The headmaster and his assistant quickly grabbed him and took him outside. Manjenje was the only one left behind, though he had no idea how that boy had ended up in such a state. He simply sat still, unshaken—as if he believed the young man deserved what had happened to him.
When the boy was finally brought out of the office, the female teacher—who was very close to Manjenje—was deeply shocked upon seeing his condition. She hurriedly joined the two other teachers and led them quickly toward the headmaster's car. Without wasting a moment, the boy was placed inside, she followed, and the car sped off from the school.
Within fifteen minutes, they arrived at Mbagala Rangi Tatu Hospital, where he was received with urgency because blood was still flowing from that area. The nurses rushed him inside once they learned he had previously been stitched at the same spot. Apparently, a complication had occurred, reopening the wound and causing the bleeding.
The teachers remained at the patient waiting desk, deeply unsettled. None of them even remembered that there was a disciplinary issue involved. All they cared about was his safety—whether he would recover. The stick had caused all this.
"Have any of you ever heard this boy having such a condition before? Lily, tell me," the headmaster asked, looking at the female teacher.
"Sir, he once had a terrible car accident—that's how he got that huge wound there. He used to be one of the promising young boxers, but because of that injury, he was advised not to fight again. So he stopped and continued with his studies. Even when you might have heard about him getting into fights or trouble in the streets, he always tried to protect that shoulder—especially the part near the neck," she explained.
"And you—what's your connection with this boy? I'm surprised you know so much about him," the assistant asked quickly.
Lily replied, "We live in the same neighborhood, very close actually. Without him, I remember I would have been attacked badly by some street thugs, but he stepped in to defend me. From that day, I became very close to him and his guardian."
---
At the front area of the hospital, suddenly a black Land Cruiser Prado pulled in and stopped right near the entrance to the ward where Rama had been taken. Two women stepped out—one heavyset, the other of moderate build. Their faces bore a strong resemblance, clearly showing they were relatives.
The two women hurried inside, walking straight until they reached where Teacher Lily and the others were seated.
When Lily saw them, she quickly stood up, rushing toward the slimmer woman and greeted her warmly, then turned respectfully to greet the heavier one. After greeting both, Lily turned to face her superiors..
"Sir, this here is Madam Salima, Rama's guardian—his maternal aunt. And this one is his elder sister," she introduced.
As she spoke, the heavy woman looked around anxiously, then quickly asked,
"Please, I need to know—how is Rama doing? What happened?"
"He's inside being treated. We're waiting for the doctor to come out," the headmaster replied and went on to narrate everything that had happened leading up to the incident.
When the heavy woman heard it all, she burst out,
"So where is that teacher who did this to my son?"
Salima quickly stepped forward to calm her down.
"Sister, please, not yet—first let's find out how the child is doing."
(Turning to the teachers) "Everyone, this is Rama's biological mother. I guess most of you didn't know that."
Moments later, Rama was brought out from the treatment room, his shoulder now wrapped in bandages and plaster. His shirt had been removed due to the blood stains.
When his mother saw him, she rushed forward in tears, her hands trembling as she held his cheeks and lifted his face to see if he was truly okay. She kept touching him gently while guiding him as his aunt and the teachers followed.
"Thank you all so much for bringing him here and getting him treated," she said. "But tomorrow I'm coming to your school myself to meet the teacher who did this. Even if he's broken something, he must give me a satisfactory explanation for doing such a thing."
With that, they all walked outside together. The young man was placed into the same car his mother had arrived in, followed by his aunt and Lily. The headmaster and his assistant waved them off, then went to their own vehicle. And just like that, everyone departed in their separate directions.
---
By then, it was no secret—almost all the students knew that their fellow student had been rushed to the hospital because he was bleeding from his shoulder. The news spread quickly, causing anxiety among those who used to stay close to him. Most were silent now, stunned by what they had heard, worried about his condition.
Frida was the most restless of all. The thought of staying at school without him made her uneasy. She became so withdrawn that tears filled her eyes. Monica and other classmates tried hard to comfort her, fearing she might break down completely. She truly cared for that boy, praying his injury wouldn't be serious.
"Frida, calm down, please. The teachers will come tell us what happened. Rama just got a small injury, okay? Don't overthink it," Monica said softly.
"You don't get it. He had stitches on his shoulder. If it's bleeding again, then something's gone wrong with the stitches," Frida replied, her eyes red as she looked aside.
---
Siyawezi, who wasn't far away, heard those words. She curled her lips in anger, stood up abruptly, and walked out. Her steps were slow but deliberate as she made her way toward the teachers' quarters. Finally, she reached Manjenje's office and entered without knocking. The teacher was sitting there, unaware of what was coming.
"I see you're happy now with what you've done, huh? Fine—he's been taken to the hospital, maybe that pleases you," she said coldly, staring at him with contempt.
"What are you saying? Remember, I'm your teacher," Manjenje responded sternly.
"Teacher my foot! Try that tone with someone else, not me—the one who knows you from when you're dressed to when you're not," she shot back sharply. "Let me tell you something—if there was ever a day you disgusted me, it's today, for what you did to Rama. I saw how you were picking on him in class just because of that light-skinned girl. Old man, if you didn't know, let me tell you right here—I'm deeply into Rama. I care for him, but I just don't have the same position as his girl does. I respected and admired you, even loved you in a certain way, but you've crossed the line. Now wait until Rama's friends and the others hear about this—you'll be on your own, here and even back where you were born. You've stepped in the wrong place, just so you know. If you wanted a woman's attention, force doesn't work. Women like gentleness and courtesy, not aggression… I've said what I came to say. Deal with your own disaster."
And with that, Siyawezi turned and stormed out quickly, not giving him another chance to speak.