Love's A Real Thing Right?

Chapter 19: The longest seven seconds; Part 3

Ace proudly went up to the front of the class and began reading his essay;

["Leave me alone, go to school, it isn't funny!" screamed a loud voice. "Na na, na na, na na, bucket head man, smelly beggar." was the response of the children as they tormented the village vagrant when passing Mr. Singh's abandoned building where he resided. They treated him in this manner because of his dirty, torn up clothes, his putred smell and the bucket on his head. It was about seven o'clock and I was on my way to school for morning lessons. As I walked down the hill from my home I saw him digging in a dustbin. I yelled, "Dustbin man!" Threw a stone at him and ran away laughing.

While running I passed Mr. Singh's house and saw his dog in the backyard. I was running so fast that when I greeted Mr. Singh, I didn't realize his gate was open. As he sped off in his Hummer-H, his dog darted out of the gate and onto the street. I was now face to face with the villae menace. He was known for attacking and chasing innnocent passers-by. I immediatly froze with fear and recalled all my confrontations with him.

I decided to make a run for it. He pounced on me and grabbed a hold of my bag with his razor sharp teeth. I dropped my bag and fell into a muddy deep drain. The dog was now aiming to bite my face. I screamed, when suddenly I heard a stern voice say, "Come here!" The dog looked around and then attacked the person. I jumped out and ran frantically about screaming for help. Mr. Singh was contacted and he quickly arrived to stop the dog from mauling the victim.

It was a gruesome sight. The victim was covered in blood and swollen. Everyone knew it was Bruce, the village vagrant. I felt ashamed for all the bad things I did and said to him. The ambulance arrived and treated him for his injuries. My father thanked him when he regained conciousness for risking his life to save me and asked why he did it.

Bruce related his story to us and told us how he himself had a dog and one day it attacked a child, it was fatal. He continued on to say that after that he picked up drinking. Then one day while under the influence, his baby daughter touched him and he scolded her only to realize it was a card she had in her hand saying 'Happy Birthday Daddy I love you <3 .' That day he realized he had been harming his family so he decided to run away. While running, the rain poured down so he sought shelter at our village of Rose Hill. He took shelter at a building under construction where he found a paint bucket and used it to cover his head and he was since called, "Bucket head man."

The villagers were saddened by his story and vowed to help him get back on his two feet. We also helped him to find his family and a villiger who was a contractor offered him a job as a labourer. I learnt a good lesson, that even those whom you don't expect to help you will. From that day on he was a friend to all the villagers.]

When Ace finished his story he recieved a roar of applause from his classmates. His teacher motioned him to his seat and then went to the front of the class and commented on his essay, "It was very enjoyable and interesting story. However, do not make you sentences too long. I hope everyone in class enjoyed it as well, and if you all need any help, I'm sure Ace would be willing to help."

At lunch all the students came to Ace asking for his opinion on their essays and how they could improve it, he felt estatic since it was the first time in a while his classmates spoke to him without being forced to due to school assignments. It was of their own free will. Although there were still those students who didn't quite like him. Class resumed after lunch and he was still riding the high of his teacher complimenting his work. After school was done his teacher said she was looking forward to his great work in the future. He was going home proudly to tell his mom about his day, maybe then she would be proud of him, but before he could his father's only other brother came to their house.

"Sam, get out here right now." He had a hockey stick in his hand and was pounding the board house they lived in.

Ace's dad went outside to see what the matter was, "What do you want Ash?" They hadn't really been on speaking terms since their younger brother was murdered.