Chapter Three

The Bullies In School.

After school, I went in Antonia's car our first assignment was to pick up Janet from her school to get her before heading home. This is what happens most afternoons after school because my father was a busy man and can't go to pick her up from school always except on those occasions when Antonia had to leave school early for something urgent and I go home to the school bus. When we go to her school, I came down from the vehicle to go get my sister but I met her in tears while holding her tummy. I was shocked because she was not one to cry in front of everyone, they all gathered around her trying to comfort her so she can stop crying when I saw this I quickly rushed to her and asked what is the cause of her cry? I can also see that there was no teacher around to care for her while she held her tummy.

Christy: Janet why are you crying?

I asked her while trying to console her as well. She seems to be afraid to speak to me but I encourage her to tell me what the cause of her cry was.

Christy: You don't need to be afraid, am here now and no one can hurt you while I am here with you.

Janet: That boy I told you about was the one who hit me in my tummy again today, you promise to tell daddy but you never did.

I facepalm myself thinking that I allowed such a serious issue like that to skip my mind. It made me feel bad and I was short of words to say to remedy the situation at hand.

Christy: Am sorry sis, dad and mum were busy yesterday so I didn't want to disturb them, dad also didn't come to say goodnight to me before I went to bed and this morning you know we were almost late for school. You know we had to rush down to school this morning. I am sorry but don't worry I will send a text to him on our way home so I can discuss this with him when he gets home.

While I was busy pacifying my sister I didn't realise Antonia has come in to check on us because we never stay long in her school and it was like I have spent like 30 minutes trying to console her.

Antonia: What happens to her? Is she sick or hurt?

She moved closer and starts patting her on her back to console her while trying to find out what the issue was.

Christy: She says a boy in her class was the one that hurt her. I forgot to tell my dad yesterday and when we woke up this morning late, we had to rush to school so I had no opportunity to discuss it with my dad. she indeed told me yesterday when I came back from school but I never knew it was something as serious as this.

I explained everything to Tonia hoping she will understand the situation but to my surprise, she was furiously angry to hear my explanation, I guess I am in a hot soup now.

Antonia: How can you forget something of the multitude, what if he had injured her? How do you plan on solving this issue now?

She asked me, and knowing Antonia, I know what she can do. I know I have to stop her from going the extra mile to resolve this issue but before I could come up with ways of stopping her, she drag my sister's hand and ask her to take her to the principal office.

Antonia: Is there no teacher in your class? How come he do this and no one could report him, lead the way to your principal's office.

I heard Tonia telling my sister to lead the way toward the principal's office and I knew I had to act fast before the situation gets out of hands

Janet: Everyone is afraid of him and he has sworn to deal with whoever tells the teacher.

Antonia: Oh! So he owns the school that is why he thinks he can treat people like that? Well, today is going to be the end of all this.

I promptly walk up to her and stop her in her track before she got to the principal office because I know the school has the rules that Parents are the only ones who can go to the principal to report issues that concern the students.

Christy: Hey! Girl no one can just approach the principal, only guardians and parents are the only ones who are allowed to lodge complaints to her, so, please don't complicate matters, just let me report to my father, he will deal with the issue.

I pleaded with her to make her stop going to the principal but Tonia was not ready to hear me out and I know I have to come up with something to stop her from going to the principal's office.

Antonia: What will she do if I go to her? Will she expel her from school? Why should we keep quiet over this, let her see the tears on her face so she will know what is happening around her school and there is no one mindful of this. We need to put an end to this.

She stresses her reason for wanting to report the matter to the principal. But I know my father would not like this and I had to stop her from doing this.

Christy: Please try and understand my father will be mad at me if we do this, by tomorrow all this will stop.

Antonia stopped on her track and with fuming anger took my sister's hands without saying anything then storm out of the school. I heaved a sigh of relief and rushed after her before she leaves me behind because I know she was not pleased that she can not do anything about the issue. I enter the vehicle and she drives off with my sister sitting in the back seat.

Christy: Janny don't worry, am sending dad a text message now and I know he will call.

I picked up my phone from my bag and started sending texts about the issue to my dad. You see my father has told us not to call them except it's something very important because they might be in a meeting and it may affect their concentration.

Texts: Daddy I need to discover something very important with you. I click the sent button and before I dropped my phone back in my bag, my phone starts ringing and checking the caller ID, it was my father who was at the other end.

Daddy: Honey what happened? Hope you are not sick and your sister too is okay?

I heard him ask me with concern in his voice and this warns my heart because my father cares a lot about us, I know he will call immediately he sees my texts if he is not very busy so I immediately explained my reasons for calling him in order not to waste much of work since he was still at work.

Christy: There is a problem with Jenny's school.

My father did let me finish my statement before responding to me because Janet has been known to be someone who likes to create issues unnecessarily and pretends to be innocent.

Daddy: Is she at it again? What did she do now? Hope it's not something serious this time around?

As I said, Janet is also someone naughty and it is like she has met someone stronger than her. I wonder why she is not standing for herself because she is no pushover.

Christy: Dad, she is not the one at fault here, in fact as I speak she is holding onto her tummy and from all indications, the boy bullies everyone in her class. You know Jenny s not the crying type but when I got to her school, I met her in tears.

I explained everything to my father who on hearing it was quiet for some time before he gave me instructions to take her to the hospital.

Daddy: But is there no teacher in her class? How can someone bully everyone in the class and no one is aware of it? Who then sees to the safety of those children? You know what, take her to the hospital while I give the principal a call.

I heard my father says to me while I await more instruction from him.

Christy Okay dad I will do just that.

My father then asked me to give the phone to Jenny who was still holding unto her tummy.

Daddy: Give the phone to her let me speak to her

I gave the phone to my sister telling her that daddy would like to speak to her. I put the phone on speakerphone so I can listen in on their conversation.

Daddy: Hello princess, how are you feeling now?

I heard my dad ask her, she burst into tears again while responding to my dad who was on the other side of the phone I know my father hates to hear any of his children cry so I patted her on her leg to try to calm her so she stops crying.

Janet: Daddy my tummy hurts. He was using his leg to hit me on my tummy. He is very mean and bad.

Daddy: Was your teacher in the class when he did this?

Janet: No she went to the principal's office and before she came back from the office he started hitting me in my tummy. He said if anyone in the class dares report him to the teacher, he will bring cockroaches and put them in their hair. He also said he will beat whoever tells on him, he always likes to treat everyone bad in the class.

I heard her explain the incident to my father and I felt her pain and the injustice going on in her class and I began to wonder how my life would have been if Tonia and Kingsley had not been there for me in the school. I couldn't help but appreciate both of them.

Daddy: When did he start doing this to you, why didn't you report him to me.

I knew I was in soup already because my father always wants us to tell him when we are in any kind of problem.

Janet: I told my big sister and she asked me to be nice to him that he won't trouble me, that if am being nice to him, he will stop being mean to me because we can not pay evil with evil and I have tried doing that ever since she told me but it didn't work. He is just not bothered if he hurts anyone because he loves to see tears in our eyes when he bullies us. Initially refusing to cry because you know daddy, I am not a cry baby but he doesn't give up until I started screaming and he continued because he didn't see tears in my eyes and when I could no longer bear it I had to cry because the pain was unbearable for me.

Daddy: Well she tried to teach you to be a peacemaker but I guess he doesn't want peace. That notwithstanding she should have told me?

I hear my father say to my sister and I was happy that he won't be mad at me again.

Daddy: Give the phone back to her and allow the doctor to examine you properly so she can give you the necessary treatment you need and that will take the pain away. Okay?

I hear my father say to Janet and this made my heart start beating because I didn't tell him when I was supposed to, so I held my breath in anticipation of what my father was going to say to me

Janet: Yes daddy.

She gave the phone back to me.

and I took it out of the speakers, then put it in my ear waiting for my father to chastise me for not informing him of the situation earlier but his comments were rather unexpected.

Daddy: Honey, I like it that you are teaching her to be more kind and responsible, it shows that you are doing a good job of helping your sister become a better person. Thanks for that and now take her to the hospital before going home so that she can be checked out. I don't want her to have problems in the future due to this assault. Tell Tonia I appreciate her and that I will find a way to compensate her for this.

My father says to me and I heave a sigh of relief because I never saw that coming

Christy: Okay dad, I will do just that.

When I ended the call I relate the massage to Antonia who was ever willing to help, she change the direction and headed for the hospital so Janet can be examined by the doctor and given the required treatment to help ease her pain.

We got to the hospital, and then took Janet to our family doctor who immediately attended to her because luckily for us she was not having any patients or appointments to meet up to. She gave her some pain relief tablets and some that will relief her tummy. She said if Janet reacts negatively to the treatment she gave her, we should let her know. She did a scan on her and said she doesn't have any serious wounds and that the tablets will take care of the pain she is having in her tummy.

We left the hospital and headed home. Antonia couldn't come in because it was ready late and she need to go home to rest as she still needs to also help her mother out with the cakes because they are yet to complete the order that her mother has.

We enter the house to see that my dad was back from work and has prepared some delicious meals for us.

Christy: Dad you are back earlier today, I hope I am not the cause of this because of the news of Janet's assault?

I asked while observing that Janet was already looking sleepy. In her sitting position, she was already dozing off, so I excuse myself and took her upstairs to clean her up to prepare her for bed but not before making sure she had her dinner and using her medicine to hear relief her pain.

After ensuring that she was comfortable enough to get in bed, I decide to leave so I can refresh myself but she stops me in my track.

Janet: Big sis, my homework? I have not done it and my aunt in school will be mad at me if I don't do them now.

I realize everything that happened today had made me forget there's the assignment from school and I have one in particular that I need to present tomorrow in school too. So I asked Janet to bring out her books, while I guide her through her assignment and then headed to my room when I was through with her assignment.

I went into the bathroom to freshen up, put on my nightgown and settle down for my school assignment. I quickly scan through it and discover it was not too difficult to do so after an hour of writing down the answers, I was through with the assignment. I then decided to give Antonia a call to appreciate her assistance earlier. The phone rang for some time before she picks it up.

Christy: I hope, I didn't wake you because I know you must be stressed out with everything we went through today.

Antonia: No problem am not stressed out, am just doing my assignments, when your call came through so that was why I delay in picking up your call. How is she now? I hope she was not traumatised by the assault? I hate to see someone being treated that way.

She has always been one not to hide her opinion on things. She's always a straightforward person and this is some quality I like in her and she has never disappointed me when it comes to issues of bullies.

Christy: My dad was able to calm her and he has gone to report the matter to the principal and she promised to put a stop to it. She was surprised to hear that such a thing was going on in the school and she is not aware of it.

Antonia: That is good to hear, how can such be going on and no one is aware of it, they need to be more vigilant in that school.

Christy: Yeah you are right, my eyes are closing already, I think I will have to sleep now. Thanks for the help out today, you are truly a good friend and I love you for that. See you tomorrow in school. Goodnight.

Antonia: Okay see you tomorrow in school then. Sleep tight.

I quickly went downstairs, to tell my father what the doctor said and then bade him goodnight which was always our night things. But to my surprise, my mother was not back yet well that has never been a surprise to me because she does not care about us.