Smith was a beloved teacher at the high school, which made his dismissal all the more shocking. Rumors about him went around the town. He was taking care of his mother, so he didn’t leave town, and he showed up at the grocery or the pharmacy. But he never went anywhere else, especially the high school. The first year after his dismissal, when he went to the school to vote, the sheriff went with him. And didn’t talk to any of the teachers or students. After that, they say he voted absentee. But once again, just a rumor about him.