1988

Dear friends, I am Mickey Dobbins, a high school student. You can call me Mickey.

For students, vacations are a time of peace. Everyone regards the period as a brief respite from the drudgery of busy and boring school life. Here I am going to tell you a story about the interesting things in an adventure that disturbed that recent vacation of peace.

As a student, vacations are also very relaxing for me. A boring classroom atmosphere filled with tension and teachers' accusations is a complete bummer.

One day last vacation, I happily threw my textbooks over. As they fell into pieces and flew away in the wind, I was thinking of the beautiful days that followed. But Papa came suddenly from somewhere. The punishment was severe, a heavy curse and a heavy loss with it. The promised birthday gift, a mountain bicycle, was not bought.

The reason I tore up the book was my hatred for school. Math is my enemy. It hesitated to tame with me. So math and I were at the cold war. The only thing that kept me away from my studies was this issue and the behavior of some ruthless teachers at school. I believe that no student can understand anything taught by teachers who do not know how to respect their students. Children are afraid of school and reluctant to learn because of the unloving, and rude approach they follow. When our math teacher, Mr. Harry Wilkes, comes to class, he has a wild face, like a lion that has found its prey. What a horror to such classes without the love and comfort of teachers..! It can be described as hell on earth if you want. No matter how difficult the subject is, the teachers who come to the class with smiling faces and words of love will be eager to understand any lazy, stupid, or hooligan. There is the light that is love, then there is no obscurity of blindness. In fact, how beautiful is that teaching, isn't it..?

I was so upset when those vacation days started falling away so quickly. After a few more days, the school will open. I was even more nervous when I thought about math. I couldn't comfort myself no matter how hard I tried.

Sitting in the reading room, I cursed the books a lot.

But I couldn't throw away the books yet. Can I ever forget the punishment given by Papa?

Due to the problem with math, I wished to change my school and join a boarding school in St. Louis. Some of my friends were studying there. I was impressed by their description of the school. Also, I had no hope of majoring in math at a rural school.

But, papa has to agree to that. Or I decided to leave the place.

If I leave home, then Papa can't help be feel sad, he will say if Mickey comes back, I will let him go to St. Louis. Mom will enumerate my qualities.

But no use. By then, Mickey would have reached another distant city. Somewhere, Mickey would be living a lonely life as an altar keeper in an incense-burning church, in the role of a street vendor selling flowers and fruits, or as a street boy who polishes shoes for a pittance.

When I thought about the adventure I was about to do, I was filled with relief and fear.

One morning in that gloomy boredom I was counting the remaining holidays on the calendar when my sister Jane came into the room. She is my youngest, twelve years old. We are two children.

"Mickey, do you know the story?" Her eyes sparkled.

"No?" I was still counting the days.

How many days to go to that hell? Oh.., only three weeks..!

"This news will make you happy." She held my hand.

I said without paying attention. "Is it about the flowers that bloomed in the garden?"

"Oh, that's not it."

"Then what" I looked at her suspiciously. A smile spread across her face.

"We're leaving for Uncle Ben's house at St. Alaince on the nine o'clock boat. Aren't you happy now?"

"Really? But Jane, I can be happy for the next three weeks." I sat down on the chair in despair.

"I heard Papa tell Mother the other day that he would send you to St. Louis sometime. But dude…"

I jumped out of my chair as she continued.

"Be clear Jane, will he send me to St. Louis?"

"Yes." She turned away gravely. "But why are you studying there? This is just a misunderstanding. The math teacher punishes everyone slow to learn. He hates not only you. I can say one thing, you have to study anywhere. Is it because you are not ready to work hard that you don't know math? I love our country school."

"What do you know? That boarding school is a place of peace where teachers will respect their students. James and the Herald have told me specifically about this." I put my hand in my pants pocket and squeezed. "Look, if I go to St. Louis, I will study well. I don't have to worry about math anymore."

"But you still won't try to study, will you?" Dad came into the room.

"I will study well. Friends have only good things to say about that school." I kept sneaking a look at Jane. "If you want me to study well, send me to St. Louis. This place is not right for me."

Dad left the room without answering. I assumed that silence was a decision in my favor.

"Have you informed uncle that we will go today?"

"Yes." She continued sadly. "If you leave here, I will be alone. My wish is that you should not go. Can we learn math by discussing it with each other?"

"It's difficult, Jane," I said proudly.

I was so fascinated by the life there with my friends.

I felt that the days spent apart would be refreshing.