Chapter 10 – Histories
Lizboa found Evelyn crying, and almost all the girls of the form gathering around her and comforting her. Lizboa gulped uncomfortably, for she had not been aware that Evelyn was so hurt.
She sat down in an armchair beside Evelyn, and said, “Sorry. I was just too short-tempered.”
Evelyn smiled, and glowed radiantly, even though there was still a crystallized tear on her long lash.
Alexis was indignant. “How dare you make my youngest sister cry! How dare you!”
Lizboa felt guilty. Oh dear, she had brought in her own depressions and taken them out on poor Evelyn. “Sorry again, Evelyn.”
Alice rolled her pretty blue eyes. “As if you mean it!”
Evelyn couldn’t help feeling sorry for Lizboa. “She meant it, I know. Leave it at that.”
After the way her father had praised her over how she had won the scholarship and saved her Granny, she realized that her games were not the most important. She realized that talent was secondary compared to family and love. Then she was able to see why the girls detested her so much – because she had put her talent in sports ahead of things that were more important – character, virtue. But why had she been so proud? Just to conceal her history. But why was her history to be concealed? Because the girls might despise her because she was poor. But why would they despise her if she was poor?
Then she realized that they wouldn’t despise her if she let them know her history. After all, they put character and virtue in front of talents – they must also put character and virtue in front of family backgrounds. Maybe if she let them knew, they might give her another chance, and if she tried harder at her studies, they might even like her.
But if she tried harder, then it would mean humbling herself to the mistresses! Then Lizboa thought of her parents. Her parents would not want her to only put effort into games. How proud they would be if she did well in her studies! So she made up her mind to be sensible, and try hard at everything. She also decided to let the girls know her history.
So Lizboa said loudly, “Sit down, everybody! I have something to say.” The girls looked at each other, and sat down. What could Lizboa have to say?
Lizboa admitted, “I’ve been very proud and unbearable since the beginning of term, and I see my wrongdoing now. But I had a reason – well, I thought I did, but I really didn’t. I’m not trying to defend myself, no, the way I treated Frances – and Gabriel – and Bianca – was really bad. But I’m saying this so that I may be given another chance to change.
“There was once an old farmer whose wife died of sickness. At that time, he was already 48, but he still remarried, to a very young wife, who was only 19. Not long after their marriage, his new wife suddenly went very ill, and as their doctor was not available, he made a potion out of some of his crops, and fed it to his wife. Amazingly, his wife recovered quickly and soon became very well. The farmer started selling this potion, and soon he became very rich, and no longer had to make the potion himself. He was enjoying life restfully in a large house, while his employees did the hard work.
“When he was 50, his wife amazingly gave birth to a son, and named him Roberto. The son grew up in wealth. When Roberto was 18, they hired a maid named Lizzy. Lizzy was also 18. Even though she was a maid, she was very beautiful. Eventually, Roberto and Lizzy fell in love and by the time they were both 24, the farmer was already 74.
“That year, there was a great drought, and the ingredients for the potion all died in the middle of the year. There had been droughts before, but the crops had been able to recover. But this year the drought lasted from May till September, which were the months that the crops should have been growing most quickly.
“The farmer had been used to spending as much money as he liked, and when he found that that year he would have no income, it was too late to start to save. So the rich family instantly became a poor family. The farmer was old, and he knew his years on earth were over. He passed the whole business to Roberto, even though it was worth nothing now.
“Roberto said to his father: ‘Lizzy and I would like to marry.’ The father said, ‘We are poor now, and I am about to die. I know the two of you are deeply in love, and it is my pleasure to see my son finally marrying.’
“So Roberto married the maid, Lizzy. Not long after that, the farmer died. Roberto decided that the years of glory for the potion business were over, so he stopped the whole business.
“He first took a job as a waiter in a bar. After five years, he and the maid had had a daughter, and the wages of being a waiter were clearly not enough for raising and educating a child. So he borrowed from friends and went to Spain to be an accountant at a big company. After working in Spain for six years, he still had not returned all the money, but he went back to America to see his wife and daughter. When he went back to Spain, his boss gave him a promotion, but it still took Roberto two more years to pay back all the debts.
“Then he sent money back to his wife and daughter. They sent their daughter to a sports school, since the girl liked sports very much. But the daughter didn’t think that the school was advanced enough in sports, and told her mother. Her mother said: ‘You’re lucky even to be in school!’
“By the time the daughter was eleven, Roberto had scraped together enough money to get the daughter to a better school – McJone’s Foundry School.
“Lizzy is my mother, and Roberto is my father. I am the daughter. The farmer was my grandfather, and his wife, the young one, is now 60.”
No one knew what to think. What could you think; when the despicable one suddenly told you that she had a reason to be despicable, and admitted her wrongdoing freely?
Finally, Bianca said softly, “Now we understand. Of course we’ll give you another chance.”
“Yes. You saw your own mistakes and admitted them. That is the important thing,” nodded Felecia.
“Even though you acted badly at the beginning of term, you made amends and judged yourself. I’m the first one to give you another chance,” agreed Harriet.
One by one the students said that they would forgive Lizboa, and would give her another chance, save for one girl – Frances. She was still very indignant about Lizboa’s behavior towards her and her brother, and even though she was willing to give Lizboa another chance, she didn’t want to say it, and asked Gabriel to say it for the both of them.
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