BY DESALEGN DAGNEW
“Good news for me and you! Take a look,” Daniel gives a letter to his mother with a broad smile. She got a little bit confused. Maybe he is joking anticipating the worst could be a pinch that he often suffered for his practical jokes, the mother thought. She was drinking a glass of water, the paper from the headmaster of the school Daniel attended bore the decision the school reached on to dismiss Daniel. Scanning the paper she released the bottle in shock. She vested her hope in her only son. The bottle crashed down to pieces foreshadowing the equal shattering of her future. It was for the third time he got dismissed from schools in just a couple of years. It was after a lot of begging she got this school for him after he was fired twice from two schools.
“Why are you aggrieved? This good news means, I am not going to be fired for the fourth time at any school again,” the ten years old boy uttered carelessly. She recognized now his low appetite for education. It was due to his low grade he was fired first. The consecutive two are ascribable to discipline-related problems. He proved short of both qualities which a student is obliged to have. –grade and discipline.
After her husband passed away Selam’s livelihood was tutoring up to grade six. Daniel could not regret his absence from school. Months flew without new developments. He seemed to love the ensued idleness. But his mother was anxious and didn’t have the inkling where to go even for counseling. One night she refused to prepare supper. He came from the football field tired and starved.
“Why didn’t you make me a supper?” The ten year old boy saw her with bloodshot eyes.
“I didn’t have money” she showed him her empty palms.
“Why don’t you have money?” Daniel asked indifferently.
“Because, I didn’t have a well-paying job. As to why I didn’t have a decent job it is because I am not educated beyond grade 12.”
He understood the speech is sarcastically made to target or punish him. He gazed at her silently.
“Do you want to know why I didn’t learn?” Selam shouted and tossed the stuff on the table, which she punched. Fear grabbed his heart for the first time. Then he spent the night never responding or asking for anything which made her anger go from bad to worse.
Three days later his photo was published by a school magazine under the headline of disturbances scorer. It detailed more about his uncouth behavior at school and his poor performance that resulted in his low education acceptances. A lot of people called Selam to express sadness for her child’s deplorable condition.
Selam considered home schooling. The best punishment prepared for him was a bite for one answered question. He refused. But the only solution left to placate his hunger was simply answering the question right only. As hunger doesn’t give easeful time; he began studying early in the morning for his breakfast. Soon when Selam asked him five questions on the topic, he answered three of them for the first time. Then she prepared a meal and allowed him three bites only. She ate the rest. As Daniel failed to get his fill he began lamenting his fate with a bit more than empty stomach.
“Answer more get more,” said Selam sternly and left him alone at home. A stealing option crossed his mind but he knew what comes next.
The next day, Selam took him to a big restaurant whose manager she knew. She invited Daniel to order what he wanted. Daniel became happy to eat meat and mollify his hunger. He ordered for the costly food kitfo. The price was 300 birr. She told him to foot the bill. First Daniel laughed thinking she was joking but up on learning she meant it he cried. The restaurant manager approaching and discussing the situation with them took both to the kitchen and ordered them to wash piles of dishes up to sundown. “If you have money you can settle any bill, if you don’t have it, you do not have to order,” said Selam showing him how to wash dishes clean. The lesson clearly dawned on him.
One day he studied hard and gotten marks and ten bites for breakfast. That day he didn’t head to the football pitch. Instead he began to study again. He had eaten his breakfast already, “Do you need another breakfast?” Selam asked him a bit confused.
“I am studying for lunch,” said Daniel. She smiled reflecting he has turned a bit manipulative for his advantage.
If he failed to answer not a handful of food was added to him. This way, things continued for months. Gradually he began to learn whenever he answered he ate enough. When he wished to a treat of burger and pizza, the rule changed to covering more than two chapters per a book. He managed to do that after four days of studies. Then he got a burger.
Soon his mother began to receive enough pension money of his father. After a change of hearts four months later the mother decided to amend the rule to which he politely declined. “I loved the rule and it makes me feel better,” said Daniel hugging his mother.
So positive reinforcement of food continued by the tally of nicks, which corresponded to the questions presented to him. The year passed in this way. Another new year, another September followed. So a school must be got for him. Selam tried her best for a week. When the former schoolmasters looked at the boy “oh the disturbances scorer ” all refused to readmit him. He became rejected by more than four schools. He has determined to clear his name only by one means, being an intelligent and a disciplined student.
Daniel missed learning much. His mother knocked at the gate of numerous schools. Most of directors treated her with cold shoulder saying he is going to double cross his fellow students and defame the name of their schools. Daniel promised not to be a bad guy. But directors doubted whether he could walk his talk. They wanted something tangible.
One morning Daniel left without telling where he was going His mother got worried much. He promised to himself “I must have to change my stories.” He then headed to his first school where he was fired for his low grade. His former director reminscesed for a while about his football skills.
“Teacher do you love reading magazine?” said Daniel before he presented his requests. The teacher laughed till his sides split. Still pulling out a magazine from the drawer, Daniel sighs out like seniors in grief. His sweats poured down his spine. He took to his feet to get on his toe to leave the office.
“Oh your name is coming horrific” said the director reading the magazine. Daniel becomes desperate; Tear struggled to break away from his eyes.“One foreign recruiter of emerging football stars has been trying to get you for months, but your documents were relegated to dead file to the point of becoming irretrievable. I think they are unintentionally thrown away,” said the director from the back. To add an insult to injury another grief was added on him. A chilling wind filled his lungs.
Forthwith, one foreginer man knocked on the door and entered. The man often came to school look at Daniel’s skill when the latter was embraced in schools project. But that day the man dropped in simply to salute the director for the support the director extended to him years back.
“Oh God this is the boy I have been hunting for months,” said the foreigner placing his palm on his mouth.
At times life gives extra chances for standing back on one’s feet again. Daniel remembered he finished his tournament with a satisfactory grade when he heard the clubs will cover their school fee. He jumped like a calf in director’s offices. Daniel took the recruiter to his mom. First she was surprised, and then confused.
“I don’t give my child for adoption” said Selam unconsciously grabbing her child’s hand close to her heart.
School shenanigan lover, skilled football, get chances of entering lamessia, was the headline of the magazine published that weekend.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 26 MAY 2023
