" The Lasting Effect of a Single Word"

Was walking in the street with a cup of coffee I bought in the vending machine. This is my routine every
morning after I was left alone in my house. I can't stop thinking of her everytime I walked passed by the park
where we spent our good times together. I remember every then and there that I will find out the reason why ,
I'll always keep that in my mind.
I was walking along until I stopped in front my school way back in highschool. I don't why but I just realized
that I entered the school without thinking properly. I was walking and some greeted me with sly smile on their
faces as if they knew me well. There are students running around the field and some are talking with their
groups. As if they are not facing struggles in life. The sun is kissing their faces and the grass on the field is
dancing when the wind comes by. The weather today is not the worst weather in this month. I didn't realize that
my feet is taking me to the playground of this school. I sat on the swing next to the slide and there's no student
passing by. As I swang I can feel the deep sadness of the winds , the chirping of the birds as if they were saying
they understand my sorrow. As if the nature is pitying me.
"Mr. Montenegro?"
I stay still in my sit as if I didn't hear anyone , I didn't answer the woman who just spoke to me.
"I guess you are ready to talk to me?" She asked ruining the silence.
I stayed in my position , silence filled the place. No one is talking , there is a deafening silence. I can feel that
she is adjusting to me

After several minutes I spoke

"I always tell you I'm not ready to meet you yet , but here I am. Inside the campus of the place I told myself that
this is the least place on earth I will go to." I sighed "I guess all along I wanna know the reason but I am scared
enough to know the truth"

"But you can't just run away , you need to face it."

" I know , so I guess we'll talk"

So this is it , I told myself. I wanna know now and I guess it is the right time. We talked inside her office.

It's still the same old office I always go to when there is a problem here in school.
"So here is the written documents of the cases here , and a bullying is the one major case here -"

I cut here "Let's just please get straight to the point."

"Okay " she sighed "There are major cases of bullying here , and you know that your daughter is one of the
victims of bullying here."

" I know"

"So I was saying , the parents of the bullies wants to talk to you. They were reaching for you for the past weeks
but you isolated yourself." She said straight into my eyes "I am a parent too , but for me I think it is better to
move on from the past and accept it."

"Accept?! Are you kidding? It's easy for you to say than done. Let go? How can you let go in this type of
cases!"

"Because we are wasting our life for staying in the past we need to accept lost and move forward."

"How can you say that? You are a mother !" I said frustrately , how can she say that? "You solved lots of cases
in here but you can't even solve your own daughter's case."

"You think it's not hard for me? You judge me too easily John ,how can you say that. Are you saying that I am a
worthless mother?"

"You don't know my pain too! I just lost my only daughter and now I can feel that I am slowly losing my
husband! Stop acting like you know my pain because you don't know"

I can even say a thing that hit me so hard "I just accepted the fact John , because I need to move on because
Chin will surely won't like it not because I don't love our daughter. I still have you and that's the reason I need
to move forward."

With that all the memories came back. All the times I always go to the office because my daughter is getting
bullied but she doesn't say anything. Bullying cases is the major case inside their campus. But the couselor
resolved it before it could reach to the principal so I thought it is okay. But no
I just lost my daughter because of bullying. Yes the guidance counselor resolved it , but the anxiety that the
students felt are still there.

But it shooked me more is the fact that students nowadays are involved in early pregnancy. I didn't realized that
my daughter beared I child at a very young age but suffered abortion because she is feeling scared on what will
students will say and they will just bully her more. She thinks she could bear it but the guilt just builds inside
her until she took her own life.

I was a bully at my younger age but they always resolve it. I'm at ease that it will not happen on my Chin but it
did. Bullying in today's society are getting worse.

I cried a bucket of tears when it happened , I just realized the saying that 'do not do to others if you don't want
others to do unto you'. Karma is always there so don't make fun of other , it will come back to you . Just a lot
worse.

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