REMOULDED

Chapter Thirteen

Never saw it coming,
The song of the great falling,
The hero crumbling,
The ones rejoicing,
Yet,in their travail beckoning.

That afternoon when Earnest got back home,his frustration had doubled,if not tripled.

It was not the nicest day in school,he had avoided everyone ever since the incident with the music teacher,even Timothy. He just wanted to be alone,all by himself,fuming with himself alone. Right now,he doesn't want to fume at anyone,even not at Mercy who had been the first frustration of the day to him.

He yanked the door open,worn down with worry and he had to admit to himself that it was a day to forget in his life. His room was still there,unsurprisingly but unusually untidy. Kemi Williams had certainly ordered Susane not to lay a finger in the cleaning of the room,a punishment for his latest spat with Mercy in the morning.

He picked up a mislaid cushion on the floor and walked to the bedside mirror to check out his face. It was not the usual face of the charming boy,it had flecked with uneasiness.

Home had been hell ever since Mercy's arrival and Avirns certainly has its fire burning already. Fire everywhere,but there was a feeling jolting in Earnest that he would weather through and safely. All the fire was just to make and not mar him. And through it,he would make himself a man. A real man. He assured himself as he bent over the shelf to start the cleaning.

Just then,his door creaked. Susane,it was.

"I'm sorry,Earnest" She said sympathetically immediately their eyes met.

"For what?" Asked Earnest,although he knew quite well the reason for her apology. She normally clean up his room whenever he was off to school,but Earnest would still not encourage her to defy the instructions of her boss.

"Mummy told me not to do it"

"I know"

"Can I help---"

"No" Simple but stiff response. Earnest could not justify the exact what was wrong with him at the moment, but one thing so sure was,if Susane lend a hand in the cleaning of the room,he would at one time pass aggression on her during the course. He just wanted to be alone. He was saying that for the thousandth time within himself.

"But I ---"

"Susane!"

"What of your lunch?"

"I'm not ready for it"

"What of Timo?"

"What's it about him?"

"He's around"

Earnest fell instantly short of words and it was his inner man that began action with range of thoughts. Should he shut himself up from Timothy too. Should he just tell him he wanted to be alone for some time. But Timothy is his best man in the world at present, and even if he would ever want to be alone,he could do so in the company of Timothy.

"Let him in"

"Alright" Susane nodded,waited a few more seconds to examine the unusual Earnest before turning to fulfill his order. That lasted another minute which Earnest spent checking if the floor needed sweeping or picking.

He was still in that scrutiny when Timothy's head poked in,and before he could say Jack Robinson, Timothy launched into what had taken him to his house.

"I heard you screamed at and walked out on Ms. Dake" Announced Timothy even before he got himself wholly into the room. Plans have changed for him too,he had wanted to talk about how Earnest's outing with Daisy went but somehow, he found no Earnest after the school closed. It was a boy he had given a ride that had told him about the fierce scene with the music teacher.

"Who told you?" Earnest asked coolly, keeping himself busy with proper laying of the bedspread.

"Everyone knows already" Timothy exaggerated. But actually, everyone should have heard presently. Any news publishing the headline of an Earnest spreads like wild fire at St. Avirns.

"I love that actually" Earnest smiled. He would not allow that exaggeration to move him. It just showed how popular he was and how hard his unheralded rivals would have to struggle to overtake him. That was his utmost conclusion on it.

"That you're fired from the choir?"

Earnest's eyes rolled,"Did she say that too?"

"Ms. Dake can be mad with her anger at times" Timothy sobbed.

"I think I can live without singing in the choir again" Earnest consoled. Can he? He had been the public face of the choir for two years now, leading marvellous songs and winning plaudits. Living without such recognition and praise would certainly be difficult,even more painful when it keeps ringing in your mind that someone from nowhere had taken your place and can perform wonderfully or even better as Ms. Dake hinted earlier in their shouts.

"So who leads the song now,Michel?" Michel was the one everyone expected to be the new lead singer. He had been a deputy to Earnest for a couple of years and so,this should be a chance for him.

"No" Earnest wished he could circumvent the talk about the new lead singer but the anticipation on Timothy was not encouraging.

"Who then?"

"A new girl like that" Earnest forced himself to answer.

"New girl?" Timothy's interest only grew.

"I don't want to talk about it" Earnest realized he had to caution him. Right now,a talk about Nadal's recent triumph would do him better.

"What's her name?" Timothy was still not cautioned.

"I don't know"

"Why won't you---"

"Will you help me with the mess or pack yourself out of my room". If there was never anything better for him to say,Earnest would prefer them to just keep mute and clean up the room. If not that, it was minutes past six,late enough for him to return to his house.

" Aggh..." Timothy grunted as he joined him in the cleaning. He started his own work from picking the litters on the floor while Earnest arrange the books on the shelf.

It was after a silent aeon that something jetted across Earnest's mind.

"Has Daisy heard about it too?" He asked.

"I don't know too" Replied the disgruntled Timothy.