It was a warm May morning, perfect for fishing.

Alas, it was a school day, the four teenage boys were riding to class in their friend Juniors car. As they crossed the Blue Springs Bridge and stared at the enticing water below, the temptation was too strong to resist.

“There’s a bunch of Dad’s gear in the trunk,” said Junior. “ Let’s stop and fish for a few minutes. Let’s vote on it.”  The motion passed unanimously.

Naturally, a “few minutes” turned into more than an hour. When they finally did roll onto campus, the school’s resource officer quickly ushered them into the Principal’s office.

“Sorry we’re late, Mr. McGinnis,” Junior explained. “We couldn’t help it. We had a flat tire. We didn’t have a spare, either. So we had to walk back to Wally’s service station for help.”

The other boys nodded in agreement. 

“Well, accidents do happen,” the principal consoled. “I understand completely. But you boys are late, and the school board regulations require that you fill out an official excuse form.” He passed out pencils and paper and sent each boy to one of the four corners of the office, facing the wall.

“Now,” said Mr. McGinnis, “write down which one of the tires went flat.”