Throughout my childhood, as of grade 1 onwards, I developed "nervous ticks". They changed from year to year. But they were always present. It's not like life was peachy beforehand, only it got worse as of then. Can the fact that I was supposedly "my dad's favourite" be the reason why he was so hard on me? No clue..
My grade 1 teacher, had been my sister's teacher two years prior. For all that she loved my sister, who had been her favourite student, she hated me all the more. She was intent on thinking I was a troublemaker, that I didn't listen, that I made things up. I was not my sister, I was not a "model" student. No matter what I did or tried to do, every single day without fault, I'd wind up at the principal's office. I can remember my classroom a little, but the principal's office is engraved in my head.
We used to have washroom breaks, where the whole class would proceed to the washroom. Only, when we went, I often didn't feel the need to go. So, all I would do is drink some water and then head back with everyone. Usually, around 5mins after being back in class, I'd suddenly had to go to pee. The first few times the teacher let me go. But afterwards, she thought I was doing it on purpose to get out of class. I honestly wasn't. When I was young, if I had to pee, the washroom had better be right there because I couldn't hold it in. Well, when she had set her mind that I was only asking to go to the washroom to get out of class, she no longer let me go. She'd tell me to sit back in my seat. I would listen, but like I said, I couldn't retain it. So, on more than one occasion, there developed large puddles of pee under my seat. I couldn't help it, I had to go and she wouldn't let me. So, when this happened, she decided that I was out to spite her. And so, I'd be sent to the principal's office.
If we needed to ask a question, we were to go to her desk. If someone was already there, we'd have to form a line. I remember one time, I didn't understand a problem in the workbook. So, up I went, to the back of the line. I had a booger that was bothering me so I proceeded to remove it. Just as I was in mid process, the student in front of me (N.) turned around. Immediately his eyes got wide. "Miss!! A. is sticking her middle finger up at me!" When asked about this, I said "I was just picking my nose".. So much for honesty, she thought I was lying to her and off I went to the principal's office again.
This action, these words, were not a part of my vocabulary. I lived in a household where English wasn't the main language and these expressions weren't used. How was I to know the "middle" finger was such a bad word?
Many times, I would sit in the principal's office, alone, as he didn't always stay in there. I'd pass my day there, sitting with my back against the wall. Looking around, at the empty desk, or the shelf with the owl cups, or out the window through the blinds.
Our school was far enough that we could take the school bus, although my dad never permitted us to do so. A good 30 minute walk to get there, another 30 to get back. And every day my dad would come to the principal's office to pick me up. Every day, without fault on the way home I'd be told to walk in front of him. Then he'd say I was walking too fast, tell me to walk slower and pull me back by my ponytail. Then he'd say I was walking too slow, to walk faster and would kick me (in the butt) to push me further up. Rinse and repeat, all the way home. Every day, for a whole year. It's no surprise (to me) that I developed "ticks". It's not like they helped me to relieve the stress of my every day life, but in a way I guess it was one way of coping. Not like it was something I could control though. Thankfully, in elementary school, no one ever bothered me about my ticks nor did they ever tease me because of that. High school is another story altogether.
There's an expression here "avoir eu des coups de pieds dans l'cul" (having received kicks in the butt) which means someone's tall.. or what my relatives tend to say "n'a pas eu assez de coups de pieds dans l'cul" (not having received enough kicks in the butt) in reference to someone being short. Because the idea is, if you've received a lot of kicks in the butt, you'll be taller. I joke around from time to time, because I'm taller than everyone in my family, yet both my parents were considerably shorter. So, I say, I received enough and that's why I'm taller than anyone. Why should I mope about something that happened in the past, right? Might as well make "use" of it even if it's in a joking manner. Maybe that also explains my being taller than my older sister, as she never received kicks. Lucky her.
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