Try For Fairness

We made a way to the tree in the playground and stood in the shade, due to the extremely hot day, watching (why we put ourselves through it, I don’t know), the group recently returned from the shop. They had gathered together, ‘E’ & ‘K’ and some of their  fawning ‘followers’ (bludgers really, I had never seen them spending their money to get what the twins bought them), sitting with their unnecessary collection of bottles of soft drink and ice-creams. Real ice-creams. Ice-creams from the top line of the advertising sheet above the freezer. And they sat there in the shaded lunch area, eating them, relishing their flavours. The ice-cream melting swiftly in the heat, and they licking it up, watching us, watching them. Rubbing our noses in the fact that we couldn’t afford them. Actually if they had rubbed our noses in the ice-cream it would have been good, we might have tasted some. But no, they sat there eating and then, drinking the excessive number of bottles of soft drink they had purchased.

I stood under the tree with several other children. Angry at the behaviour of these few. They made us feel deprived, yet, I was unable to realise they were actually spoilt. It seemed grossly unfair that four people should have so much, and make such a point of it, to all the rest of the class. And not feel bad about their behaviour. That was my mistake. I got angry, rather than realising I should have let it go. I should have ignored their behaviour. They only got something out of it as we watched them. If we ignored them, they wouldn’t gain any benefit. But, as mentioned we were only nine. As also mentioned, I was even then a keen reader, with many classic tales in my head. Myths, legends and famous characters of those very legends. I basically knew what was right from wrong. Morally right from wrong, not just bad and good. Not just from the various punishments I had received from my father, as you have heard in previous blog entries, but from what I had read. However, I believed what I knew, and so I started to come up with an idea. I also had not thought through my next decision.

‘E’ & ‘K’ seemed to have a large amount of cash every day. Not just a few coins, but dollars. Even though there was just the two of them. Whether they told their parents what they did with the money, or whether the parents never asked, I have no idea. But spend it they did. On themselves and their ‘followers’. They made such a point of getting the most and best for themselves only and ensured they showed us up. It was tragic really. But, it was also an opportunity. It was the following day and I happened to see ‘E’ & ‘K’ arrive at school and make their way to the ‘cubbies’. These are called lockers nowadays, as they probably lock. Back then, they didn’t. What ever happened to trust? Oh yeah, that’s what I about to explain.

 (Continued tomorrow)