(aka Bike) Part 1953 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
All Rights Reserved. |
 |
“Crikey,” I shivered running from bed to the bathroom. The easterly wind seemed to find every crack and chink in the house and then pass a draught through each one so it felt like a veritable gale.
The bathroom was reasonably warm and I showered and dressed then sorted my hair. It felt warmer to wear it down–lag my brains a little. It was the last day of school holiday and they’d all be back noses to grindstones on Monday with just the two days of the weekend left
I went to rouse the girls, to see if there was anything they wanted to do and also to call Danny for his last day of the soccer school. For a change I decided to call Danny first. I quietly walked up to his room and thought I heard a sniffle. I listened at his door and I was right, he was crying or it certainly sounded like he was.
I knocked and entered, he quickly turned away from me. “What’s the matter, son?”
He remained turned away from me, but something was worrying him enough to cry.
I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, “Whatever it is, you can share it with me, you know; and they say a trouble shared is a trouble halved.”
He shook his head.
“Come on, shake a leg otherwise you’ll be late for your football.” I tried to cajole him into feeling better.
“I’m not going.”
“Yes you are, it’s only Friday, it’s the last day today.”
“I’m not going, so leave me alone.” He pulled the covers over his head.
“I might expect this sort of behaviour from Mima, not someone who’s nearly grown up. I also paid good money for you to do the course, so you’d better tell me why you aren’t going before I phone them up, or worse, go over there and find out what’s happening. So sit up and tell me–now.”
I pulled back the duvet and he sheepishly sat up. “I was banned.”
“What for, drinking too much energy drink?”
“Fighting.”
I sighed–he was always in trouble for fighting. “What about this time?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It must have been to make it worth risking the last day.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Daniel, I don’t believe you. So tell me the truth or I’ll ban you as well.”
“What d’you mean?”
“I’ll stop you playing until next season.”
“You can’t do that–they’re relying on me.”
“Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do. If I tell the school you can’t play football until next season, they are obliged to accept my ruling.”
“But you can’t do that.”
“Watch me–or tell me what happened yesterday.” I waited a moment then stood up, “Okay, do it the hard way.” I walked towards the door.
“Wait, Mummy, please.”
I turned and walked back to the bed, “I’m waiting.”
“Okay,” he paused and wiped his nose on his pyjama sleeve–where do they get these horrible habits? “It was about Billie.”
My tummy flipped. “How can it be about Billie? She’s dead,” those words sliced through me as I said them.
“One of the kids on the course remembered her, or her as a him and asked me if I was that poofy kid’s brother. I told him she was dead, and to respect her. he just laughed at me–she? He said, 'That figures, bloody fairy,' and I just lost it and whacked him one. The teacher saw me and sent me home telling me not to come back today.”
“Okay, who was the teacher?”
“Mr Samuels.”
“And the boy you hit?”
“Ricky Germaine.”
“Get yourself up and ready for your course, and get a move on.”
“I can’t, he banned me.”
“He can’t, or I’ll ban him. Hurry up, you need a good breakfast.” I left him and called the girls. Julie and Phoebe were cussing because they were late. I pointed out that they had alarm clocks so it was their own fault. I then got the younger ones up and went down to have my own breakfast.
Half an hour later I took Danny to the school and a short time later was heading for the teacher like a guided missile, only much more dangerous than mere weapons.
“Excuse me, are you Mr Samuels?” I asked politely.
“Yes, madam, who are you?”
“I’m Lady Cameron.”
“How can I help?”
“You suspended my son yesterday.”
“Your son? I don’t think so–I don’t actually recall anyone called Cameron on this course.”
“Daniel Maiden.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not quite connecting on this one.”
“Daniel is my adopted son.”
“Ah, now I’m with you.”
“You suspended him.”
“Yes, he was fighting–they all know from day one, any fighting and off they go.”
“Do you know why he was fighting?”
“I’m not interested–they know the rules.”
“I’m going to tell you anyway, and then you’re going to either suspend the other boy as well, or reinstate him.”
“I don’t think so. Look, Lady Cameron, I make rules and stick to them.”
“The other boy started it.”
“The other boy didn’t touch him.”
“He provoked him.”
“Sorry, that doesn’t count. They have to learn to control their tempers on the field and off it.”
“So you won’t reconsider?”
“No.”
“Fine, I’ll just carry on with my complaint. The police will be here in an hour and you’ll be suspended and possibly dismissed within a matter of weeks–and unable to work in teaching ever again.”
“What?”
“Good bye, Mr Samuels–and say the same to your career.”
“Now hang on a second, just because you’re wealthy doesn’t mean you can just go around throwing your weight about.”
“Can’t I? I make rules too, Mr Samuels–anyone who affects my children negatively, with no good reason, I destroy.”
“You’ll be taking on the union.”
“Mr Samuels, you’ll be homeless by tea time–what union?”
“Homeless?”
“Yes, I’ll call in your mortgage.”
“You can’t do that?”
“Watch me.”
“You bitch.”
“Ah but you have rules, Mr Samuel, you mustn’t rise to the provocation, or is that just for the children?”
“I’ve a damn good mind to slap you.”
“Feel free, but I must warn you I shall defend myself.”
“What with posh lawyers?”
“No, I’ll lay you out.”
“You?”
“Yes me. Better men than you have tried it. I’m off, I think I’ll destroy your wife’s career as well. Yes, that should be fun.” I turned, he stepped towards me and swung. I ducked and caught him behind his knees–and down he went.
“You were warned–I take it you’re now going to suspend yourself–or shall I just call the police?”
“If I go the course is over.”
“I gave you an alternative.”
“To reinstate Danny?”
“Yes, or suspend the other boy as well.”
“But he didn’t do anything–least not in front of me.”
“Get up and walk with me a moment.” He did as he was told, and I explained what had happened and how Billy became Billie and how protective Danny was of his sister.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“So what is your decision?” I asked him.
“What is yours?”
“If you either reinstate my son or sack the other boy as well, I’ll be satisfied.”
“Which would you prefer?”
“It isn’t my decision.”
“Okay, he can come back but if they clash again I’ll send them both home.”
“That I can live with. Oh what position does Germaine play?”
“Goal keeper, why?”
“I take it on opposite sides to Danny?”
“That could be arranged–why?”
“Shall we just say, I’d prefer to let Danny’s footballing skills speak for him, rather than his fists.”
“Where did you learn that thing–you know–where you dropped me?”
“I was bullied as a child, Mr Samuels–I learned to defend myself–I let you off easy, I could have seriously hurt you, but I was making a point. Provocation is every bit as bad as retaliation–I’d never have carried out the threats I made, but I needed to wind you up to make my point. We all have vulnerable areas, mine is my children. Good day, Mr Samuels.”
Comments
Touche'
Yep. We've all got sensitive areas. Mine's between my crown and my toes. Tetchy or what!
Good story, Ang, (Not a bad parable either!)
Thanks.
Bevs.
XXX
There is the wind up and the pitch.
American base ball slang. But Catherin has class and is a women after my own heart. I am astute enough to see the growth of authoritative bulling from some distance away. I like how she handled bigger bully then the situation. She is a person to be respected and be careful around when it comes to her children. I am the same being a Ma Ma Wolf I have earned the reputation to "Bite Chew Spit" So far I only need to show up and fix the guilty with my icy stare to solve a problem. But I am 6'2" 280 lb of Amazon determination. With Catherin being so much slighter I have the highest respect for that Ma Ma Badger. And I would not challenger her, even on a bet,.
Misha Nova
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
WOW! A new way to bring back
Billie as well as showing that Danny won't put up with any clods. Cathy should be proud.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Deadly
Way to go Cathy! And Danny!
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Not a fan of one size fits all rules
No fighting even when a person is actively goading and insulting a person when there is no equivalent punishment for said goading and deliberate insults is stupid. There are more ways to bully and deliberate non-physical harassment is one of them.
Kim
Sadly,
This episode illustrates the position that individuals like Mr. Samuels are in on a regular basis.
The suspension for Danny is almost a de rigueur application of "zero tolerance" policies that have become all too common and overapplied in schools today.
Also, Ricky has already learned well one of the principles of sport - the game officials often only see and act on the retaliation, rather than take the situation into account.
Whew, going up against Cathy is like trying to
stop a freight train by walking out in front of it. That said, while Cathy's demand seemed very appropriate to me and probalby to the rest of us, her threats were a little overboard. Yes, she got her point across but I can't help but feel that she may have gone a little too far. Danny does need to learn to control violent reactions to almost anything. It's part of growing up... and of course some never do.
(but I chuckle when thinking about the reaction of the other boys on the course to Danny's mom decking the coach)
(and I'd love to watch the game where Danny plays against the other boy at goal. Suspect the (soccer) balls will be kicked pretty hard.)
Bike 1953
One Coach probally din't relise he was taking on Dr Cameron as well!
Richard
Oh I So Wish....
that MY Mummy had been able to defend me when I was growing up, like Lady Cameron did Danny !
What a super Mum ! You wrote that so well too, Angharad. I could sense how that silly teacher would have felt getting his cum-uppance like that. Bully kids seem to have a good sense of timing - they always managed to make it look like they were in the right. I'm glad it is much better controlled in schools now, so that even if it does still go on, it is nowhere near as bad as it was back in the 1940s, when it seemed to be something that they encouraged even.
Briar
Hmmm...
Interesting, but disturbing at the same time.
It's not unusual for kids (or adults) to be punished for actions initiated by others. (I have a daughter who was suspended because she was standing NEXT to another girl who was seen "stealing" something. She was in tears when she got home, because she'd not DONE anything.) I can recall some cases where professional footballers (the non-US kind of football, as well as the US kind) have been ejected from games when they were egged on to far.
Not sure I agree with Cathy's approach to solving the problem, but it sure read interestingly. (I also don't know if Cathy would have refrained from doing at least some of the things she threatened to do... She's done them before.)
Thanks,
Annette
Many a word
has been written about how mothers protect their young, But it was a picture i saw earlier this week that really illustrated it for me.... A male lion was pictured approaching a cub with less than fatherly intentions, What he did not expect was that three lioness's seeing the danger would attack him and drive him off , Which must have been pretty much how Samuels felt when he had the misfortune to meet another lioness out to protect her cub, Maybe the situation was not life threatening, But the end result was the same...
Kirri
It is sad,
but kids really do get a fair shake more often if the teachers and authorities know a parent will be in to see them. I know it worked with my kids, I went gorilla on a desk more than once when I felt they were the subject of bureaucratic abuse.