Julio

One thing that sticks in every Mother’s heart is letting your offspring off to face the world. The motherly instinct is strong wanting them to stay under your brood and protect them from the vices of society.

The day my son, Julio, started kindergarten at five, he was as excited as any five year-old would be, I had mixed feelings on that second morning of school as I watched him jump into the school transport seeing clearly that an era of my life was ended and my sweet young one –Missing tooth and all - was maybe finally and forever never again to be mine.

He arrived back in the early evening and my housemaid remarked that Tim seemed to have changed in some unremarkable way. I looked at him keenly and somehow noted that suddenly his voice had become a sort of raucous and his eyes well…penetrating after only a few hours of kindergarten schooling.

In the evening, during supper, he seemed to be insolent and rude to his baby sister – Tina- failing to care or apologize even after spilling Tina’s milk.

“How was school today?” I asked, elaborately casual.

“ Sawa,” He replied extremely casually.

“Did you learn anything?” His father asked.

Tim regarded his father coldly and remarked. “I didn’t learn nothing”.

“Anything,” I corrected him. “Didn’t learn anything”

He ignored me.

 “The teacher caned a boy though,” He said, addressing his food.

 His father and I looked up in anticipation, worry in our looks.

“He was caned for spitting at a girl”

“Why?”  I asked. “Who was it?”

Tim thought. “It was Julio,” he said. “Julio was rude and spit at another girl. The teacher caned him and made him stand in a corner in the class throughout the day.”

We thought he could say something more on the case but he simply slid off his chair and stomped off to his room.

We looked at each other, his father shrugged and kept quiet.

The next day Tim remarked at supper, as soon as he had sat down,

“Well Julio was bad again today.” He grinned enormously exposing his missing teeth and remarked, “Today, Julio hit the teacher.”

“Good heavens,” I gasped,” I suppose he got caned again?”

“He sure did,” Tim replied seemingly disinterested.

“Why did Julio hit the teacher?” I asked.

“Because she sent Julio to bring books from the Staffroom and Julio refused, teacher tried to force him and Julio hit the teacher forcing the teacher to cane him and ordered nobody to play with Julio in the class”

“You can’t say that?” I gasped again. His father slowly put down his spoon.

The third day, Wednesday of the first week-Julio pushed a girl down during break and made her bleed. Teacher made Julio stay in class during break time all alone. Thursday, Julio had to stand in a corner during story time because he constantly made noise. Friday, Julio was made to run round the school field twice because he made faces at the teacher.

On Saturday, I remarked to my husband:

“Do you think Kindergarten is too unsettling for our son? He seems suddenly rude, and this Julio boy seems such a bad influence to the class?”

“It will be eventually alright” my husband tried to assure me. “It’s part of the learning experience and I suspect Julio is also on a steep learning curve?”

On Monday, Tim came home full of news.

” Julio” he called out as he stepped out of the school bus. “was bad again” He shouted.

“Come right in” I coaxed him. “Tea is on the table”

“You know what Julio did?” He demanded. As he entered the door.

“Julio whistled and yelled so loudly that the director of the school had to come to the class to check what was happening”

And then what happened? I asked

“The director warned Julio that if he did that again, they would wash his mouth with Omo”

“Omo?”I asked breathlessly, “then what did Julio say? “

Julio laughed and said “Omo tastes funny”

That answer made the whole class laugh. So the class were punished by running round the school field twice”.

Late in the evening, I told my husband how the entire Kindergarten class had to be punished on account of Julio

“What does this Julio look like?” My husband asked Tim “Where does he live?”

“He is bigger than me,” Julio answered confidently “And he says he is not afraid even of grown-ups and he says he wants to be a Manamba once he leaves school”

The following Monday was supposed to be the first Parents-Teachers association for the Kindergarten, I was disappointed to miss the first PTA as I was tied up and could not make it as I passionately wanted to see Julio‘s mother.

 The following day Tuesday, Tim remarked suddenly during supper.

“The school nurse came to our class today”

“Was anybody sick?”  My husband and I asked simultaneously.

Tim rolled his eyes and scornfully replied. “ Noo… The nurse merely wanted to see if we had cut our nails”

He solemnly remained quiet, and continued eating.

“Julio refused to have his nails checked”

“Why didn’t Julio refuse to have his nails checked?” I asked

“I don’t Know” Tim answered. “He actually kicked the shin of the nurse”

“What are they going to do about Julio now, do you suppose?” His father asked him

Tim shrugged elaborately.” Throw him out of school, I guess” He answered confidently. 

Wednesday and Thursday were routine; Julio yelled during storytime hour and hit another boy in the stomach and made him cry. On Friday, the teacher ordered Julio run around the class.

Within the three weeks of Kindergarten, Julio was an institution in the family; Tina, the baby was considered a “Julio” when she cried all afternoon. The Maid became a “Julio” after breaking a glass, Even my husband remarked that he was becoming a “Julio” when he missed a footing and fell unsettling the table.

During the third and fourth week, it looked like a reformation had changed in Julio; Tim reported at supper one evening that:

“Julio was so good today that the teacher asked the class to clap for him”

“What? “ I warily asked, and my husband added, “You mean Julio?”

“ Yes, Julio”   Tim added. “Julio had asked the class to be quiet and had swept the class all alone. The teacher was so happy with him and made him now the class prefect”

What happens now that he is a prefect?” I asked incredulously.

Tim shrugged and kept quiet.

“Can this be true, about Julio? “ I asked my husband that night. “Can sudden change like this happen?”

“Wait and see,” replied my husband cynically.” When you’ve got a Julio to deal with, this may mean he is only plotting.”

He seemed to be wrong. For over one week, Julio was the teacher’s assistant, he cleaned the chalkboard and swept the class and overall a good boy.”

The PTA meeting is tomorrow” I told my husband one evening “I’m really keen to find Julio’s mother and talk to her”

On Friday, Julio was back to normal.” You know what Julio did today?” Tim asked during supper in a voice slightly awed. “First, he broke wind loudly in class and after that, he told a little girl in the class to say a dirty word and she said it and the teacher washed her mouth with soap and Julio laughed loud”

“What word?”, his father asked unwisely and Tim said “I will have to whisper to you, it’s so bad. Mum needs not to hear”

He got off his chair and went around to his father and whispered something to his father’s bent ear. His fathers’ eyes widened.

“Did Julio, asks the girl to say that?” he asked respectfully.

What happened to Julio? My husband asked.

Tim shrugged but kept quiet.

 I attended the PTA meeting, sitting restlessly, scanning each mothers face to trying to determine which weather-beaten face could be Julio’s mother. None of them looked to me haggard enough. No parent mentioned Julio. After the meeting, I sought our Tim’s Kindergarten teacher; we greeted each other and started talking.

“I’ve been so anxious to meet you “I said, “I’m Tim’s mother”

“We are all as interested in Tim as he makes the class very interesting”

“Well he certainly likes Kindergarten, I said, “he talks about it all the time”.

“Tim had a little trouble adjusting for the first two weeks or so she said primly “but he is now fine and a perfect boy”

“Tim usually adjusts quickly “I answered “I suppose Julio has not been a bad influence on him in any way?’

“Julio?” She asked her eyes wide.

“Yes,” I said laughing, “You must have your hands full in the kindergarten with a tantrum boy like Julio in class.”

“Julio?” She looked at me in wonder “We don’t have any boy named Julio in the Kindergarten”