted deed.  He is also baffled by some thing else. Why is Christopher at the shopping mall? He should have been at the stadium by now. Break time is almost over.
               When Thye casts doubt upon the validity of what has been told, the principal asks him not to waste any time.  “Come to Bintang Mall soon as soon as possible,” he says. He is unusually impatient and gruff. Thye gets the distinct impression that the principal will bark at him if he asks any more questions.  He asks a colleague, Mr Choo, to take him to Bintang mall in his Wira.
                When they reach the security office in the basement car park of the mall, they see the alleged exhibitionist, Christopher, standing with his head down.  He is with a security guard, a young woman and the principal. The security guard is a dark-skinned man in his late forties, while the woman a fair-skinned in her early twenties.  Judging from her angry look, she must have been the sales assistant whom the boy has allegedly harassed.  She is wearing  a light-pink tank top with a deep cut V-neck that shows the silky white flesh of her cleavage.  Her hot-pants reveal her shapely thighs.  What a curvaceous woman.
                Upon seeing Thye, the principal says, "Encik Mansyor, this is Mr Thye, the boy's form teacher."
                "Mr Thye, I am Encik Mansyor," says the security guard, extending his hand to shake Thye’s.
                Encik Mansyor then turns to Christopher, "Okay, boy. You said that your form teacher could vouch for your innocence. Tell him what actually happened now!"
                The boy says anything but his chest heaves with emotion.
                "Ya, Christopher, what happened?" Thye asks as he taps the boy's shoulder.
                The boy looks up at Thye and says," Mr Thye, it was a misunderstanding. I would never do such a thing."
                 "What are you talking about!?" hisses the young woman.
                 "It’s true, you misunderstood me." Christopher attempts to defend,  his voice choking with emotion.
                 "How did I misunderstand you!?" the woman demands to know, as she raises her voice and shoots a condemning glare at the boy. "Who was it that unzipped his fly and fished out his penis in front of me? Or did I just imagine that happened!?"
                  Seeing that the woman is on the verge of losing her self-control, the principal asks her to calm down and explains to Thye that Christopher was caught exposing his genitals to the young woman while window-shopping in the unisex boutique where she worked as a sales assistant.
                 "I happened to be outside the boutique when Linda screamed," Encik Mansyor recalls, " I rushed in and caught hold of the boy.  She told me that he had unzipped himself in front of her and...."
                 "I... I did not do it," interrupts the thirteen-year-old boy. "Something happened to my belt. Its buckle came loose and I was trying to pull my jeans up."
                "Did your belt buckle really come loose?" Mr Choo asks.
                The boy nods meekly.
                "Don't listen to him. He is lying," the woman says through gritted teeth, pointing an accusing finger at the boy.
                "Christopher," says the stern-looking principal," pull up your shirt and let me see your belt."
               The boy hesitates, his face turning paler and paler.
               "Show me your belt!" repeats the Principal.
               Reluctantly, the boy lifts the lower hem of his shirt. Everyone’s eyes focus on the belt loops on the waistband of his trousers.
              "You are lying," declares The Principal, "you aren’t even wearing a belt!"

              "I was," insists the boy, "but I left it in the boutique."

               “Your jeans do not slip down without the belt,” Mr Choo says, pulling the waistband of the boy’s jeans to test its tightness. “They seem to fit quite well.”
                "As far as I can remember, “ says the security guard, “you never pulled out your belt in the boutique"
               "No use telling us such a blatant lie!" snaps Linda.
               "Do you want me to phone your parents?" threatens the Principal.
               "No, no, don't phone my parents!" the boy begs loudly.
                Thye’s mind is totally blank now.  He looks sideways at Mr. Choo.  Their eyes lock in tacit agreement that nothing can be done to defend the boy.
                 Christopher finally admits to having exposed his private parts to the sales assistant. He signs a document promising that he will never commit such an indecenct act again. To Thye’s immense relief, the sales assistant accepts his apology.
                 Thye, Mr Choo, the princiapl and Christopher are now standing outside the shopping mall.

                 "Mr. Thye, you can return to the stadium with Mr. Choo,” says the principal. “ I will take Christopher back to his house,"

                 "Yes sir." Thye replies with a nod.
                 Just as Thye is about to enter Mr Choo’s car. Christopher tugs at his shirt and says, "Teacher, please believe me! I am innocent!"
                Shocked, Thye asks him what made him own up in the security room.
                "Mr. Thye, I had no choice. None of you believed anything I was saying!" he replies, breaking down in tears.
                 "Come! Gget into the car!" the principal snaps, as he bundles the snivelling boy into his car and drives off.
                 Thye remains rooted to the spot where he stands until the car disappears in the distance.