No stress no drama

• ·         Problems are like tunnels. They are dark, long and scary but they will eventually end. If u stop fighting it will just take a longer time. Just keep going.

• ·         Can you love everybody you know equally? No, so understand that some people will love you less. No hard feelings.

• ·         God loves you. Honestly if he didn’t you wouldn’t be reading this. It’s kind of hard to absorb sometimes because he is the maker of everything? Yea well if you made something as complex and cool as you, you would love it too wouldn’t you?

• ·         Anger is like a parasite. You know, like the annoying malaria parasite that goes into your system and makes your white blood cells weak? In this case white blood cells= happiness. Don’t let anger steal your joy.

• ·         Things will not always go your way so make back up plans all the time if you can’t take disappointments. One time all 3 back up plans failed but the 4^th didn’t. It was to buy myself a drink if all 3 failed and I did J

• ·         Hard times are sometimes good for you. They make you strong. I mean think about it, if you have been chased by a hungry lion before, that local dog is nothing! Bingo clearly didn’t know you could run that fast.

• ·         The more you give the more you get. You may be rolling your eyes but chale it’s true. Just don’t expect it to come the way you gave it. I’m sorry it doesn’t work like that. When you put a seed in the ground what do you get? It starts as a plant, a tree and in no time you have a 100 fruits.

• ·         No matter what you do (I hope it’s nothing bad) believe in yourself. A lot of people do not think they are worth much but if they could see the big picture they would be blown away. You don’t have to be on TV or in magazines to be the best. It’s all about you.

Alice 6

Alice didn’t come to school for a whole week after the incidence. I felt horrible. Patricia said she spoke to her aunt and she said she had decided to home school Alice and that the trauma of losing her parents made her act the way she did. “It’s all my fault. I just made you lose a student.’ I said to her. “Oh Doreen don’t feel guilty. Think about it like this. Now Alice is gone, I don’t get angry parents calling me. We lost one to save the rest now get to work!’ She consoled. This time her words didn’t really help.

It had been four days without Alice in the class. Rodney and Patricia seemed to think this was a good thing but I had a bad feeling about it. Maybe my shrink was right, maybe I had a liking for this girl. “Oh my dear, cheer up. After all she liked you didn’t she? Don’t let this get to you so much ok?” Rodney said. I managed to smile. “I know but I feel really stupid. I shouldn’t have told her what I think I saw. I’m such an idiot!” I said rubbing my forehead with the palm. We were going to his sister’s wedding. It was just the perfect environment for me. The beautiful decorations, the music, seeing lots of familiar faces and also stealing styles for dresses. In just a few minutes I forgot all about Alice. The day was so neat. I told myself I was going to forget the whole issue. I was silly to tell her aunt that tale but I was tired to being gloomy. What was my problem? My husband had just got a promotion, he wanted us to have a baby and my class was back to normal. I had a lot to be thankful for and the sermon at the wedding just did the trick. God wanted me to start afresh and that was exactly what I was going to do.

“Doreen could you go to my office and get me the attendance sheet? Thank you.” Patricia said. We were having our usual monthly staff meeting. All the teachers were seated in the staff room with Patricia. Sometimes I felt more like her Personal Assistant than a teacher in her school. I nodded and walked out. As I marched to her office I looked out the window and saw one of the teaching aids escort a little boy to his parent. I stared so hard I almost missed the office. I really couldn’t wait to have one of my own. I went straight to the file where Patricia kept her attendance sheets. I saw the one she wanted and grabbed it but just before I left I saw something that caught my eye. Alice’s file. It was wide open and I recognized her passport picture. I looked around to make sure no one saw me and took a closer look at the file. She had no other relatives except her aunt. Then I saw their home address. It was a few blocks away from a friend’s house. I knew where it was. Just when I was about to flip the page and read some more I heard a child cry. I shook in fear and dropped the sheet I was holding. I picked it up immediately and rushed out of the office.


“Doreen can I get a ride home?” Mrs. Taylor asked. She was one of the new teachers. We got along pretty well because she was in my neighbourhood. “Ermm I’m not going straight home. I will make a quick stop somewhere. If you don’t mind.” I replied. She thought for a while. “Oh but can you drop me off at the main junction?” She asked again. “Yes, sure. Let’s go.” I replied. That was on my way. She hopped into my old Camry and we drove off. “Are you going to see a friend?” She asked. “Ermm pardon?” I asked absentmindedly. She repeated herself and I nodded. I was far in thought. I didn’t know why I wanted to but I felt I owed Alice’s auntie and apology. I dropped Miss Taylor off at the junction and went on with my journey. I knew the road very well but wasn’t sure how the houses where numbered so I slowed down when I got to their street. “Number 17E.” I whispered to myself as I watched the numbers of the houses. Then I found it. How ironic, the house was painted violet and white. I parked across the road and took a deep breath. “Here we go!” I said to myself and got out of the car.

To be continued

Alice 5

“So, Patricia arranged a meeting on Monday.” I said.  Rodney nodded and took a sip of water. “I’m really not sure if I should ask her about what I saw?” I went on. He looked up and asked, “I thought you were over what you claim you saw Reeny?” I put my fork down and leaned closer to him. “I think this is meeting will give me the closure I need. If she denies it then I guess Mr. Dawson is right.” I said. “Wow, that’s your plan? You just ask her if her niece has super powers? Hi, does your niece levitate with purple hair around the house?” He teased. I felt like hitting him but he was all the way at the other side of the table. “You know what? I didn’t bring my beautiful wife here to talk about an escaped member of the X-men. Guess what? I got the promotion.” He said with a wide smile. “Wow, that’s great!” I said. We spent the rest of our night talking about his promotion and our dreams. “So you know what that means right?’ Rodney asked. I looked away from a waiter who almost tripped. “No, what?’ I asked paying attention now. He smiled broadly and said “we can finally have a baby.’ My eyes lit up almost immediately. “Wow Rodney do you mean it? That’s great! No that’s greater than great that’s super great!’ I exclaimed.

I spend the all my time planning and preparing for a baby in my head that I totally forgot I was meeting Alice’s Aunt. When I got to class everything was normal. I didn’t even hear anyone complain about Alice. After school I was hurriedly packing my things to leave so I could window shop for a baby cot before I get home when a Teaching Assistant came to me and told me Patricia was looking for me. Then it clicked! I rushed to her office and the anxiety set in. It was almost as if I didn’t want to meet the woman. Was it necessary? I mean Alice had been good the whole day. I knocked on the door and went in. I saw a woman, in her mid-forties. “Hello’ I said to her and she smiled. Patricia was in the office and made a quick introduction. “I have to go check on a few things on the playground so go right ahead.’ She said and walked out. I was a bit nervous even sitting down.

“Errm did the Principal tell you anything about why you are here?’ I asked politely. She shook her head. Wow this was going to be harder than I thought. “Ok right! Well it’s about Alice.’ I started. Her reaction made me pause. Her eyes widened and she sat up on her seat, eager to hear what I had to say. “Some of the children in her class say she bullies them.’ I explained keeping an eye on her every move. “How?’’ She asked. I looked at her closely and said, “she pulls their hair or hits them.’ All of a sudden she breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t help myself so I asked “Were you expecting something else?’ She shook her head violently and squeaked a “No, no”. I knew for sure there was something up! “Can I tell you something, between me and you?’ I pushed further. I could see some horror in her eyes. “The day the school almost collapsed I saw Alice alone in the washroom. She was…she was levitating and her hair had turned violet.’ I confessed. She got up all of a sudden. “I beg your pardon?! Is this some kind of joke? I’m leaving!’ She said and grabbed her bag. “No, madam I’m sorry maybe it was an oversight. Please sit down.’ I pleaded but she wouldn’t listen. She rushed out of the office with me calling after her. Then when we were at the car park I saw Alice run to her. “Madam Doreen, I will talk to my niece about the bullying but as for you, you need to work on your superstition issues.’ She said and drove off with Alice waving at me and smiling. I blew it! She was right; I was totally out of line.

Alice didn’t come to school for a whole week after the incident. I felt horrible. Patricia said she spoke to her aunt and she said she had decided to home school Alice and that the trauma of losing her parents made her act the way she did. “It’s all my fault. I just made you lose a student.’ I said to her. “Oh Doreen don’t feel guilty. Think about it like this. Now Alice is gone, I don’t get angry parents calling me. We lost one to save the rest now get to work!’ She consoled. This time her words didn’t really help.

To be continued

Summer date

“Ali, you think it was a good idea to double date? I mean this is a blind date.” Betty said. She was holding on to my arm. “Calm down, it’s nothing big. You have been chatting with these guys for weeks. Besides we are going back to Ghana soon. Just relax and have fun.” I assured her. She nodded and looked out the window. We were taking a bus. All too soon the bus stopped and we were on our way. We were going to meet two guys we met online. I had never done that before, meet a total stranger. Well I had been chatting with them for a while so it wasn’t bad. Betty was holding on to me like I was her walking stick! I pulled away and she looked at me and asked, “What?” We got to the restaurant and saw them in a corner. “Ali, they look cuter in person.” Betty whispered to me as we walked in. She adjusted her clothes and took the lead. How we got to know them was a long story. All I can say is Facebook. They turned around when we were almost there. Kenny, my date got up and pulled the chair for me. I smiled and sat down. Darren didn’t seem to catch the chair fast enough. Betty just got it herself.

We were chatting openly among each other, basically about London. Betty didn’t hesitate to tell them about her childhood experiences since she was born here. Darren and Kenny were pretty interesting and Darren was extremely funny. It was obvious we were from different worlds by just listening to our Ghanaian accent and their British accent. We ordered a pizza and sodas and the joking got even crazier after the food. Time flew like Road Runner and we had to catch our bus back to Betty’s mum’s apartment. We all got up but Darren was still in his seat on the phone. “You guys go; I’ll be with you in a bit.” He said. So we took the lead to the bus stop. We were just on time. I gave ma date a hug and Betty gave him a hug too then we rushed off into the bus

“I think they are fun. It’s sad I didn’t get to hug Darren though. He’s so cute!” Betty went on and on as we went home. The next day the boys wanted to hang out again. Betty was so excited. I wonder why? I guess it was the whole summer dating thing. The whole ‘no strings attached’ idea. “This time I’m taking my camera and getting some pics.” Betty went on and on. When the day came she left her camera at home but her lip gloss was in her purse! My cousin. We met at the movies this time. As usual we were ‘slightly late’. Kenny came to get us at the gate. “Where is Darren?” Betty asked. “Oh he’s inside. He wanted to get the best seats.” Kenny answered with a weird grin. We both smiled and went in

The movie was hilarious. Summer movies are always the best. When the movie was over we got up to leave. Kenny whispered something to Darren and he got a little mad. Then it all started to make sense. Kenny helped Darren up and he grabbed a crutch. Betty looked shocked. “Bet, do you have any lip gloss?” I asked to keep her from staring like that. She snapped back and turned to me. “What?” she asked. “Never mind.” I said. “I see you staring at my third leg.” Darren teased. Betty’s laughter was so superficial it was bad. “I guess that makes you a cyborg.” I said to try and break the awkwardness. Betty wouldn’t even try to be having a good time. I really felt bad because I could see it wasn’t too easy for Darren. His jokes had all faded. She was more or less directing all conversation to Kenny now. I walked closer to Darren and decided to talk to him alone too. His mood picked up just a little. When we got to the bus stop Betty looked very keen on going home. Darren was even more uncomfortable but I tried to blind him from what she was doing. Kenny on the other hand didn’t have a problem ‘chatting Betty up."

“Bet, what you did back there wasn’t cool.” I said to my cousin when we got home. “Huh? The guy is a cripple Alima, a cripple!” She shot at me. “Listen maybe he just had an accident and it’s not serious, whatever it is you still didn’t have to act like that. It was just rude.” I explained. “Ali, there’s no way I’m gonna have fun with a cripple ahh, so slow.” She said. I realized this wasn’t helping. That night I sent Darren a text. “Hey, we had fun today. Have a goodnight.” I fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning I noticed he had replied and it read. “Thanks for the sympathy. I would really understand if you guys don’t want me to come to the next date. I shouldn’t be doing much movement anyways.” I couldn’t believe this. I felt so bad. I walked to the hall where Bet was and showed her the text. “Oh cool at least he understands.” She said. I felt like smacking her. 

Kenny invited us to his little brother’s skate boarding competition that weekend. He said Darren couldn’t come because he was ‘busy’. I told him I couldn’t make it but Betty was more than excited to go. That day I was home alone and all I could think about was what happened at the movies. I picked up my phone and called Darren. He sounded surprised when I told him I didn’t go out with the rest. We spoke till I run out of minutes and then he called me back. He mentioned going for physio the next day and I asked if I could come. He froze for a while and said. “Yea, sure I mean if you like.” I smiled because I realized he was feeling more comfortable now.

To be continued

Alice 4

“When you see her how do you feel?” Mr. Dawson asked. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “A mixture of fear and worry. It’s like I’m afraid she would do something dangerous and so I’m worried.” I explained. I could hear him scribble things down. “Do you fear that she would harm you?” He asked again. “No, well not really, I just feel like she will harm others, just like she did the first time.” I said. He sat up on his chair now and looked straight at me. “If you feel like this why are you taking the job again?” He asked. “I have no idea.” I confessed. Just then my phone rang. I got off the couch and reached for my bag. “I’m sorry.” I said quickly before he could complain. I answered the phone. It was Rodney. He needed some information to pay some bills. I made it as quick as possible and rushed back to the couch and smiled. Mr. Dawson wasn’t very amused. 

My first day back at the school was fine. I was teaching my old class but Alice was not in class. She had called in sick. I tried to be as normal as possible and halfway through the class I realized there was no need to be tense. I was teaching children. I don’t know how Mr. Dawson did it but he brought me down to earth again. He had the best explanation for what happened and delivered it to me perfectly. It totally put me at ease. I guess the money I pay him is worth it after all. Oh yes his theory. He said that I cared a lot about Alice because she and I had a lot in common and my inability to have a child drew me closer to her. The building almost collapsed because of what they said in the news (poor maintenance) and when I went to look for Alice the stress and anxiety affected my memory of what happened. It sounded cheezy the first time but when he explained it, it began to make sense. He also repeated my story to me and it sounded really absurd. My life was back on track until Alice came back to school the next day.

As always she sat in a corner at the back and didn’t utter a word. I warned the whole class to treat her nicely. The class was smaller now. About five children had left the school from my class. In the middle of the painting class, I heard someone scream from the back and turned around sharply. I walked over and saw Alice holding on to Karina’s hair. “Alice, what are you doing?” I asked with a little quiver in my voice. She let go of Karina’s hair and looked away. “Nothing.” She muttered. Karina was almost in tears. “Mrs. Hanson I didn’t do anything and she…” Karina complained bitterly. “It’s ok Kari, come and sit here.” I said and led her to an empty seat. I turned around and walked to my table. “Won’t you let her sit in the punishment box?” Cecil, another child asked. “Keep quiet and continue painting.” I said, feeling very bad. 

“Doreen, can I have a word with you?” Patricia, the Principal said. I was sitting in the canteen with two new teachers. I took a last bit of food and hurriedly excused myself. I walked into her office and closed the door behind me. “Doreen, hope everything is fine with you back in school.” She started. I nodded and sat down. I knew what she was going to say wasn’t pleasant because she was looking down the whole time. “I have been getting some complaints from some parents. I wouldn’t call you here if it isn’t serious. Four parents said you did nothing when their child was bullied in class. I know the kids have been through a lot but being too lenient isn’t a good idea.” She said. My heart missed a beat. “Why are you shielding Alice Taylor?” She asked again.

My eyes opened wider. “I..I..I’m not.” I stammered. Patricia folded her arms and looked directly at me. What was I supposed to tell her? “I’m sorry, I had it all wrong. The class used to pick on her because she was new so when they complain that she does something I usually think it’s a prank.” I lied. Patricia seemed convinced. “Oh ok, but I think you should keep an eye on this Alice girl because the complaints are very disturbing.” She said. “I will but could you do me a favour? Could you schedule a meeting with her parents? So I can have a word with them.” I added. She nodded and walked to the place she kept all the pupils files. “Taylor, Taylor…ah yes. Here we are.” She muttered and walked back to her seat. My heart was racing as she took out her glasses and flipped through the file. “Oh.” She said. “What?!” I exclaimed. “Her parents are deceased. She just moved in to this neighbourhood with her Aunt. I’ll call her then.” She replied.

To be continued...

Alice 3

After two sessions my shrink said I was traumatized from the building collapse and a constant load of stress. I wonder what stress had to do with this but hey he went to school for at least 4 years, he has to know what he’s talking about right? On my way home after my third session I had a call from the Principal. “Doreen hi, how is the therapy going?” She asked. “Oh it’s fine, I just hope it’s worth the money I’m spending on it.” I said and she laughed. “Listen Doreen you sound fine, we are kind of running short of teachers. Mrs. Newman wants to leave and we just had a tragic case yesterday. Could you come by the school today so we talk? I have to see someone right now.” She explained. “Ok, I’ll come by now.” I replied. I turned around at the next U-turn and headed for the school. I had to wait a while because the Principal was in a meeting. 

“Oh Doreen come.” She said when she walked out her guests. “They are from a recruitment company. Things are not going well for us at all. I have to deal with parents worried about our building, parents withdrawing their kids and now our teachers are running out.” She said taking off her glasses and wiping her eyes. This school has been the best for years. I can’t lose it now.” She said. She was very sad. “Don’t worry Patricia, it will be fine. Why don’t you offer the teachers more money or some kind of insurance?” I asked. “I did my dear but they turned it down. Mrs. Newman wouldn’t even listen to the offer. She said she just wanted to get away for good.” She replied. “Oh wow, and what tragic case happened yesterday?” I asked curiously. She hesitated for a while. “When Mrs. Newman left we got a TA to fill her place for a while. She fell off the stairs yesterday. My guess is she tripped off a toy. She’s in the hospital now. It’s a minor injury but the press is on my tail now. Even if a teacher catches a cold it would go against me.” She explained. This was worse than I thought. 

I agreed to start work the next week. I pushed my therapy session for 4pm which was after school. That made Patricia very happy. She was pretty fond of me because she was a very good friend of my mother. I scrumbled through my bag to get my car keys when I got to the car park. When I finally found it, it fell. “slippery fingers” I teased myself. “Teacher!” I heard a little girl scream. I turned around immediately. It was Alice and the wind was blowing through her dark brown hair. She run to me and hugged me. “Hiii, how are you?” I asked, hugging her back. She had a wide smile on her face. “I’m fine. I missed you, are you coming back?” She asked back. “Yes I am.” I replied. “Yaay, I like you. I made you come back.” She said. My heart missed a beat. “How did you make me come back?” I asked bravely. She just smiled and said. “I have to go. Bye teacher.” Then she ran off. I rushed to the car. “Teacher!” She called again. This time I was startled. “Yes.” I managed to say. “Your keys are on the floor.” She said and run off again. I smiled and picked the keys up. Did she hurt Mrs. Newman and the TA?

To be continued...

Alice 2

“Alice!” I screamed. “Doreen, it’s just a dream.”  My husband said holding my hand. I turned to look at him. “I can’t forget what I saw, Rodney. It’s so scary.” I said to him. “I know, I know.” He said and pulled me closer to himself. I knew he didn’t believe me but I didn’t blame him. I mean he didn’t see what I saw. He held me the rest of the night. When he was asleep I snuck out of bed and went online. I googled ‘violet haired girls’. The results were either characters of Japanese animes or X-Men. Just when I got tired of searching I saw something that made me pause. “Anytime my baby cried it seemed like her hair turned…”I read but just then the lights went out and the computer went off. My heart jumped even though this happened sometimes. I rushed back into bed and into my husband’s arms. 

“Good morning.” Rodney greeted when he came to the hall to eat breakfast. I had already made his food. “Wow, you made all this for me? Maybe you should be home more often. Gosh last night’s dinner was amazing.” He complimented. I smiled broadly as I poured him some tea. “Look your school is on TV.” He said with toast in his mouth. I turned the volume up. “The Achievers School was built 14 years ago and had maintenance work done on it ever two years so it’s very near collapse is a great mystery….”The reporter said. “You see? Rodney it’s not normal.” I shot at him. “…who are experts in architecture and archeology said the building was probably not built properly, especially with a weak foundation. Investigations are still being carried out but the school is asking the parents of the students to exercise patience because the building is being rehabilitated and will be running very soon. Cynthia Thompson…” She went on. I turned it off and looked at my husband. “It felt like an earthquake that day. She was doing it so she won’t have to go to school.” I said. He dropped his fork and turned to me. “Reeny, I think you should find a way to stop thinking about this, ok?” He said. He was right. I nodded and managed to smile. 

I went shopping later that day. After I put everything into my old car I saw Mrs. Sevron walking towards me. “Oh Doreen I heard about what happened to the school. I’m so worried, do you know when the renovations will be done? I’m even afraid to send Gifty back there, no offence the school is good but I’m just worried you know?” She complained. I could see the worry in her eyes. She was right in a twisted sort of way. If Alice was still in the school, it could really be dangerous. “Honestly if I were you I would start looking for a school for her. I have no idea how long the renovation will take.” I replied. It seemed like that was exactly what she wanted to hear. We spoke a little while and I left. 

Rodney wasn’t home when I finished dinner so I went upstairs to take a shower and wait for him. As I wiped myself dry I saw a dress I hadn’t worn in a long time and decided to try it on. “Just as I thought.” I said to myself. The zip couldn’t close; I had clearly put on a significant amount of weight. My computer was on so I went over to it. I did the same search again and went to the website where the woman was talking about her baby. It was a website for new mothers and their silly stories. Some of the stories were adorable, other were just silly. The woman was in Chicago and this is what she wrote.. “At first I thought I was seeing things but it happened so often I realize it’s real. My baby’s hair always turned violet anytime she cried very hard. It was pretty hard to see because she had really short hair. Sounds crazy but it’s true.” There were 12 comments to her post and 10 out of the 12 of them said she was seeing things, crazy and one even advised that she see a shrink. Maybe I need to see one too. “Doreen!” My husband called. I almost fell off my chair. “You scared me dear. I didn’t hear you come in.” I replied. He threw his suit on the bed. “Oh sorry but have you heard the news? Your school has been fixed. They say it will be running next week.” He added. For some reason my heart missed a beat. “Rodney, I need to see a shrink.” I said.

To be continued...

Alice

“Why are you crying?” I asked the new girl. She had covered her face with her hands but I could see the tears falling. “I don’t want to be here. I want to go home.” She replied raising her head to look at me. Her eyes were red, she had been crying for a long time. “Oh don’t cry. I know you are new here but this school is not that bad. You will like it.” I said sitting close to her. “Tell me about your old school.” I added. She wiped her tears with her hands. “It was smaller than this. The boys didn’t make fun of how I talked and my mummy was a teacher there too. We used to come to school together and go home together too.” She explained. She had stopped crying and a smile was crawling up her face. “Wow, you know what? After the break I’ll tell the boys in the class not to tease you again and I will find you a new friend ok?” I replied with my arm around her. She nodded sharply. “Do you want a girl or boy?” I asked again. “Oh a girl.” She said very shyly. We both giggled.

I could tell she was better after our little talk. She wasn’t talking much still but she didn’t have that sad look on her face. I warned the naughty boys at the back to leave her alone. We were halfway into the math lesson when I heard her speak. “Mrs. Hanson, can I go to the bathroom?” She asked so politely in almost a whisper. I looked down at her and smiled. “Sure. You know where it is right?” I asked. She nodded and walked out very briskly. A few minutes later without any warning the tables and chairs started shaking. All the paintings on the walls fell violently. It was an earthquake!

“Children, go out now!” I yelled over the terrified screams all over the school. The siren was blowing and tried to get all the children out of the class as fast as possible, before the roof started to fall. There was a stampede of kids and teachers rushing towards all the exits. There were cracks in the walls now. Just when I got to the emergency exit it hit me, Alice!!! I turned around and rushed back upstairs. “Mrs. Hanson, what are you doing?” Another teacher asked me, grabbing my hand in horror. “There is a child in the washroom!” I replied and rushed off. The roof was getting weaker now. There was dust everywhere. I passed by the science lab and it was on fire! Alice.

I managed to get to the washroom safely and yelled her name. “Alice! Are you here?!” I opened the doors one after the other. I found her and what I saw was far from words can describe. She was standing and holding both sides of the cubicle walls. Her eyes were closed and her head down. Her hair had turned long and violet and was blowing all over the place.I looked at her feet and they were not touching the ground! “I hate this school. I want to go home.” She kept saying. She felt my presence and opened her eyes. Instantly the earthquake stopped and she fell to the ground. “My God, Alice.” I whispered to myself.

To be continued…