I can't quite recall exactly how it all happened. The month escapes my memory, but I can vividly remember the year and the grade I was in—2016 when I was in JS2. Back then, my vision wasn't as clear, and everything seemed like a hazy dream. But waking up in my bed after each event always assured me that it was all real, not just a figment of my imagination.
Writing has always been a passion of mine, ever since I learned to join together simple sentences, probably in my early primary years.
I still remember writing a heartfelt birthday letter to my mom, and the way she embraced me, her eyes welling up with tears.
It was at that moment I realized the power of a small letter filled with love and appreciation.
From that day forward, I made it a point to gift my family and friends letters on special days like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and New Year's Day.
These letters were always filled with words of affection and gratitude.
My diary, on the other hand, was the repository of my pain, sadness, and disappointment.
Then, one day, I wrote words that were never meant to be written to someone —words that forever haunt my thoughts. These words invaded my dreams, eroded my confidence, and robbed me of my joy.
It all started with a reply to a love letter meant for my best friend, Treasure. She had instructed me on what to write, and I obediently complied. I tucked the letter away inside my diary, as she wasn't ready to give it to him just yet.
But then, while I was in class, I noticed a journal that bore a striking resemblance to mine. Initially, I didn't pay much attention, as I never brought my diary to class.
However, a sense of unease washed over me when I heard giggling from behind and felt eyes stealing glances in my direction.
The basic science teacher who was teaching us later walked to the back of the class and grabbed a letter from Naomi. He then called out Treasure and Prince, handing the letter to Treasure to read aloud.
I could see resentment and disappointment in Treasure's eyes when she looked at me. It was intense. I quickly realized that it was her letter to Prince. How did Naomi get it?
Prince got punished for asking a girl out in his JS2, and Treasure was asked to go back to her seat since her reply in the letter was a 'no' to Prince.
Then suddenly, I became very scared. I remembered where I had kept the letter.
It turned out to be my diary that I had seen earlier in class. 'So Naomi and her friends have read my diary,' I told Treasure, feeling angry.
During recess, when Naomi and her friends went out to get snacks, I went to Naomi's locker and took my diary back. I didn't know what to do to her since she was older and bigger than me. I couldn't fight her.
Out of anger and pain, I walked purposefully to the whiteboard, grabbed a marker, and started painting Naomi's story. I drew a caricature of her, depicting her patched uniform and worn-out shoes. I made one hand of the image longer than the other to highlight her imperfections.
I didn't stop there. I also wrote short stories about her. I wrote about her mother being a cleaner in the nursery section, something not many people knew. I also mentioned that she was on a scholarship for certain church reasons. I wrote a lot of things I couldn't remember now.
When Naomi came into the class, she didn't recover from the shock I gave to her when Treasure served her her own portion of embarrassment. Treasure pulled down her skirts and exposed her thorn underwear.
She wasn't able to fight, I guess she was weak with pain and shock. Her friends didn't help but mine did. We were more than her in number.
“Naomi, you should learn to manage your space, don't infiltrate ours. You don't belong here and you know that. So stop making other people feel uncomfortable”, This was the summary of our warning to her. I can still remember it because I wrote it down in my diary later that evening.
However, I was so surprised by what Treasure did, I thought she went too far. Naomi couldn't hold back her pain and cried out in class. I got really worried and cleaned the board. I didn't expect things to turn out that way. I felt really bad and couldn't sleep well that night. The next morning, I talked to Treasure and we decided to apologize to Naomi. We wrote a bunch of apology letters and even apologized in front of the whole class, but she didn't forgive us.
I understood how she felt, so I went to our class teacher and told her what happened. The teacher cautioned us and said she would talk to Treasure herself.
I'm not sure how she did it, but one morning I woke up to find a letter on my bed. It was from Treasure, apologizing for reading my diary and giving out Treasure's letter to the teacher.
I immediately rushed to her room and thanked her for forgiving us. She later became one of my close friends until we finished high school. This whole experience taught me a lot of lessons. I reflected on it and decided to control my anger better because I couldn't believe I acted so heartlessly in class.
I realized It's important to find healthier ways to express our feelings and resolve conflicts.
Reflecting on our behavior and learning from our mistakes is something everyone should do. It shows how much we can grow and become better versions of ourselves.
When I saw this month's prompt, I couldn't help but share this little life story of mine with you all. It's something that has lived in my mind from the day it happened. I've reflected on it again and again and promised myself never to be wicked to anyone. No matter what they did to me. Because my guilty conscience can never let me rest after hurting someone.
Thank you very much for reading.
This is my entry to this week's daily thoughtful prompt #2