As the days passed, I grew to accept the new environment I was in and reality had already set upon my denial soul. In the room were six beds in total, two triple-deckers to be precise. Only four beds had occupants and I was the only one in the other bunker. Ethan, was the oldest in the room. He was five years old and the other two were four. I was the youngest after I just turned three. During my first years, I remember he was the one who forced the other two, Andrew and Rudolf, to take me in as one of their own. At first the two weren't so friendly and would occasionally belittle my presence. They perpetually persecuted me at every scenario qthat deemed fit to them and would make fun of me afterwards. I remember this one time when I was five, as I was going for my morning bath, these two douchebags had to intimidate me by locking me in while I was taking my shower. I called out desperately wishing someone would hear my cries but all were in vain. I recall being in there for almost two hours and was extremely late for my morning classes, Vanya happened to be attending to her daily chores when she noticed me sobbing inside the locked room.
"What are you doing in here at this hour," Vanya asked.
"I got, I got locked in by the other kids," I stammered.
My body was shivering cold, I stood there fidgeting and shaking from the coldness feeling like ice chills running down my spine. I barely made a complete sentence while conversing with Vanya.
Vanya noticed how shaky I was and she well knew it was colder than she thought.
"Boy it's chilly out here, let's go help you get dressed."
I was astonished when she portrayed no signs of being shocked or startled, it was like she always knew what the kids in the orphanage were capable of. She later helped me to my room and had me dressed. After that she led me to the dining halls and had a little chat with the cooks and made me take one quick breakfast. I was feeling famished like never before. As I arrived, outside the classroom I could hear Mrs Beatrice thunder voice making the children sing the multiplication table. I knocked on the door still shivering cold, I couldn't tell if it was from the trauma I underwent that dreadful morning or was it from being afraid of the teacher. Mrs Beatrice was well known for her harshness both with words and caning , she had this one motto she adored and made us recite every morning before her usual classes 'use the rod, to shale the doll. I surely was in for a serious beating.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Prince from Birmingham paying his subjects a visit this late in the morning," She commenced.
Who does she think she's trying to be, I am five years old and I well knew how sarcasm worked. I am no prince, cut the crap and get over with the punishment am already embarrassed enough.
I couldn't stand the laughter from the kids, it was a one horryifying scene. I felt my knees trying to break apart from their delicate sockets as I was losing the energy to support them. My stomach began to shrink so fast yet so slow. I felt goose bumps transcending all over my skinny body. I could see Rudolf and Andrew from afar in the background pointing at my direction while guffawing hysterically. The imagery was an absolute madness.
"He's peeing his pants!" One of the kids shouted.
This is discombobulating, peeing my pants?No that cannot be right That's absurd. I thought the warmness was from the numbness that roamed between my knees and thighs. How humiliating if this were true.
I reached out to my shorts and it was shocking. My pants were dripping wet from the excretion. How could I be this fragile? I let panic overwhelm me entirely. These kids were capable of anything. I stood fixed to the ground like iron nails drilled through my feet; I couldn't move, walk or even show nay sign of life. Holding my shame altogether, I tried to keep my heart from tearing into million pieces while my sight gradually began to lose its normality. I wished the ground could open up and swallow me whole and alive obliterating my existence from this treacherous embarrassment. I felt my presence in the room fading momentarily as I was entirely consumed to the magnitude of the situation.
"This should be a punishment more than enough, " Madam Beatrice concluded as she satisfyingly smiled.
I snapped out of whatever world I got driven in and emptily stared ath the whole class watching the endless reaction without a blink. From the back of the class, a kid rose and was determinably heading towards me. Now what? Are they going to strip me naked? Beat me up? Make me perform the walk of shame? I couldn't clearly depict the boy's appearance as he approached. The figure drew closer and closer, I was starting to gain the picture.
Alas! It was Ethan. He asked for the madam's so that he could lead me to the loos for another pair of fresh pants. The knight in the shining armor I was hoping for had finally descended upon rescuing me from this eternity of humiliation.
"I am sorry for whatever happened back there," Ethan sorrowfully said as we walked upstairs to the rooms. He helped me fetch another pair of pants as I was in the facilities cleaning myself up. Without any further ado, I tucked my eomotions in and was ready for the classes.
This is how life is. It beats me up, pushes me down drags me from my teeth but at the end of the day it's hardly evasive. One should learn how to be tough. Pick myself up and continue the journey ahead no matter how difficult or taunting it's going to get.
I grew fond of Ethan since then. I took him as the older brother who I never had. He never said much not then not now, but he remained truthful to his ways, being there for others when needed.
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Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.- Tupac Shakur