Bad boy

Media

Part of The Philippine Educator

Title: Bad boy
Language: English
Year: 1947
Rights
Fulltext: ·' ;;.._,. ,., ,·. ! ;.. .. Principal, Mun~inlupa High School ·~i; Looking out of his office before the fencl~?!r to put · up his hand an"d tell the~·~ bell rang and overhearing Lupo lioast truth. ·:~ of his expericences to a group of boys It was Lupo who raised his band. "I-_ ~)f gathered just below the window, Mr. did it," he admitted. . _ ',;:_ Santos shook his head. Talk of violence ' Later on, after the matter had appeared · -~ and brutality was bad enough but the real danger lay in the fal$e values he had developed out of those experiences. To him brute strength was god, and to be · strong and ruthless was to be wor.shipped. Indeed, the look ~f awe and wonder in the eyes of his listeners could · .. nut but strengthen the boy's belief ·in that value, and he- basked in the frank admiration he received from them. In a little card in his. drawer, 'Mr. Santos kept a record of the boy's offenses. It was a long list and two or three of the offenses had been serious. On one occasion, he had whipped out a knife and chased another boy around the schoolyard and might have killed him had not the male teachers intervened. In both cases, he "found extenuating circumstances." That Lupo had possibilities Mr. Santos soon found out. Mr. Santos liked to tell about an incident : One morning a boy's father appeared in his office and asked him whether it was true that in the past ball in school his son had got drunk and thrown a glass of water at a group of students and teachers. Mr. Santos knew only that somebody had committed !>Uch offense but had not been able to find out who had done it. · He called the boy for questioning. The boy refuseG. to · admit anything. Mr. Santos called witnesses. Two witnesses said they had seen the boy throw the glass settled, Mr. Santos learned that Lupo '. ·;~ had not done the offense. in question but ¥-~ had taken it unto himself to save an::. other boy, his friend, from beating. Mr. ·~ Santos called him to the office. "Lupo, · ·?~ you know you deserve to be expeliMJ ?'-and I ought to expel you." "The boy ~~ ··:;" was defiant. "But I am not going to , ";, have you' expelled. I believe that you . <.Jj>. r1 ~ will change and someday be a source of •. :~ pride to this school. You have fine qual- •• ities 'I'd feel sorry to see going to waste. ~'{ Toughness, courage, strength should be ·used to good purpose only, just as you ·::; did for your country as a guerrillero. It is for you to know what those goQd r urposes are but exhibiting your phy-· sica! prowess by quarreling with other boys and daring your teachers is not of them. I would regret very much if you get expelled from this school because of misconduct. I consider you and a}l the others like my own sons." A frank look of surprise appeared on the boy's face. He had expected the worst-expulsion. This was something different. His code of violence did not apply here. The boy did not utte,r a .~ word, but Mr. Santos knew he had tou~h- ""i ed him-inside. Since the incident, the boy had formed a habit oJ hanging around his office ' or engaging him in conversation about anything at all. Though the boy took much of his time and distracted him of water; two others were certain some- -he was a glib talker, conceited and bo.dy else had done it. Balked by con- '1nabashed-Mr. Santos did not discourfli cting evidence, Mr. Santos faced the 1ge him. class and said he expected the real -of- For a while, the boy did not cause any FOR MODERN OPTICAL NEEDS-SEE KEEPSAKE OPTICAL-80 Escolta 15 ;~~-~~~~~·~~~~~f·~-~:;r~-- :j:::r/~~~;~>~.:: :~ .. ~... ~? ~ · .. ~-;~~~-~;~:-~~~ ~ ~.;.li::£::;2~i.~'~·~ _ :· -·~ - • . 16 · -. ·:. •.·.~-~,·l- •;;' .PHl.uPPrnE 'EnUCATOR · ~ ·!_. '- . • • • · •. ;;. ·--~ • or:~ ·. p~- .... ·~·· ~- ...... :-: -_ ... ,J ' - •• ·.... .l-: ~ - . . .... "" .. - - ... :: . ..-..... ~ •;':'i:~ .. "'· ~~j-9~~br;~(:.~~d~Mi. ~:s~fi~s -~etiev;d·'4&ft··::::;•·wh}' not·?t·'iri/~s·anf~s-a;ke"'iZ:-'·h%·~~~ .:--.;·_, · he had made a· good start in his refor-_ boy made' no reply but instead stood up mation. He hoped Lupo would continue and turned to go. · · showing good signs. It would take time Lupo, w_ ho was seated on a desk near~· ~-= ·certainly for him to shake off the per- '?Y. stood up and blocked the way. ~]~ ·-verse jnfluences of misguided childhood, "Go head," he told him. "Come on. 'iJ5:' ·of unwho1esoD;~e envir<;>ment, of bad Will you put Mr. Santos in a fix about - if.... .company, of the brutal years of war, all the· play? Go 'head." ••. c:j, - too well manifested in his vulgar lang~~ uage, insolence. , and violent temper. ,_ Particularly was Mr. Santos concerned about the last, that predisposition to violence which was not only bad but dangerous. It would take ,more than talk f' and sermons to remove that danger. It >- would require something decisive, even .rs · tragic and violen't. :' · - After classes one afternoon, Mr. Santos called the participants in his play, ~ "The Moon Goddess," which he intend_; ed to stage at the clossing program of the schooL - A slim, dark girl ·sat on the th'rone. Before her, six boys who were supposed to be warriors squatted. "Music," Mr. Santos called, and boys, the vocal orchestra, intoned a weird dance air. The warriors ros·e slowly and danced the tribal dance of invocation. Thus, the rehearsal progressed from scene to scene and with few hitches now and then that got promptly smoothed out. It was at last concluded with the moon gooddess coming down from heaven amidst thunder and lightning to expose an impostor, the queen. There was _ clapping of hands. "Now, once more," :Mr. Santos said. ''We'll do it without mistakes now. This will be the last. We shall not reh earse anymore until the actual performance." The queen took her place on the throne again. The warriors squatted before the throne-all but one who remained seated on a desk. "Go to your place now," Mr. Santos called to him. But the boy did not move. "I am tired, Mr. Santos. Please excuse me. I don't want to participate in the play anymore, sir." "Mind your own business," the · other retorted. "Oh you'll fight?'' Lupo challenged him. "You'll fi&_ht, ·huh?" • Before Mr. Santos could intervene, . there came a quick .and furious exchange of blows. Mr. Santos and the bigget: ., boys present tried to break them apart. f." They succeeded in J·10lding one away . -· from the other with great difficulty and · -:, p_ nly by force of number. "Take ,him out," Mr. Santos motioned to the boys holding Lupo's opponent. "You'll pay for this I" Lupo .shouted to the other and he laughed aloud suddenly and queerly as though it was all some great fun. l But his face was bleeding. Blood gushed out of an ugly cut above his left eye and strearn,ed down his face and shirt. "Better go to the dispensary and have that cut fixed up," Mr. Santos told him. "Oh, this is nqthing. Just a scratch. His nail. . . Nobody has drawn blood from -me before... not even in the mountain," he said meaningfully. He turned to go out. Mr. Santos held him by the shoulder. "I know what is on your mind," he told him. "You got into trouble on my account. I should thank · you for that. But I want you to do something else. I want you to forget this fight and let him alone." Lupo looked at him with an expression of surprise, even pain. "Nobody has ever drawn blood from me before," he said. "You told me once that am your friend." {, , ·.'~.-.:·,··~;~~~~c~l;;;:~~~:~:~~-~~ !-~~ 1 BAD BOY ~- ~-~~ ~:.,~::r~~~~~--~~~/t~·_;; · •"~,~?;.-,'Yes",..Lup~ ·s:UJ/<,1 have ·,come to been :wiped clean. <-T_he_,.cii~;;~t~s~~ ::.:. :_ regard. yo~ as my own father-even appe;rance of bizarre' g~titl~ne~~J;--~nd~ more:" languor was more noticeable than -ever. ·:,{' ,;." "If you do, then you will do what · ':Mr. Santos," he said qui!!tly; "!: ~~~~e..,'f~:'t~ am asking you to do. Promise." come to band you these_ ." " -•. - ·- . ..__:;: ~~· "I cannot promise," -he said and, with- "I am; going away," he ·continued after --~~ ·-0 ut another word, walked out with that a long, • speechless~morri'ent: :~r-know··~c\~~ sw-inging, manly gait of his. a place where I can ·get a JOb:· I'll study . ~¥ • • • ~ ~ -·· ..;, ";·~ •• ·~1 As he rested on a chair by the win- m the even mg.-' ~ · · ., _ , ' '· --v:~ dow after supper, M~. Santos had a "You don't have to leav~" Mr.' Santos ;;:.~_ .... '/i: worried look. He was thinking about said. "We-we have learn~d .to like 'y.~u·~~J?! -Lupo's case. It _ had grim possibilities-, here. The boys will_ miss you.!' · .The-·;_·!$,: a boy like him and a gun. He 'had used curious thing is Mr. Santos m~an_t every·/;~Jt it before with less provocation, as rumors word of it. ~ • . - ~ 1 ·~; • .;-;'~'· went. . "Oh, I've been a source c;>f so J,llUC~ , ~ He was so absorbed in his thqughts trouble in our school," he said. -·"G~o<( S-i that he failed to hear the knocking at night, sir. I-I have learned to tilte' jbis . .:.:l .... · .the door. But it came again, this time. school, too. That is why it is so hard to -.1~ much louder. leave." . . . . ·- · · .... -~~~When he became aware of the knock- The boy turned and left. -Mr. S~ntos"':·$ il!g, he' know who it was. "Come in," st9od there for a long w~ile holding tht:·-.-·:ift he said and stood up. gun and the knife. In his mind, he 'was -;,.;~ Lupo stood before him. A gun and a following the career of the boy as h_ e ·:~~:f. ' big-hunting knife were in his band. Tape strode forth in the dark with new pl~n? -'~ crossed over his-'brow, and his face had and resolutions warring in his breast. .:-· :j} --~~---------~--------------------------------- -------------------- ·. ~~ ;.,. , <... ~lV If only we had an Imay Pecson whose ~ -::~(Continued from page 4) social . graces and cha;ming feminine; __ ;·;.;. sympathy could be coupled' -with l~ss- 1 -:', could be defiant against methods that preoccupation with the comforts of.dti~-£:-) no longer work.·· -great so that the well-bei~g of tht< ~dls- -.::::~ u.s .. ·. If only we had a Flores whose youth is the only barrier toward the fulfilment of his brilliant, if unorthodox, dreaming ... If only we had an Alvaro L. Martinez (writer, once a teacher, now a Y.M;.C.A. general secretary) whose mind teems · with ideas of orgqnization and attraction, ~ho is always working out ways and means of harnessing mass psychology for mass benefit. •• If only we had an, Osias whose oratory, mass-magic, and clear thinking in the midst of the most gruelling intellectual battle rt:!.ight be coupled with less national renown that sometimes weans a great man from the people that ·he loves ... inherited may have a chance. to 6,{ re- " ~: membered... -. '-' If only we had a Cayco whose soundness of educational thinking and whose firmness of conviction makes fun of the illiterate compliance and orthodoxy even among nationally-known leaders ••• - --:"· · ·' - _,·J If only we could telescope all of the~ -~,.,... and make ~n eclectic Ex~cvtive Sec-· ~: retary~Treasurer, what could we n~t do ;_· with our PPST A I What could we no~ · ;~ do with 57,000 teachers all solid .. for· education and themselves! What could the country do against so vast an army of educated and determined and ORGANIZED mer, and women! (Continued on page 25) FOR MODERN OPTICAL NEEDS--SEE K B:EPSAKE OPTICAL--80 Escolta