The pain I felt as the cane came in contact with my back was extrucinating .I screamed my lungs out in pain but the two prefects held me down perfectly in place not letting go."Was this how Mum felt each time Dad hit her? No,it was too painful",I said to myself as tears rolled down my cheeks and I closed my eyes. I have never been flogged before and didn't know it was this painful. I hated this woman just as I hate Dad,they were birds of same feathers. No wonder they got a long we'll during their first meeting.
Finally,the perfects let me go at her command and I continued to cry."You can go now",she says to the prefects who took their leave."Next time you would think twice before skipping your lesson",she said to me,"Get up and take your seat",she said to me but I remained curled up at a corner crying my eyes out."I said...",she was about saying but I interrupted her,"Noooo!",I screamed at her and she looked taken back,"I will not sit down,I don't want your stupid lessons,I hate them. Why can't you all just let me be and leave me alone",I screamed at her,"Emily,this is for your own good,your father...",she began but I cut her off again,"Don't tell me about him,I hate him,I don't want to hear anything about him",I said and continued crying.
The office was quiet except for the sound of my cries which filled the office. I don't know how long I cried but I cried until I wouldn't cry any more despite her consolations. Even though I wasn't crying anymore, I remained where I was curled up and jerking. "Emily,we all want what is best for you and are trying to give you that. We don't hate you,we all love you and that's why we do what we do ,okay? All we want from you is your cooperation so you can enjoy the benefits",she said to me but that didn't move me one bit. If they love me like they claim then they should leave me alone.
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I wanted to lean on the tree bark but couldn't because of my aching back. I was sure the cane had left some marks. I heard the familiar sound of rustling leaves and knew who it was ,"Hi, it's me again",the familiar voice said and I rolled my eyes in the dark,"Great,the last person I wanted to see right now",I thought. I prepared to ignore her like usual but found myself listening.
She told me about her back ground. She said she was an only child and since she was a girl ,her Dad was disappointed as he wanted a boy but unfortunately,her mother couldn't have any child after her. His disappointment turned into hatred towards her and her mother. He came home drunk all the time and would beat her mother up for any flimsy reason and she wasn't left out. Everything about them irritated him and she always hid when he was at home to prevent his wrath. One day,he beat her mother leaving her badly wounded and she had to be taken to the hospital. Afraid to be left alone with the monster,she stayed in the hospital with her mother until she was discharged at her own expense as he refused to foot the bills. Deciding she had had enough,she divorced her father and started a new life for the both of them.
"Wow," I heard myself say,"I love your mother's courage,I wish my mother could be that brave too", I said and sighed,"Really? Why?",she asked," She's... She doesn't want to leave my Dad despite the number of times he had beaten her . She's a coward and I hate her for that",l explained to her ,"Don't say that she has her reason for staying",she said and I scoffed,"My Mum didn't want to leave initially because of me but seeing the extent he went ,she had to for her safety and mine. You know that takes a lot of courage?",she said . I pondered on what she just said,that thought had never hit me before.
" You know my Mum built this school and named it after me ",she said and I looked at her shocked," She took a loan from her bank to buy and start the school. Here used to be an old cemetery before she bought it and converted it to this magnificent School. It wasn't easy for her but as the school grew,it was all about work work work ,she barely had enough time for me but it was worth it",she said proudly," So you are the Principal's daughter?",I asked ," But why don't I see you around?",I asked ," Well it's complicated ",came her reply.
We fell silent for some time until she asked," What of your Dad, was he a major jerk like mine?","More than you can imagine ",I said," I wish there was a way i could just get rid of him and never see his stupid face again ",I added and she giggled," I thought so ",she said," Do you know the most annoying part? My other siblings adore him and does everything he said making me feel like an outcast. I wonder why after everything he has done to our mother.", I said angrily," Well I don't have any sibling so I don't know how that feels like ",she said ," Good for you",I said. We talked for sometime until I left since the night was far spent.
As I laid on my bed,I thought of what I discovered that night and I couldn't help but feel excited I going some one thst understood me for the first time ever.