Daffodil amongst Thorns

2. School Princess

My mouth was wide open as I looked at the school. It was a huge building with so many windows. We walked up these steps and the entrance doors were so big. As we entered the school, there were shiny wooden floors and panel walls. The place looked so posh as it could have been a palace in France. I looked at the walls and could see pictures of old pupils. This place had a spirit and a past. It was strange to think that I would now be part of it.

Dad told me to close my mouth as it looked as if I was trying to catch flies. I explained that the school was so big and it was so posh. This made Dad laugh and said that the school should be posh, with the huge tuition he had to pay. I could see the other boys walk and have a strange smile when Dad said this. This was one time that I thought that the ground should swallow me up. A fact of life is that sometimes, parents can be so embarrassing.

Luckily, a religious brother came and welcomed us to the school. His name was Brother Patrick. He did not smile and simply said that he would show us where the dorms were. He walked quickly as we went up steps like was in the titanic. The dorms were on the top floor. This were hundreds of steps to be carrying suitcases. Luckily my dad helped me.

As we walked up, Brother Patrick told us about the school. There were 1,300-day pupils and 200 boarders. The school was praised for its academic level and results. It also had a fine sports team and choir. The school had a strong catholic tradition and being a good Catholic with Catholic morals and respecting the church was important. Brother Patrick finished his speech by saying that I was coming here as a boy. When I left, I would be a man.

We were shown the cubical where I would sleep. This was not posh. The top floor was divided into cubicles. It basically had 3 wooden sides and a curtain that we could open and close. There was a small bed inside, as well as a wardrobe, a small table, and a chair. This would be my home for a few years. It was not what I expected, but I could put up with it.

It was a bit annoying that Brother Patrick did not smile. In fact, he did not seem all that impressed with me. He warned me to not let my hair grow longer than it was. This surprised me, as I had a haircut before I came. He then looked at Mom and Dad and said a quick goodbye was the best.

This suited my dad. He said goodbye as soon as Brother Patrick went. Mom did not want to go. She was giving me one bit of advice after another. It became worse when she started crying and said that I was not ready for this. This made Dad shrug his shoulder and say that it was about time that I toughened up.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I seen my parents leave.

I went back to my cubical and decided that I would unpack. The first thing I did was to hang a Madonna poster on the wall. I was a Madonna fan and the poster made this small cubical feel like it was a bedroom, and not something you would see in a stable. I did not know why I needed so many clothes, as I was going home in a month. I managed to unpack the suitcases.

I sat on the bed thinking "what now". Then I saw a boy looking over the cubical. He must have been standing on the bed. He said that it was nice that new blood was at the school and asked me to come over and visit him.

When I found his cubical, I was shocked. He was sitting on his bed wearing boxers and shaving his legs. This was something that was so new to me. Why would a boy shave his legs? I did not know if I should laugh or what. I just stood there in shock. His name was Andrew. He explained to me that he did not like hair on his body and shaved it off. He wanted to know if I had the same problem. I was speechless. This made Andrew laugh as he said that I was one of the few that has not started puberty yet.

Some other boys joined us and they were talking about what they have done during the summer. I did not have much to boast about, as I spent most days helping my Dad with his work. It was strange listening to them, as they talked about holidays in exotic places all over the world. While I was slaving away on some construction sites, they were sunbathing in some resort.