Another Point of View – Part 2

Posted on 27/10/2013 by margotoele

In the previous chapter, Axi changed to a teenager en her father abandoned her, taking all the money with him.

 

As her father had left her, she was alone at home and she felt better than before. She could do exactly what she wanted to. Of course she had to take care not to stay outside late. She had noticed that already a couple of times.

After work at the bookshop she used to go to the cemetery to do her homework or just to read some book. She liked the cemetery; it was such a nice and quiet place.

Now and again one of her schoolmates asked her to do homework together but, one way or another she was not able to make real friends.

 

Often she needed to run when the police caught her in the evening or night roaming in the park or sleeping on a bench. She had been brought home a few times by the police.
Once the police saw how she stole one of the municipal benches. Then they took her to the police station. She was too young to be held in prison. The judge decided that she should be under protective custody. One of the social workers was paid to live with Axi night and day.

 

She wasn‘t very happy about it. Now she couldn‘t sleep in the big bed anymore and had to move again to her old bedroom.
Even during the week-end, the social worker, Miriam Legrand, always watched her, so Axi decided to stay up for hours during the night while Miriam was sleeping and she would go to bed at about 5 o‘clock.

 

Now and again Miriam woke her up because she said she was getting lazy. Then the girl would be bad-humored. The social worker had seen already that this girl was very good at cooking and at mending.

 

That morning had started very bad for the lady. The shower had to be mended and as Axi was sleeping, she tried to mend it herself but she wasn‘t able to.

 

Axi had already heard how Miriam was talking to herself: that bloody shower and I really should get more skilled at mending. The only thing she did then was cleaning the floor. She knew it was kind of silly because the shower was still to be mended.

 

Then Axi did the job in just a moment.

 

Axi is an ambitious girl and she was pleased with herself when she had finished the job.

 

Miriam said: “The TV needs to be repaired as well“. Axi asked her why she didn‘t call somebody to repair it but Miriam said: “Why should I; I know that you can do it very well.“

 

Axi thought: Another one who doesn’t want to spend money. That same day, the sink had to be repaired.

 

That saturday evening when Miriam had gone to bed, Axi sneaked out and went to the park. It was late and she was very careful that nobody would see her. Anyway, most of the people were already sleeping.

 

There she sat then on the bench, thinking that it was good to feel free. At about 4 o‘clock she fell asleep on the bench and it was dawn as the policeman found her.

 

He took her to his car and while driving her home, he said: “Well, well young lady, I don‘t even remember how many times I‘ve caught you. This is the last time that I take you home. Next time you will be taken to a reformatory… and I‘m not joking!

 

When she got out of the police car Miriam came already running from the house. She really was very angry with her.

Axi didn‘t understand how she could make such a problem out of it. It was already 7 o‘clock so she didn‘t see the problem.

 

But Miriam shouted: “Don‘t you understand what could have happened to you, you‘ve been out all night. When I woke up to go to the toilet, I noticed you weren‘t home, so I called the Police. This has been the last time. From now on you will come home right after school and even during the week-ends I will not let you get out of sight.“

 

Axi asked: “But how can I go to work if you won‘t let me go?“ Then the social worker said that she could go to her part-time job but she herself would pick her up after work.

 

Axi was thinking so at home I have to deal with her talking all of the time; at work people are talking all of the time; when can I be left alone?

 

She decided to quit her job and started a part time job at the cemetery. The social worker was not very pleased with that but Axi said: “nobody can force me to work where I don‘t want to, and I want to work at the cemetery“.
Miriam sighed with despair and accepted the girl‘s argument.

To be continued…

 

 

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Another Point of View – Part 1

Posted on 26/10/2013 by margotoele

When you think of childhood, you always imagine happiness, joy and laughter. Unfortunately it’s not always like that. Let’s introduce you to this little girl.

Her parents call her “Hey you“ or “Axi“. She didn‘t know if it was her real name but she got used to it.

Once she dared to ask her mother if she could have a little brother or sister but her mother, Carla, said: “Go away, you little monster; one accident in my life has been enough“.

So that‘s what she was; an accident‘. That explains why they called her Axi. She was pretty sure that she wasn‘t wanted and loved.

As a matter of fact, there was no love at all in her family. They were all very unhappy. Her parents were always discussing about money. They had that dream of being rich someday but that ‘someday‘ would never come if they continued being lazy. The only way they were able to speak was yelling and shouting.
It was quite normal that the girl felt that she wasn‘t really loved.

They had that dream of being rich someday but that ‘someday’ would never come if they continued being lazy. The only way they were able to speak was yelling and shouting. It was quite normal that the girl felt she wasn’t really loved.

Her father now and again came home with some fruit that he robbed from private gardens. They had something to eat and when he brought much fruit, she tried to sell it afterwards to the people who were walking in the park.
She was very unhappy; her parents always had loud discussions and often she couldn‘t sleep due to the shouting. It was always about money. At school she never could stay awake so she wasn‘t a very good student.

She was very unhappy. Her parents always had loud discussions and often she couldn’t sleep due to the shouting. It was always about money. At school she never could stay awake so she wasn’t a very good student.

Very young was she, when she took the decision that she always would try to have money; no matter how she got it. At home, she tried not to pay attention to her parents.
While in the park, she saw many happy people and she got very envious about their happiness. Why couldn‘t she be happy?


Many days she just didn‘t attend school and passed by houses to ring their doorbell and asked if she could do some shopping for them. That‘s how she earned her first money. You could always see her on the bike doing shopping for people.
It didn‘t help either when some of the people she did the shopping for, just said: ‘thank you, you‘re so good to help us‘ but they didn‘t give her any money.

Often she had to hide between the bushes in order not to be found by the police or the social inspectors for not going to school.

Many evenings, alone in her bed, she cried bitter tears. Why couldn‘t she be happy? She used to see families with some children at the seaside, having barbecue or walking in the park and she really felt terribly unhappy.

She was it who washed the dishes and cleaned the house. At a very young age she was able to prepare a very good meal.

 

Often she saw how her mother looked at herself in the mirror and she heard how she was saying to herself that she still looked good and could have a new start.

After that terrible discussion, she saw how her mother packed her clothes and she asked her where she was going to. Her mother just answered: “Go to hell, both of you; I don‘t want to continue living with the both of you“ and she went away. She never saw her since then.

 

The girl wasn‘t even sorry about it and she hardly saw her father.
She spent much time walking or biking or reading near the beach.

 

People saw her on the street and often asked her if she didn‘t have to go to school and she would answer them: “I cannot study on an empty stomach, if you could give me an ice-cream…”

 

A certain day a woman, bought her a meal at the bistro.

 

It was at the bistro, that she changed from a girl into a teenager.

She remembered that it was full moon when her father went away and she was all alone at home.

He had taken all the money (it was not that much) but anyway… she was left there with 0 simoleans.

 

She took the decission to go to school now. She felt relieved that she was alone and had no more need to fear her father‘s bad humor.

As she needed money, she offered her service in the household. She really was far too young for this kind of work. People knew that she was not allowed yet to work a full time job so they abused. They didn‘t give her enough money and the girl was very unhappy but she didn‘t want to show it. It didn’t leave her much time for school.

She decided then to work a few hours in the afternoon at the book shop. That was perfect for her. This way she had enough time for school and work. She even had time to work on her physical skills. No…, she wasn’t as lazy as her parents. She remembered this period as the happiest in her young life.

To be continued…

 

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