The sleeping child (I)

This is a reflection of something that happened recently. I wrote about it, but never got to the point of publishing this entry...As I invigilate the exams, I am bound to find some of my students falling asleep, with the heads on the table.  This was what went through my mind as I looked at this particular child.

She is beautiful...so I had made the assumptions that the genes must have come from either parents.  Tall & willowy, with dark eyes which framed her heart-shaped features perfectly.  The only problem with her was that she was frequently absent from school.  There is no real explanation as to why medically, even though her absence was always covered by a legitimate medical certificate.

She appeared with her mother in school recently.  They were seated along the stone seats along the corridor while waiting to speak to the form teacher who was in the classroom. I made my way to the woman whom I assumed was my student's mother.  It was then obvious where she got her exotic good looks from - the only difference between mother and daughter was just the colour of their skintones - but otherwise, t.hey were almost the spitting image of each other.

I should have read the body language more carefully. The girl was sitting away from the mum, fiddling endlessly with her handphone, while the mother was sullen; obviously unhappy at being made to come to school to discuss about her child.

I introduced myself, and then immediately spoke about the daughter's progress in class.  She listened without interrupting whatever I had to say. Then suddenly, she asked me this question:
"I know about her studies...But I want to know. Don't school's teach values anymore?"

I was taken aback. That was a question that I did not quite expect. Then she went on.
"It seems that all the school cares now is about results.  But what are you teaching the children?"

That put me in a spot. I did not know how to answer her.  But before I could answer, the daughter interjected.
"Why do you ask my teacher stupid questions?"..It was more of a bark.

"See...no point I send her to school...to be educated. Look how rude she is."

"I'm rude? What about you? All you care is for yourself...You are nothing but a cold-hearted b**ch!"

Whoa! Where did that come from?
The bitter exchange was so fast and unexpected that I was stunned...The daughter stamped her foot and walked away.  Strangely, the mother, sat up , ramrod stiff, and refused to utter a single word. Her face was one of total self-control. She was so red that she looked as though as if she was going to burst at any moment. At that point, the form teacher came out of the room, and invited her in.

I went after the child.  I found in, sobbing in the toilet.  When she saw me, she wiped away her tears.
"Please don't say anything, please. Don't make me apologise. I am just telling the truth.  That woman may have given birth to me, but she has not done a single thing to deserve the title of mother. I hate her."

A lot more transpired after that.   But I cannot elaborate it here.  But eventually, I managed to get the girl back to the classroom, seat her next to the mother, where they spent the next twenty minutes in stoic silence.  And when the session was over, the mother left the classroom in a hurry.  The girl followed behind. But they went their separate ways. It left me with many unanswered questions.

How did things reach to such a state?  How could a 16-year-old habour such animosity towards her mother?  And how....how did the mother 'lose' her child?

Today, the child fell asleep.  As she had her head on the table, I reflected...such innocence in her moments of repose...But, when she wakes up later...what will happen with this child?