Sasha's Dream

Sasha continued to keep that book at  bay though it made her feel weird. Sometimes, whenever she would read the book, she would start crying for no reason. And, sometimes she would even smile and laugh followed by a happiness she couldn't describe. However, she never told anyone about the book. Not even Alice.

And so, days went by and their exam day had come. Sasha did exceptionally well as always. Alice did good also as one of the top students of the class. Their homeroom teacher praised their efforts as usual.

Although, to Sasha, it was nothing special. Her parents never cared as to her grades. They had no idea. They  deliberately missed almost all the parents-teachers meeting there were. Well, they were busy, after all.

A few days later, Sasha's homeroom teacher called her to the teachers' room. So she went there. She was asked to tell her parents to meet with her.

"I don't think they will come even if I tell them to, Miss." Sasha told her without hesitation.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. Maybe they are too busy. Or maybe, they just don't want to. They hardly came in the past."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do about it."

Before she was dismissed, the teacher asked her a simple question. One that all children knew the answer to which would usually be positive.

"Sasha, do you love your parents?"

Sasha was surprised to hear such a question out of the blue. She kept quite for a moment. After a while, she answered thoughtfully.

"I don't know."

"Then, do you hate your parents?" She asked again.

"I don't know," she replied again.

"I see. You may go now."

The teacher had plans. She frequently had her eyes on Sasha. Often she would notice bruises on her body, though faint. Her emotionless but sorrowful face made her feel bad about it. She wanted to help her. So, she thought of meeting with her parents and talk to them about her condition.

So, on an ordinary day, after her classes had ended she made a phone call. She tried both Sasha's mother's and father's numbers. But, none answered. After trying for a while, she thought of going to their house and meet them face to face. But, she also thought of the possibility of them not being home at that moment. But, she went anyway, according to the address. Also, as Sasha would still be at school for few more hours, there couldn't be a better chance.

It was a four-storied apartment building. Sasha's was on the 2nd floor. She climbed up the stairs and went near the door. It was quite shabby but she didn't pay much attention to the fact. She pressed the calling bell beside the door and waited.

After waiting for quite a while, the door was opened. Before the door was standing a sickly woman, or so she seemed sickly to her.

"Who are you? What do you need?" That woman said without any restraint.

The teacher was shocked at her behaviour. But, she answered her question without any delaying.

"Mrs. Adrene? I am Miss Kamp. Sasha's homeroom teacher."

"Oh, what can I do for you, Miss Kamp?" That woman or, Mrs. Adrene, Sasha's mother said being a bit embarrassed at her own way of talking earlier.

"I wanted to talk you you and Sasha's father about her. Won't you let me in?"

"Oh! Where are my manners? Please, come in." She said being embarrassed yet again.

And so, she finally went in. The interior was shabby as well. It was not so well furnished and things were kept here and there. Sasha's mother took her to the shabby guestroom and told her to sit on the chair and wait. Then she went away.

After a while, she came back with a cup of tea and served the teacher, or, Miss Kamp. She received it and asked whether Sasha's father was home.

"Yes, he is, currently."

"I would prefer to talk to both of you."

Sasha's mother went to get her husband as per Miss Kamp's request. She eagerly watched her as she went. Soon afterwards, she heard the noise of a slap and a few harsh words. She got the gist of the  family's situation. After a while, both Sasha's mother and father came before her. The mother looked hurt and the father looked enraged.

"Did you need something from us, Sasha's teacher?" The father said in a rude manner.

"Oh, please! Miss Kamp is fine. I only wanted to talk to you. Would you please sit down with me?"

Both of them sat down on the chairs opposite to her.

Miss Kamp took a sip and asked them.

"What do you think about Sasha?"

"She is our daughter. Has she offended you in any way?" The mother asked.

"May I ask what has made you think of such a possibility?"

"She never fails in offending me. No matter how much I keep her away, she just offends me."

"Is that what explains the bruises on her body?"

Mrs. Adrene stared at her thinking how she found out as at the same time the father, her husband gave her a sudden glare.

"What bruise might you be talking about? There's no such a thing!" She said haphazardly.

Miss Kamp clearly saw them through. She had been teaching all kinds of students, after all.

"It's no use hiding from me. I am an honoured teacher. I would gain nothing if I do any harm to you or daughter. So, please! Tell me everything. I want to help you."

As the mother remained silent after that keeping all of her sorrows intact, the father finally spoke up.

"It's none of your business. We will do whatever we want with our family. You have no right to interfere."

"You're right. I have no right. But, as Sasha's teacher, it is my duty to ensure her proper growth. That's precisely why I'm here asking you questions." Miss Kamp said intelligently.

"So, let's continue. Tell me everything." She said again.

Mrs. Adrene, Sasha's mother seemed like she could not hold anything in any longer. She had long been wanting to tell her everything and ask for help. But, Sasha's father was uncooperative as always. Though he stayed quiet to hide his ruthlessness towards his family due to their poor condition, she couldn't do so.

"You're right, Miss Kamp. Please hear me out! Due to our economic difficulties, we could never give our daughter a proper place of growth at home. I don't ever recall being nice or kind to her. Rather, I have always beaten her over the slightest excuses." She finally said and gave a short pause.

She started shedding tears as she continued, "I love her more than anything in the world! But, for all the things we've done to her... will she ever forgive us? Will she ever love us?" Again she burst into tears. The father looked at her with not much of an expression. He knew that he was the root of their misery. But as harsh as he was, he did love his daughter.

He finally said,"For all that we've done, it's impossible. I'm sure she had given up on us long time ago. But, we can't blame her. We're at fault."

Both Miss Kamp and Sasha's mother looked at him being surprised. They continued to listen as he continued.

"I am planning on handing her over to someone more reliable. That way, she will have a proper place to grow into a fantastic person unlike us. I'm sure she hates us anyways. So, she would rather not stay with us."

Mrs. Adrene's heart was breaking apart. Because, what he had said was logical and sounded like the best possible decision. But, she didn't want to live without Sasha. No mother would ever want to cut her ties with her children.

Miss Kamp listened to all that he said. She knew that they both were mistaken.

"You're wrong!" She said without delay.

"Few days ago, I asked your daughter if she loved her parents. She said that she did not know."

Hearing that, they broke apart again as it sounded like she just had confirmed the fact that Sasha did not love them. But, Miss Kamp wasn't done with her statement. She continued.

"Then I asked her if she hated her parents. She said that she did not know, this time as well."

Both of them looked at her eagerly with eyes full of tears.

"Sasha hasn't given up on you two yet. You can still make it work. You can still apologize to her and love her for real. You can still change."

What she said sounded very encouraging. But, that encouragement got taken away by their poverty. The father looked down and said in a hopeless tone,"Even though we want to change, we might still not be able to provide her with the necessary environment. We might still be harsh to her beyond control."

"No parents are without faults. As  human being, even parents are expected to have mistakes in their lives. That is obviously beyond control. All you can do is act on it and try your very best. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

After a short pause, she continued, "Sasha is a very bright girl. You might not know it. But, she has aced almost all the exams that ever took place in the class. She is a great human being also. You are lucky to have such a daughter like her."

Hearing her words, both of the parents started to cry like babies in front of her. She let them cry. All those years of suffering and torment was worth crying for.

After a while, Miss Kamp took her leave thinking that it would he alright from then on. If not, she would try again later. But, for the time being, pointing out their mistake and giving them hope was wise in her perspective.