One Good Thing About Davina #BraveTogether

So Imperfect

Davina was so imperfect. She had never heard anyone say something good about her and she never expected one. She had overheard her friends gossip about her a lot of times.

"The old hag is on the way," she had heard them say while walking through the school corridors.

"I can't take looking at that face. It makes me feel nauseous."

She had heard their derisive laughter. She accepted all they said about her. She accepted that she was unpleasant to look at. She was so unintelligent. Socially sick and even more.

***

The new teacher was in front of the class when Davina arrived. She hurriedly entered and advanced towards her seat. Her classmates were used to her lateness but the new teacher paused the teaching.

"Hello, intruder," she called and Davina slowly turned to the teacher. "Are you a member of this class?" She asked, looking Davina over.

Davina slowly nodded affirmatively.

"That's Davina, the perpetual latecomer," her classmates said.

"Really? I didn't expect someone with that nice name to be as unkempt as this. And tell me, who asked you to compete with the owls and elephants?"

Her classmates burst out laughing.

Later, she gave a class test and only Davina failed woefully.

"You need spiritual deliverance. Even kids in kindergarten can do this."

Soon, Davina was in tears. That made her classmates laugh more.

"Almighty Davina cries at last."

Asaph could no longer take it. He stood up, completely vexed. "Enough of this," he cautioned and there was silence. Asaph was the best student in the whole school. He turned to the new teacher. "With due respect, Miss Perfect. This is utterly wrong. This is your first day in school and this is all you can do?"

"How dare you chastise me like that? Now get out!"

Asaph walked out.

Not long after the period was over, it was announced that she had been sacked.

Davina sobbed while writing in her diary which had been long since she had taken it to school. Asaph went over to her during the break. He had never been to her before just as he had never seen her cry before. He tried to talk to her but she gave no reply.

"Can I have a look?" He asked, gesturing at the diary.

She nodded and handed him the book. He opened the first page and in it, she wrote.

'5/2/'12 MOM DIED.'

He continued to the next page.

9/5/'12 DAD REMARRIED BECAUSE HE WANTED A MOTHER FOR ME.

21/4/'13 DAD DIED

26/4/'13 MUM SACKED THE HOUSEMAID

27/4/'13 MUM GOT ME NEW CLOTHES

28/4/'13 I VISIT MUM AND DAD'S GRAVE

29/4/'13 I MOVED TO THE SERVANT'S LODGE

30/4/'13 I GOT PUNISHED FOR GETTING LATE TO SCHOOL. I GOT PUNISHED BY MUM FOR BLAMING HER.

1/5/'13 I LEFT HOME LATE, CLEANING. I WENT TO BED HUNGRY.

2/5/13 - 31/12/13. HELL! MUM AND DAD'S RELATIVES NEGLECTED ME. THEY ACCUSED DAD. HE DID NOT INCLUDE THEM IN THE WILL.

1/1/14 I WAS ISOLATED AT THE CELEBRATION. THINGS GOT WORSE. MUM SACKED THE GARDENER.

2/1/14 - 31/12/14 SCHOOL BECAME HELL. I CHANGED SCHOOL. WE RELOCATED. THE NEW SCHOOL BECAME HELL. I AM NOT LOVED. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ.

1/1/'15 - 11/5/'15 FEW MONTHS LEFT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL. IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN HELL. BODY SHAMING, INSULTS, HARASSMENT AND ALL. I'M BORED! I MISS MUM. SHE DIED. I HATE MY STEPMUM. DAD MARRIED HER BECAUSE OF ME. I REGRET ASKING DAD TO. NOW IT'S EVEN WORSE. WE GOT A NEW TEACHER AND SHE MOCKED ME. SHE SAID IT ALL, ALL MY FEARS. ALL I DID NOT WANT TO HEAR. SHE SAID I NEED AN EXORCIST. THERE'S NO GOOD THING ABOUT ME. I'M DYING. I'M GIVING UP. I'VE ENDURED IT THIS FAR BECAUSE OF YOU, MUM AND DAD BUT I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

Asaph was moved. He sighed. "All they said about you is true. But really, there's one good thing about you they had been blind to."

She looked curiously at him.

"You are brave! Only a few can endure this long."

As few as those words were, they made her smile.

11/5/21

Asaph instructed his secretary to send the next applicant in. The office door opened and she entered, her heels clinking and clanking.

He raised his head and was stunned by the beauty that he rested his gaze on. "Davina?"

She smiled as she approached him. "Can I?"

"Yeah... Yeah, sit."

Davina was still dark but she was glowing. She looked gorgeous. Those owl eyes had perfectly sized with her oval-shaped face. She was only chubby, more slender than elephants.

Then, the one good thing about Davina was her bravery and hope. And just when she decided to quit, Asaph was there to encourage her. Not long, the one good thing had many branches of good things.