INCOGNITO MASTER PLANNERS

Content warning: Reference to sexual abuse



For years, Stacey lived in Benton, Missouri, without much opportunity. Despite her hard work and excellent grades, she often felt overlooked. She was the prettiest girl in school, the brightest in her class of ’92, and arguably the most gifted student Benton High School had ever seen. While she received numerous invitations from both boys and girls to go out, she was too busy with work and her studies to accept them. Every Sunday, Stacey attended church, feeling obligated to give her tithe despite her reservations.

Given the church’s operational procedures, she assumed it was her duty. During one church service, the priest asked her to teach some children about Jesus. While she preferred to stay in the congregation, he insisted she was the right person for the job and praised her lovely smile to other parishioners. In Benton, the only source of entertainment for high school students was Friday Night Football.

There were no other activities; the local movie theatre had closed, and the ice cream parlour had closed due to a lack of customers. Even the fast-food restaurants focused on home-cooked meals. A deep knot formed in her stomach whenever Stacey thought about spending the rest of her life in Benton. Her heart felt heavy in her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe, but to everyone around her, she wore a smile, hiding her true feelings about her uncertain future.

One day, Mr. Wilson, her guidance counsellor, called her to his office during her favourite class. 

“Stacey, please come by my office today during the third period,” he said.

“Sure, sir. Will it take long?” she asked.

“No problem. I just want to give you some paperwork to fill out and discuss college options,” he replied.

When they first met in grade nine, Stacey had no idea Mr. Wilson had been searching for scholarships to help her leave Benton. She never took notes in class; she felt listening attentively was sufficient to absorb the material.

Additionally, she had a knack for helping fellow students, tutoring them, and reinforcing her understanding by teaching others, a tip she learned from Mr. McKnight, her biology teacher. Stacey walked to the guidance office for her appointment.

“Ah, Stacey, right on time,” Mr. Wilson greeted her.

She took a seat at the paper-cluttered table and replied,

“Yes, sir.”

“What would you say, Stacey, if I told you I have over 50 applications to secure a full-ride scholarship based on your academic performance?” He asked.

“What? Are you kidding me?” Stacey exclaimed, jumping up to hug him before realizing she had jumped up too much and quickly sitting back down, her face red with embarrassment. She took a deep breath to gather herself.

“Which scholarships are available to assist me, and is anyone else applying for them?”

“Hold on, Stacey, you have many questions,” he chuckled.

“Sorry, sir. I just don’t want to compete with someone else,” she explained. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. You’re the only one who meets the criteria,” he assured her.

“Thank you, sir. I really appreciate the time you’ve spent on this for me,” she said gratefully.

“Promise me you won’t mention this to anyone, including your family,” he added.

“Okay, yes, sir. I understand.” She gathered the thick stack of papers he had prepared for her and stood up to leave.

“Wait, take this—it’s less conspicuous,” he said, handing her a small folder.

Stacey walked out of the guidance office, elated and eager to complete the paperwork. After putting the folder in her locker, she headed to her third-period class. The class ended early that day because her fourth-period teacher was sick, giving her a free study period. Excited, she hopped on her bicycle and raced home. As soon as she arrived, she opened her first scholarship application for MIT, thrilled but hoping to review all the applications to prioritize her options.

“Stacey, is that you up there? Why are you home so early?” her father called out.

“Hey, Daddy! The fourth period was free, so I got home early. Is something wrong?” she replied.

“Nope, I’m just curious about who was up there and if you were alone,” she responded.

“I’m not alone,” she said, then added, “I’m heading to the library.”

“Thanks, honey,” he said. “No problem, Daddy!” She reassured him and rode her bike to the library. However, when she arrived and attempted to lock up her bike, it fell on her head, rendering her unconscious.

No one knew how long she lay there until other kids biking by discovered her and rushed to help. No one knew how long she had been lying there before the other kids, riding their bikes, found her. They hurried into the library, instructing the librarian to dial 911 while Mr. Tanner,

Stacey’s father assisted. Mr. Tanner arrived at the scene before the ambulance, performing CPR and breathing into Stacey’s airway to restore her breathing. She arrived just in time for an ambulance to arrive, after which they transported her to the hospital for observation and overnight care.

Her symptoms were subtle, but she experienced memory lapses, causing entire sentences to escape her. Despite her efforts to remain silent, she confided in Mr. Smith, aware that it could potentially impact her chances of receiving those scholarships.

“Now, let’s not get hasty, my dear. Are you having trouble filling them out?”

” No, sir, then what is it? I’m afraid I’m having problems with my memory. Sir.”

“Your memory? What do you mean? Your memory?”

“I can’t remember stuff. I struggle to recall both essential and irrelevant details.” 

“Did you tell the doctor?”

“No, sir.”

“Tell your doctor ASAP.”

“Yes, sir.” “I’ll drive you there now. Excuse me for a moment, please.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

On the way to the doctor’s office, Stacey vomited into a bag. Mr. Smith had a bag in his car because he suspected Stacey might vomit. As the assistant head coach of the football team, he had witnessed similar incidents.

He was a big man, tall and large, with a brush-cut hairstyle and blue eyes. Despite his potential for cruelty, he embodied the gentleness of a giant. When they arrived at the doctor’s office, they could simply walk in, as Mr. Smith had called.

“Well, Stacey, I heard you had a bang on the head, and now you have concussion symptoms.”

“Yes, sir.” “

“Did you tell the ER doctors?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, let’s take a look. Why don’t you tell me some of your symptoms while I check your eye movement?”

“Okay,” Stacey said, trying her best. Nothing came to her mind. She had trouble concentrating on two tasks at once.

“Stacey, you are experiencing concussive symptoms. In most cases, they go away on their own.”

“Oh good,” Stacey said.

“Yeah, come see me after you complete the following tests.”

He gave her numerous tests to complete before they parted. She completed her testing, completed all her scholarship applications, and then returned to the doctor’s office.

“Stacey, it’s wonderful to see you again.” 

“Yes, Dr. Lawrence, same with you.”

“We have returned your test and resolved your concussive issues.” 

“You, my dear, have a more serious condition.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you do.”

“What is it?”

“You are pregnant.”

“Impossible?”

“You are entering your second trimester.”

“This isn’t happening; I’ve been with no one!”

“We will do a DNA test once the baby is born to determine the father.”

“You bet we will. There will be numerous explanations. When Stacey came out of Dr. Lawrence’s office without a smile, her eyes were red as if she’d been crying.

“Stacey, what is it? What’s the matter?”

“Someone violated me, and now I’m pregnant.”

“What do you mean? Will this impact my scholarship?””

“It shouldn’t.”

“You’re unaware of the father’s identity.”

“No, someone must have drugged me and raped me.”

“Nobody is going to believe that story.”

“I don’t care; that’s the truth.”

She had no feelings for anyone in the town except her dad and Mr. Smith. She knew it wasn’t them, so why was she feeling this way? She wondered.

As the months went on, she grew and grew. Nobody ridiculed her because they believed her story, at least to the extent they told her. Scholarship responses started coming in, and they all went to Mr. Smith’s guidance office at the school.

Every time he received a letter, he would incorporate it into an announcement, instructing Stacey Tanner to report to guidance immediately following morning announcements.

The routine was always the same. She opened the letter in his office alone and asked him to join her. Pending her final marks, they would celebrate her acceptance into another full-on ride.

The moment arrived when she decided to accept a full ride at a particular school. Her marine biology program at Cal State won her the best school for her program. She would live in a family unit, and her only expenses would be food. Although she was excited about finally leaving, the prospect of going with a baby scared her the most.

She was looking for a suitable sitter to take with her when it came time to have the baby; the delivery went well; the baby was a beautiful boy; she named him Ozzy, and that was that.

Subsequently, the DNA samples were ready for testing. Stacey was eager to find out, but she was also apprehensive. Only a few men and boys left, so today was the day she would know who her baby daddy was. The doctor’s lost DNA swab, along with Daddy’s identity, vanished for a brief moment.

His face was grim when he returned.

He didn’t want to face Stacey when he told her the news:

“Your baby daddy is Mr. Smith.”

“What?” 

“I apologize, but you should notify the authorities.” Given his position over you and your age, this constitutes a crime. 

“I don’t understand how this happened.”

“The judge will make him allocute him, and then you’ll know everything.”

“Oh my God.”

“I’m sorry, Stacey, I truly am,” said the doctor.

After leaving for California with her son, Stacey met Mr. Smith, who had been absent for a month before they confirmed his paternity. He conveniently met Stacey in California, where they moved into the family unit together. Once they were together, they laughed at their plan, which had worked so well.