Paul had been born with excess fluid on the brain, a condition called hydrocephalus. To counteract this problem a VP (ventriculoperitoneal) shunt was inserted to drain the fluid from his brain into his abdomen. He’d tried hard to live a normal life, well whatever “normal” is anyhow. Average was more like it; he’d tried to live an average life. The increased pressure inside his brain had left its mark; he found it hard to learn things….things that came easily to others. His mother had fought hard to keep him at a regular school. The other kids could be cruel, they knew something was wrong with Paul but didn’t know the details – didn’t care to know the details. They just saw him as slow, an easy target for their taunts. It didn’t help that Paul would always fall prey to their trickery, get riled up & try to defend himself – he should have just stayed quiet & flown under the radar. But he didn’t, everything about Paul stood out, from the way he wore his socks pulled high to his distinctive swagger from side to side. The girls they loved to tease by making love to him, they’d get him alone, whisper in his ear & act sensual – he’d get all nervous & bashful. The boys would “dack” him in front of crowds & ask him questions like basic arithmetic & spelling - “hey Paul, how do you spell stupid?”
One day after school a couple of boys caught sight of Paul at the local Red Rooster store, they followed behind him as he crossed the street and cut through the Primary School. They started with the usual jokes; Paul got upset & started yelling. Who knows who threw the first punch; Paul was a big boy – bigger than both of them. Somewhere, somehow Paul must have copped a blow to the head. He soon became unconscious & later died. The boys went to a youth detention centre & the kids at school got a talking to about bullying. People talked about it for awhile, until pretty soon they didn’t. But he was still there, and long after the faces from high school had faded from memory his was still there. He’d be called up whenever bullying hit the news headlines or you saw a kid being picked on in the street, he’d be called up while watching films like “Flatliners”, and he’d be called up whenever you heard the term “shunt”. He’d be called up 20 years later as you were sitting in a psychiatrist’s room being probed about “guilt”. What was it that you whispered into his ear? What shade of red did you make the skin on his face & neck turn? Tell me, just what took place that last time you saw Paul…….Alive?
One day after school a couple of boys caught sight of Paul at the local Red Rooster store, they followed behind him as he crossed the street and cut through the Primary School. They started with the usual jokes; Paul got upset & started yelling. Who knows who threw the first punch; Paul was a big boy – bigger than both of them. Somewhere, somehow Paul must have copped a blow to the head. He soon became unconscious & later died. The boys went to a youth detention centre & the kids at school got a talking to about bullying. People talked about it for awhile, until pretty soon they didn’t. But he was still there, and long after the faces from high school had faded from memory his was still there. He’d be called up whenever bullying hit the news headlines or you saw a kid being picked on in the street, he’d be called up while watching films like “Flatliners”, and he’d be called up whenever you heard the term “shunt”. He’d be called up 20 years later as you were sitting in a psychiatrist’s room being probed about “guilt”. What was it that you whispered into his ear? What shade of red did you make the skin on his face & neck turn? Tell me, just what took place that last time you saw Paul…….Alive?
1 comment:
Made my heart ache - for everyone caught up in such a sad tale. xxxxxxx
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