People talk about how those in charge of boarding in schools treat their children with disdain because they aren't perceived as wealthy and generous enough to spare a free thousands/gifts for them.
Well, in my school I was one of those kids treated with such disdain. My parents hardly came around to school. I was really treated with the grown adult hand at a young age and the trust and responsibility given to me was massive. I honestly didn't mind, what's the worst that could happen?
Of course, the house mistress. As a child that age, the malevolence I received was palpable. She was supposed to be a mother to us all. Unfortunately, she chose who were her favorites and who deserved to be treated illy. I had to deal with school, seniors still basking in their seniority and eager to draw blood at every slight mistake of the junior students, even teenage womanhood was still an issue for me. Yet this woman would pick on me.
I would see the difference in the way she treated others. I would think, is it because I'm not Yoruba? Or, is it because I'm small and very shy? Or is it because my parents don't come around.
Once, she beat me for something every other person was guilty of. Of course, she would call her kids to the side and caution them lightly. Me? I was the scapegoat.
I think that was what broke the camel's back.
Now, this is where heroism came in.
I lamented to my mum at home during the mid-term break.. I cried. Mum thought and came to a resolve. She knew what was wrong and she was gonna fix it.
Mum came with a crate of eggs and some money the next time I resumed school. It was her business. She didn't mind, as long as the woman stopped picking on me. She didn't shout, she didn't even talk about my problems. It was a silent agreement for her to leave me alone.
The woman changed. She became nicer, and she stopped picking on me. And mum made sure of that.
Normally, I used to say my mother's problem solving tactics were too simple. Other people's mothers would have shouted and made a scene. I would swear not to be like her.
But today, I love her for caring less about such insignificant situations. Solving the problem and moving on. She is a winner. And she is my inspiration.
