What Happened to Him?

Part 2: Expelled

Margaret waited outside of the headmaster's office of Brahms's school, irritated to be called away from work with very little explanation. The corners of the hand-painted pictures on the walls had come loose at odd angles creating sharp shadows from one side of the hall to the other.

The door finally opened and a family emerged. The little girl with them had bandages on her arm and legs. The headmaster emerged next, keeping one foot inside of the office, "Mrs. Heelshire?"

The mother snapped her neck back and shot a look at Margaret, "You're Brahms's mother?" She picked her daughter up roughly, holding her out as an exhibit, "Do you see what he did? He is a monster! He should not be allowed out of the house." Her husband took her by the shoulders and led her to the exit.

Margaret felt panic rise in her throat and looked up at the headmaster, "I'm sure that little girl is lying. My Brahms knows how to behave. We make sure of it."

"Of course, Mrs. Heelshire. Why don't you come into my office so we can discuss it." Margaret gathered her things, trying to keep her composure.

Inside sat two chairs pointing at an expansive wooden desk. Flames were eating away at the last logs in a fireplace in the corner. Brahms sat with his back straight and his hands neatly folded in his lap. He looked unfazed by the surroundings, nodding slightly when she entered to acknowledge her presence.

The headmaster took his seat behind the desk and a young woman, Brahms's teacher, stood to his left. "Mrs. Heelshire, there have been a few incidents that we would like to discuss with you." The teacher placed her hand over a bandage on her arm. "It seems Brahms has become prone to, quite frankly, some fairly violent outbursts. Miss Bronwynn, would you inform Mrs. Heelshire of the incidents that have us so concerned?"

She cleared her throat, trying to muster a sense of authority, "As Headmaster Eadric said, there have been a few incidents. At first, we thought it was just a matter of explaining how we behave at school, but the outbursts have become more and more concerning. A few weeks ago the children came in crying from playtime. When I went to see what was wrong, I saw Brahms had taken a dog from a nearby home and tied its leash to the fence so tight that it was choking."

Mrs. Heelshire straightened in her chair. "And why exactly were the children unsupervised for so long?"

Miss Bronwynn shifted her stance, but it was the headmaster who answered, "We addressed that and have added help to Miss Bronwynn's class. The behavior is why we have called you in today though. It was only two weeks later that Brahms acted out again. He refused to return the scissors used for an art project. When Miss Bronwynn approached, he repeatedly struck her with them. He did in fact cut her. If the aid hadn't stepped in, it may have been much worse."

"I'm terribly sorry that happened, but those sound like two incidents that could have been avoided with better classroom management." Margaret smoothed her skirt and looked over at Brahms. He hadn't moved the entire meeting, but when he noticed her gaze he smiled up at her.

"That brings us to today." Miss Bronwynn grew more stern. "This afternoon Brahms was insistent on a second cup of tea during snack. He began screaming and disrupting the entire class so I poured another cup for him. I reminded him that it was still hot at which point he threw it at the girl next to him. I'd like to believe it was an accident, but," Headmaster Eadric interrupted.

"We're concerned that Brahms might be in need of counseling. Are these incidents at all similar to behavior at home?"

Maragaret stood up, "You've called me in here to accuse my son of intentionally harming others when, from what you have described, every incident could have been mitigated by better control on the part of your staff. No, my son doesn't act up at home. We don't create the opportunities for him to, as you have so kindly done." Margaret stood to leave.

"I'm afraid it's no longer an issue of behavior." She stopped and looked at Headmaster Eadric, "We've looked the other way in the beginning because of your family's history here, but it's become a serious safety issue. Brahms is no longer welcome until we get a report from a qualified professional that he can control these violent outbursts."

She took Brahms's hand and led him out of the office. With some distance between herself and the school, she turned to her son, "Brahms, we don't hurt others."

"They deserved it. They weren't behaving." He smiled up at her, proud of his explanation.

"We don't hurt others." Margaret raised her hand and Brahms pulled furiously away as it flew back toward him.