MY NAME IS AISHA, I Will Always Stand Against Bullying

CHAPTER THREE ~ Aisha's Brave Intervention ~

A few minutes into the break, Aisha and Dayo were still in the classroom. Most of their classmates had rushed out as soon as the bell rang. They were sitting side by side working on a mathematics assignment due to be submitted the next day.

"Have you solved number two?" Aisha asked.

"Yes, I am doing number three," Dayo answered, his face buried in his workbook.

"How did you solve the number two?" Aisha inquired and looked at Dayo's work.

"Your answer is different from mine. Is it correct?" she tried to know.
"Is it not Mr. David that solve it like that for us." Dayo said, still not raising his head.

Aisha was about to return to her work when someone suddenly came from behind and snatched Dayo's pen from his hand. Dayo stood up immediately and turned around. It was Ibrahim.

"Give me my biro, Ibrahim, "Dayo demanded, with a heavily squeezed face.

"Give him his pen," Aisha intervened.

"If I slap your face now, you'll just faint. You better don't put your mouth." Ibrahim threatened.

Since Dayo began studying in the school, this was the third time Ibrahim had snatched his pen forcefully. The previous times, Ibrahim had threatened he would not give it back if Dayo refused to allow him to copy his assignment. Timidly, Dayo had allowed Ibrahim to copy his work each time to get his pen back.

"Come and slap me!" Aisha dared him, standing fiercely and not moving from the desk.

Her reaction made Dayo a little worried. He was not sure if opposing Ibrahim with so much courage was the right way.

"Give me my biro, Ibrahim," he added nervously. Ibrahim was surprised, as long as he could remember no pupil had dared speak to him in that tone of voice. Ibrahim bullied almost every pupil in the school, including his former classmates, who were now his seniors. He was the second-tallest pupil in their primary school. Pupils avoided treading on his toes because of his warlike behavior.

Aisha only knew Ibrahim as the tallest and biggest pupil in her class, later as a bully. It was the sixth time she saw Ibrahim bullying a pupil in the class. The third time was when Ibrahim had stopped Dayo from attacking Abdul and daring him, after Abdul had eaten some of Dayo's lunch. That was her ninth day of schooling there since she became a pupil at the school.

Aisha was born in Abuja and started her education there. She was in primary five and had to continue her studies in Lagos state, along with her two elder brothers. Their parents left Abuja and had to move to Lagos due to work. There were three other pupils still in the classroom. They watched keenly as the drama unfolded before their eye. Their gaze was intensely on Ibrahim, giving him extra reason to react. Just when Ibrahim was about to make a move towards Aisha, she quickly threatened straightaway,

"If you touch me, I will just go and report you to the headmistress."

The last time Ibrahim slapped a female pupil, he was punished and given a letter to his parents. The next day, Ibrahim came to school with his mother. Ibrahim accompanied his mother to Mrs. Inyang's office, the school's headmistress. She kindly received them into her office. Without wasting time, she went straight and warned, "Mrs. Dauda, your son Ibrahim, may face expulsion the next time he attacks anyone, especially a female pupil of this school.

She also brought up some unpleasant reports she had received concerning Ibrahim's mischievous acts. She then advised Ibrahim against making trouble with his fellow pupils and about the potential good rewards that can come to a well-behaved pupil. Ibrahim suddenly recalled all this, most especially the warning, while staring deeply into Aisha's eyes.

When Aisha noticed Ibrahim's sudden hesitation, she insisted with more energy.

"Give him his pen, or I'll go to the headmistress's office and tell her," she persisted. Abdul froze when he saw Aisha boldly challenging Ibrahim to return the pen in his hand to Dayo. Abdul stumbled into the scene when he had rushed in to get Ibrahim for a football match behind one of the buildings in the school compound.

"Give me my biro," Dayo demanded in order to emphasize Aisha's threat. His squeezed face returned. Aisha came out of the desk and began to walk towards the door. All eyes were on her now as she approached the doorway.

"Give me my biro'o, Ibrahim!" Dayo continued with a loud voice. The moment Aisha crossed the doorway and made for the staircase, Ibrahim threw the pen aimlessly in Dayo's direction, and it landed beside his desk. Dayo picked it up quickly and ran after Aisha.

Aisha had started walking up the stairs to the headmistress's office. She was about to ascend the first floor when Dayo stopped her, and they both returned to their classroom.

"Ibrahim let's go and play football. They are waiting for us already," Abdul said excitedly, trying to quell the situation. He was trying to make the pupils disregard what they had seen.

Just when Abdul and Ibrahim came out of the classroom, they saw Dayo and Aisha coming in their direction. Ibrahim stood and was staring directly at Aisha. He was putting on his bullying face again." I thought you wanted to go and report me, are you not going again? You think you have sense. See, if you put your mouth in something that did not concern you next time, you will see what I will do to you." Ibrahim threatened. He also tried to appear intimidating, but Aisha said nothing. She kept walking straight with Dayo until they both got into the classroom and continued with their assignment.

"Let's go," Abdul said grabbing Ibrahim by the left hand playfully. Ibrahim then turned and followed him.

"If he takes your pen again, go to the headmistress's office and report him." Aisha advised while they both worked on their assignments.

"At the assembly ground, Mrs. Benson said we should stop going to the headmistress's office. She now says we should be going to the teachers' staff room and be reporting any problem." Dayo reacted. Dayo spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

The pupils laughed at the way he spoke the English language. In his former school, the use of the English language was not made compulsory. The Yoruba language was the common language of communication among the local pupils there. At Bright-Hills Primary school, most of his classmates taunted him using his English accent or grammatical errors he made. Dayo had made these errors either during his attempts to explain something, follow instruction, or respond to a teacher's questions. However, he was a hardworking and intelligent boy. His new school is more demanding of the pupils effort.

Dayo knew he needed to work extra hard to catch up with the pupils, but the incessant teasing and harassment made him a bit timid and slow.

"Why did he take your pen?" Aisha asked.

"Is because of assignment, he want to copy my assignment. He will not do his own, he will be copying my own." Dayo answered. Annoyance could be perceived in his voice.

"My daddy told me that if any boy beat me, I should go and report him to the headmistress," said Aisha. She then added after a few seconds, "If Ibrahim takes your pen again, both of us will go and report him to the headmistress." Dayo only nodded to show his agreement.