Chapter 3: A Severe Cry for Help

Gloria still in a happy mood and glad to see her friend from school, she gave her a warm hug. But Ella Bradshaw was only interest in getting to the point about what she was there for. And as both girls release from their embrace, Gloria with a surprise look on her face, went on to investigate with a concern look showing all over her face.

“Ella Bradshaw, what are you doing here?”

Gloria shouted, grinning.

“I am here to see your mother!”

Ella replied.

“My mother!” Gloria exclaimed; “For what?”

“I have a situation that I would like for her to help me out with!”

Ella responded nervously.

“What is it… tell me!” Gloria questioned hurryingly.

“Mrs. Crossman suspended me from school and I need someone to stand in as a guardian for me, other than my mother, so I could return to school!”

Ella explained frighteningly.

Mom is out in the backyard, but I don’t know if, she will do such for you, but you could ask her anyway.”

Gloria advised.

“Please, do tell her that I desperately need for her to do so, or else, both my parents are going to kill me!”

Ella pleaded.

“Okay, let me go and get her for you!”

Gloria said.

Immediately, she ran to the side of the house and then disappeared.

Moments later, she and her mother was back at the front gate.

A short woman around four feet, three inches tall, carrying a thick piece of fire stick in one hand and was rubbing her eyes with her free hand. Apparently, the smoke that coming from the firewood was causing great discomfort to her eyes.

Standing still and staring at Ella and then at the very tall mixed breed Chines man, standing beside her, Glory mother invited them both inside her yard.

“Come on inside and rest yourselves on the steps!”

Glory mother said.

“Mom, this is my very good friend from school, Ella Bradshaw, and her uncle… her friend… Kaleem.”

Gloria made the introduction with some uncertainty on her face.

“Nice meeting the both of you!”

Gloria mother said with a smile and a look of concern in her eyes.

“I am Ms. Emmily!”

She then said while leaning her back against the veranda rails.

Kaleem was quick to take up the offer of sitting on the steps, probably because of the long walk they both had just done to get there. But Ella refused from sitting on the steps of her friend’s mother’s house, because she was still wearing her school uniform and didn’t want for it to get soil since there were dust on the steps.

Realizing that the steps were quite dusty, Gloria’s mother ask Gloria to fetch some old newspaper in the backyard, so her friend could spread them on the steps and be seated on them. But yet still, Ella didn’t care about being seated comfortable like that. She only wanted to hear some positive news that Gloria’s mother could help get her out of this situation.

Several sheets of newspaper in hand, Gloria returned to the front of the house and began spreading them out on the board steps for her friend to be seated on them.

Eagerly and sadly, Ella took a deep breath and began divulging her predicament between her and the school to Ms. Emmily.

“I haven’t done anything wrong at the school, but Vice Principal Mrs. Crossman, keeps picking on me for no good reason!” Ella said.

“If ten student comes through the school gate one minutes after seven, I am the only one she confronts about it! If there is noise in the classroom whenever she is walking past it. She singles me out to tell me to stop with the noise. Furthermore, I am the one doing all or most of the housework at home and I cannot even take my book and do my homework after I return home from school. And I know my mother and father is going to kill me, if they ever know that I have gotten suspended from school. Gloria, can testify that I don’t give any trouble at that school and have witness how many times that vice principal, Mrs. Crossman has singled me out for nothing at all… only taking set on me for no good reason.”

Ella explained sadly.

“So I’m at your mercies and begging you, Ms. Emmily, could you please, stand as my guardian tomorrow, so I can get back into my classroom. Because, my parents, honestly cannot know about this!”

Ella pleaded tearfully.

There was a moment of silence for a while as Ms. Emmily stood there, trying to analyze the entire story she had just heard from Ella’s lips.

Soon, she drop the piece of firewood from her hand and place both hands to her hips before breaking her silence.

“So why is this teacher taking so much of a set on you, child?”

Ms. Emmily ask.

“What about you that she sees fit, to keep on antagonizing you each day when you show up at the school?”

Gloria mother continued to enquire.

“Every single day she badgers her with one thing or the other!”

Gloria confirmed with a worried look on her face.

Reflecting over the matter, Ms. Emmily finally made her decision. A decision which had Ella’s feet buckling from under her.

“I believe what you and my daughter is telling me, but I think you should give your mother the letter, and let her go by the school and deal with this matter. Tell her what you are tell me now so the problem can be solve once and for all.”

Ms. Emmily suggested.

“But my mother is not going to believe me, she is going to believe whatever Mrs. Crassman tells her!”

Ella said with a frown on her face and watery eyes.

Deeply thinking about the narrative that had just been told to her, Ms. Emmily felt a great deep of sympathy towards her daughter’s friend and wanted to help her. But she knew the complications and consequences this might cause later her on so she decided to do otherwise.

“You know what Ella, this is what I will do for you! I will come by the school in the morning and speak with your mother for you; so she will ease off with the whip on your back.”

Ms. Emmily promised.

“That’s the best, I can do for you!”

She continued with raise eyes while resting both her hands on Ella’s shoulders.

And upon hearing this unfavorable news, Ella dropped herself onto the pieces of newspaper on the board steps, not caring if they would dirty her uniform or not and began letting out all the tears inside of her. They were tears of fear and pain that she had boiling inside of her. Expecting that every skin would be removed from her plump rump with the bicycle brakes, as soon as her parents learnt about her having this disciplinary situation at her school.

It was Gloria and her mother who had to now console her out of this state of hysteria and half-way back into a state of normalcy.

Kaleem who had never experience such gut-wrenching bawling like this before, only sat on the steps of the wooden veranda speechless, observing the goings on of Ella’s panic and frenzy. A sudden state of madness, being display by the young girl whom he had met on the side of the street bawling her eyes out like it was the end of the world for her.

His face was filled with pity, but there wasn’t anything that he could now do to help her. Fearing that her condition could become worse, leading to an investigation with some law enforcement officers, the Chines Rasta Man, soon became nervous. And seconds later he was on his feet and began bolting out of Ms. Emmily’s yard and took off running down the street, without even looking back, as if someone had just rub bird pepper seeds into his eyes. Or, as if, Ella’s lunatic behavior was contagious and he had somehow just contracted a dose of it from her.

Sprawling out on the front steps of Gloria’s house, weeping like a young mother giving birth, Ms. Emmily sap at Ella’s face with a large piece of wash cloth soak in cold water; trying to ease her tears and anguish. And after an hour or so, of patting Ella’s face and neck with the thick piece of wash cloth, she finally calm herself down. Few minutes later, she was ready to catch a ride and face whatever that would be deliver to her at home, after her parents receive this news of her suspension from school.

Gloria and her mother walked Ella to the side of the street where they stood comforting her with words until the first taxi came speeding from down the street. Hastily, Gloria put her hands out and wave down the cab which stopped at her feet. And moments later Ella hopped into it and soon she began waving goodbye to her friend Gloria and her mother as the vehicle drove away.

“I’ll see you at the school tomorrow morning!”

Ella said with a look of concern and worry on her face.

“I’ll be there in the morning; don’t you worry, Ella, I will be there!”

Ms. Emmily replied.

But, would Ms. Emmily really show up at Ella’s school to speak on her behalf like she had promised?

Seconds later, Gloria, her mother and their dwelling place were out of Ella’s eye sight for good. And now her mind was on how she was going to deliver this letter to her mother without getting a drug-lord slap in the face. She knew there was going to be a beating down in the making and she prayed that her father wouldn’t be a part of it this time around. But only the days ahead would tell.

Consumed with worry, Ella completely had forgotten about where she should have ask the taxi driver stop. And now he had driven her to more than a block from her stop.

Snapping out of her day dreaming, she shouted at the taxi driver; “Driver, you don’t realize that you’re taking me far away!”

Abruptly the driver stopped his vehicle, turn his head towards her and calmly stated;

“Young Miss, you didn’t say to me where to let you off, so I kept on driving.”

“Of course, I told you to let me off by the Duckens Field stop!”

Ella retorted, looking confused and uneasy.

Seeing the cab driver rolling his eyes and seemingly being annoyed by her, she hastily pay him her fare, leap from his vehicle and began making her way home. Not in a hurry but with slow strides because her mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of her mother reaction when she handed her to letter from her school principal.

Pushing the gate to the yard where she has been living, Ella entered the yard and then into the house where her mother was seated in the living room.

“Good evening, Mama!”

Ella said with a troubling look on her face.

“Evening, Ella!”

Ms. Nella replied gazing upon her from where she sat.

Entering her bedroom, Ella change out of her school uniform and then return to the living room and handed her mother the letter of suspension after taking several breaths.

Snatching the letter from Ella’s hand, her mother angrily ask;

“What the hell is this for?”

Ella kept silent while her mother unfold the letter given to her and began staring at the words written on it.

Ms. Nella didn’t have to read much, but seeing the word suspension said it all to her. And now she was shouting at Ella and asking her why she was suspended from the school.

But repeatedly, Ella shook her head nervously and answered;

“I didn’t do anything wrong, and the teacher suspended me.”

“How can a teacher suspend you or any other student for nothing… not doing anything wrong; is she an idiot?”

Ms. Nella lashed out angrily while staring Ella up and down to determine the truth.

“Let me hear that you are involve in any rubbish up by that school, where I’m sending you with my hard working fucking money, and you’re done for with me!”

Ms. Nella continued to lash out.

The ranting and raving of her mother’s tongue continued on for most of the evening, causing Ella to dismiss herself from the living room. Feeling the heat of troubling rising around her, she went into isolation behind her bed and completely out of sight of her father. If he should ever come home and attack her with his stinging whip after hearing about her letter of suspension from the school.

Washing the dishes was one of Ella’s responsibility around the house. And soon, her mother was shouting her name to come and wash the dishes soon after dinner was serve and her mother hadn’t behold her nowhere around the yard or inside the house.

Nervously, Ella removed herself from her hiding position and walked towards the kitchen where she barely looked at the plate of food dished out and waiting for her.

Still crying, the young girl filled with fear looked up at her mother and could barely speak as she stood in front of her.

“You can continue hiding all you want!” Her mother uttered in an upsetting tone and a look of scorn; “But don’t expect any mercies from either me or your father’s hands when those teachers tell me what you have done wrong!”

“Have you forgotten to wash the dirty dishes or should I remind you to wash them with the back of my hand?”

Her mother continued to ask.

“Just make sure, you are out of bed by five in the morning, so I can follow you by the school and sort out why the damn principal sent me this letter; before I go to my job!”

Ms. Nella said as she strip her clothing off her body and went under the shower in the back yard.

Meanwhile, Nella started to take small bites at her dinner but found it very difficult to both chew and swallow, because of her constant hick-cups, nervousness and crying. But she manage to tie her hands up into plastic bags and washed all the dishes with the bar of acid soap provided for doing such.

After having completed one of her after school chores, she managed to rinse out her uniform for school the following morning and then take her bath before going to bed that evening.

It was now dark and almost all of Ella’s siblings had already done their homework and was preparing themselves for bed. So, they could rise up very early and prepare themselves for school in the morning. And since it was already dark past nine-thirty, her mother already knew her father wouldn’t be coming home from work that particular evening. Because he would be doing overtime at the water plant where he worked as a watchman. Therefore, it would ideal for her mother to bolt up the front doors, because he wouldn’t be coming home from work that specific evening.

A circumstance which Ella was extremely thankful for and had her sleeping better than the usual.

But bright and early Friday morning, before dawn and the roosters started crowing, her mother began slapping her around, pinching her wherever on her body she saw fit, forcing her to get out of the bed and ready herself to face the troubles she was encountering with her teachers at her school.

Obtaining some rest, Ella leap from the bed after feeling the pain of her mother’s hands upon and into her flesh. She had pinched her so hard that it left a bruise indentation into her skin.

“Ouch!!!!”

Ella moaned as she opened her eyes to the sight that her mother had bruised and saw her standing over her with vexation written all over her face.

“Get your ass out of the bed and get yourself ready for school!”

Ms. Nella yelled.

Wiping sleep from her eyes, and rubbing the spot on her leg that had gotten bruised, Ella crawled off the bed and carry out her first duty of the day; emptying the piss pan. She then went to brushing her teeth and have her cut of bread with sweetened mint tea for breakfast.

Moments later, Ella was dressing up in her school uniform and readying herself to what had been causing much scare in her life for the past couple of hours.

And like two bulls facing different challenges in the wild, Ella and her mother made their way to the main streets of the community of Duckens Field, where they would catch the very first ride going by Forthsea Secondary School.

Neither, mother or daughter had an ounce of smile or pleasantness on their faces. Ms. Nella had her face all screwed-up like a vicious mad dog and Ella had her face dropped and filled with worry and shame. Shameful about being in this predicament and worried because she wasn’t sure, if she would be able to ever defend herself inside of the principal’s office. One thing she was quite certain of was that her own mother wouldn’t be defending or siding with her, whether she was in the wrong or in the right.

It was all about getting this matter settled and done away with, so Ella could possibly return to her normal schedule of schooling.

The morning was bright and quite cool as if there was going to be an over cast of rain. But the coolness in the atmosphere did very little for Ella or her mother. They were both, steaming hot in one way or the other and the expression on their faces said it all.

Paying their fares to the bus driver, mother and daughter made the long walk to the gates of the Forthsea School, hoping to be attended as early and quickly as possible. But such desires wouldn’t happen since the principal saw it fit, to first attend to the devotional area for the massive gathering of students and check for the children who would be coming through the school gate a minute after seven.

Ms. Nella was offered a chair to seat herself on while they waited and Ella was told by the vice principal to stand and wait until they were called into the office for the meeting.

That was a clear hint that Ella was being abuse and harass by the vice principal who was encouraging others to do the same to her. But her mother’s eyes were blinded to that fact because she was handing out the same harshness to her daughter at home for no specific reason.

Less than an hour later, though, the moment of truth would be revealed, even though all eyes were blinded to the real problem; the antagonizing and mistreatment of a child.

The wide open space in front of the school yard where devotional services were conducted was now empty and most students were off to their individual classrooms. And the few who were coming in late through the school gates were being stopped and questioned by the principal about the reasons for their lateness. Until, she had over exerted herself by asking them multiple questions and getting the same answers.

“Miss, we have been walking from five o’clock this morning!”

One child would say.

“The taxi was full carrying many persons to work, so it was difficult for us to catch a ride to school this morning!”

Another child would express with concern showing in their eyes.

<<>>?

And after interrogating the late comers, Mrs. Crassman and Mrs. Banner finally called Ms. Nella and Ella Bradshaw into their office. And once again, Ella was told to stay on her feet while her mother was offered a nice seat. And Mrs. Banner who didn’t really have much on Ella Bradshaw, encouraged Mrs. Crassman to remain inside the office and indulge the young child mother with all the wrong doing she has being doing at the institution.

Hesitant in her speech, the principal had to now encouraged the vice principal to speak up about this child who has been causing so much disorder at this quite place of learning.

But whether it was God or angels, Mrs. Crassman’s tongue couldn’t form the lies she intended to tell about Ella fast enough, so she settled with telling a story of her coming to the school late almost every morning.

“That’s a lie, Mrs. Crassman!”

Ella lashed out with a stern look on her face.

“See what I’m telling you… always late and no discipline!”

The vice principal retorted looking down to the floors.

It was shockingly to the principal at the school that her second hand was giving some miss-information about Ella Bradshaw because she was expecting her to roll out a book on this child whom she was always complaining about. And the moment for her to do so in front of her mother – a parent, she was not tight-lipped with very little to say. Seeing that her assistant was sitting there fumbling for words; having very little negative new or information to dish out about this supposedly rube student. Mrs. Banner quickly jumped at the opportunity to reveal and divulge Ella’s mother on what had transpired the day before at the school with her daughter.

Uncertain, if Kaleem Chin was Ella’s real uncle or not, Mrs. Banner started off her sentence with an air of caution in her voice.

“Did your daughter tell you, she brought your chines brothers here yesterday to represent her as a guardian?”

Mrs. Banner said with her eyes dancing from Ella’s face to that of her mother’s.

All this time Ms. Nella was sitting quietly on the chair offered to her as she stepped into the principal office; listing and trying to grasp what these two had really brought her there for. And very soon, she began contemplating that these two grown ass educators had brought her at the school for nothing… wasting her day. But upon hearing the unexpected news that some chines fella had shown up at the school with her daughter, claiming to be her brother, put a completely different spin on things – the entire situation was now change from bad to worse.

Leaning forward towards the desk in front of her, staring into Mrs. Banner’s eyes, Ms. Nella with bulging wide eyes lashed out;

“I don’t have any chines brother in my family!”

“Well, there’s your daughter standing over there next to you. Let her tell you who this Chinese brother of yours is, who she brought into my office yesterday, calling him uncle Jaeel and clinging onto his hand like he was Jesus amongst the little children!”

Ms. Banner spoke viciously as she flash her fingers in the direction to where Ella stood.

Immediately, Ella peek her through the door of the principal office, hoping that Gloria’s mother Ms. Emmily would be there like she had promised. So, she could begin pleading on her behalf, if her mother should ever made any attempt on spanking her, right then and there, on the grounds of the school.

There was now fire in Ms. Nella’s eyes and a rowdiness in her voice as she began lashing out at her daughter and asking, where the hell did this Chines man came from and who he was to her?

“Is he your father’s brother or mine?” Ms. Nella asked cynically; “Because, I don’t recall any chines people being in this family that I ever bring to our house before.”

Bowing her head in shame and fumbling with her hands, Ella spoke honestly.

“I met him on the road yesterday… he saw me crying and told me that he would come by the school as my uncle and speak on my behalf, if I wanted him to. And so I told him yes!”

Ella explained tearfully.

Rising from her seat with palm wide open to slap Ella in the face and one hand folded to fist her wherever possible, Ms. Nella had to be quickly restraint by the Vice Principal at the school.

“You can beat her, Ms. Bradshaw, but please do so when you get home and not inside this office!”

Mrs. Crassman advised as she held Ella’s mother with both hands below the shoulders.

Soon, Nella Bradshaw was back on her chair trying to calm herself down and ruffling all that just became unruffled on her person while staring at her daughter with much disdain.

The two forces that were persistently on Ella’s back, were now very happy, they have convey this information of one of their students behavior to the student’s mother, making her aware that her child Ella Bradshaw needed strict discipline.

But, was poor Ella Bradshaw in need of severe discipline as these educators were claiming?

Observing that her mother was quick and ready to slap her over in their office right in front of them, had brought much joy to both the vice principal and principal of the Forthsea secondary school. And with nothing more to discuss, the meeting was adjourned and Ella and her mother were free to go. But, the vice principal keen on pushing more heat to the fire of the situation, announce that Ella couldn’t return to school until the following week.

A statement which had angered her mother even more, but such anger wasn’t express to the official at the school who were trying their best to ridicule this poor student, but vocally and physically, all anger were directed towards Ella Bradshaw.

Shaking hands with the parent of Ella Bradshaw and thanking her for coming to the office of the school at such quick notice, Mrs. Banner and Mrs. Crassman said their pleasant goodbyes.

But once through the large gates of the massive school compound, Ella’s mother wasted no time to show how brutal she can become. Soon, she began throwing stones at her daughter… not pebbles, but gigantic stones which could cause serious damage to even a large elephant. Leaving Ella to be running, ducking and screaming out for help on the streets while her mother continued throwing stones and cursing at her as many profanity as she could. And this behavior was nonstop and persisted all the way to the main streets where the vehicles were stopping and collecting their passengers for their journey.

“Which chines brother you know that I have… you bringing this chines man to the school and calling him your fucking uncle… do I look like a fucking chines to you?”

Ella’s mother lashed out as she sail one stone after the other at her daughter.

“You just wait, until I tell your Papa about this shit, when I come home from work this evening!”

Ms. Nella continued lashing out angrily.

Sad to say, it wasn’t until she had gotten into the bus for her ride home that Ms. Nella controlled her mouth, ceasing from letting out all those dirty words that she could think of to diminish the esteem of her own daughter Ella.