A PAGE OF THEIR LIVES -1

UNKNOWN

He walked into the classroom, head hung low from the shame he had always went into the class with. He could no longer sew the torn parts of his uniform as they had gotten to the point of no return. Everyone who saw him pointed at the very conspicuous tear just above his knee, while some laughed at him, others pitied him, and on days like this he really wanted to hide away.

The teachers were more understanding and had ceased in trying to enquire about his less-than-expected look. They all just let him be. 

No one understood what was going on in his life. No one really wanted to know. The last person he confided in told half of the class about his problems and this made him feel low. 

It didn’t help that he would have to hawk in his uniform after school and watch as his classmates stared at him while being driven home in big beautiful cars. It didn’t help that he was falling back on his grades because he couldn’t get enough sleep and would often fall asleep in class. It didn’t help that some teachers would see that as a form of disrespect and would punish him. 

It didn’t help that his English was poor and his tribal intonation very strong; his words never sounded like others did. 

It didn’t help that his father thought that it was a waste of money sending him to school. 

It didn’t help that he had to be the one sending himself to school at 14. 

It didn’t help that the girl he liked would never notice him because of how he looked. 

It didn’t help that he knew he wouldn’t go the University, because he couldn’t afford to.

 

It didn’t help that last night after selling the bananas he had harvested from his father’s farm, a drunk group of older boys forced him into the bush and had their way with him. There were 3 of them.

Now his uniform trouser was torn at the back. Torn where it was ripped and his gait very different. His teacher was delighted to hear him say he wanted to stand through class because she thought he wanted to drive sleep away. Little did she know that today was different.  

He had been hearing the voices that told him to end his suffering for a long time but today they seemed to be louder and more convincing. He didn’t understand why his life was so hard and why he had nobody to help him. 

He didn’t understand why his mother left him with his dad and never came back for him. 

He didn’t understand why he had to be the one those boys took advantage of last night.

When the final bell rang to end the school day, he walked away unnoticed by anyone, as usual. 

No one saw him hawk that afternoon. He didn’t return home that evening. He didn’t walk into class the next day.