After saying that, he placed his things on the table and picked up the chalk to begin teaching his lesson for the day. A deep silence filled the room; not even one person raised their voice, even though he was not a teacher known for harshness.
---
That morning, Frank, who was not supposed to go to school, was having breakfast at a mama lishe's food stall, since he lived alone. He was still nursing his wound and had not yet fully recovered, though he could move around and handle his own matters. While his colleagues were at work, he sat at the food stall eating with other locals. They engaged in conversation to keep from getting bored sitting there, trying instead to enjoy the moment.
"Teacher, sorry for what happened to you. I heard you ran into a student who knows how to throw punches, and you ended up getting marked for being too strict,"
said a young man known as a bajaji driver, smiling as others burst into laughter.
"Yes, these are just the challenges of teaching. You can't always have good things everywhere you go. They've decided to let me rest a bit after what happened at school."
"You see, some of them are boxers. Don't rush headlong to fight with such people. When you see your colleagues keeping their distance from one, you should just avoid him. As long as you get your salary, let everything else pass. There's no award for being too tough with your students — you'll just end up hurt,"
the driver advised.
"You better tell him," said mama lishe. "I've heard he's very strict at school. Some kids are impossible even for their parents; don't take the courage to fight their problems. You'll only get hurt more, Frank,"
she added.
Frank only sighed at their words. Most of them didn't understand what kind of challenges teachers face; they just talked. But to him, the weight of it all was clear.
"You people don't know how dangerous this job can be. It's not that we love to use the cane, but sometimes without it the students won't obey. And they have many unnecessary provocations. Like that boy — when he refused to obey even after being reported to the discipline master, I saw it as disrespect. My biggest mistake was hitting his shoulder with a cane — that's when he did what he did. But he also got badly hurt; he's got stitches there. Honestly, I almost got fired. I only thank the headmaster for saving me. That boy turned out to be from a very wealthy family. He only chose to study at our government school by choice."
"You mean there's a rich kid studying at your school, Teacher? I heard the one who hit you was that Ramso who lives up the hill with his aunt in a rented house. He's from around here — we've known him for ages,"
said the bajaji driver.
"That's what I thought too — that he's just a local boy. But he's not. I later learned that their real home is in Kijichi, in those high-end estates. His mother drives a Prado, and his father is wealthy too. Imagine if they'd decided to go against me with the education officer — what would've happened? Honestly, I blame old man Manjenje. He's the one who got me into this by bringing me that complaint."
When mama lishe heard that, she said,
"There's something I've kept in my heart for a long time. Let me just say it. I've heard from students that there's a teacher — with your name — who messes around with young girls, using his power over them. The girls are too scared to tell their parents because he's a good math teacher and well respected by their families. If he decides to accuse someone, they can get beaten both at home and school even if they're innocent."
"To tell you the truth, I've heard those stories too, but I've stayed out of it. At our workplace I've learned one thing — respect everyone, but don't trust everyone. Everyone is there to make a living. If you act too righteous, they could poison you or set you up with a false accusation. I once saw a teacher accused of raping a student and getting fired, all because he was a thorn to a group of immoral teachers. It's not that I support such matters — I just fear for my safety and my future. Even the headmaster doesn't question that old man because of how well he performs."
"What he said is true," said another man. "If you want to live peacefully at work, just focus on what brought you there. Look at me — I'm driving a bajaji now because I once tried to act too righteous. I was fired with a serious scandal and even went to jail for a year for something I didn't do. After getting out, no one would hire me, so I started driving this. Frank, if you see someone suffering, just let them. Even if it's the government losing money, don't say a word. As long as you get paid and the issue doesn't affect your office, stay quiet."
"So you, Jafu, you've got a story of your own that's been burning in your heart all this time,"
mama lishe said, as more people gathered around, listening closely to the discussion.
Jafu continued,
"I'm highly educated, with good college certificates, yet I'm here driving a bajaji for food money — all because of that one false case. I was married with two kids, but after that accusation, my wife left and doesn't even want the kids near me. My mistake was trying to be the most loyal, hardworking employee, but I blocked other people's interests, and they didn't like that. Listen — if you want peace at work, even if you see money being stolen, keep your mouth shut and act like you didn't see anything. Don't think people who live comfortably until retirement got there through hard work alone. Most just followed the saying, 'mind your own business.'
Even in politics, some who seem like great defenders of justice stay quiet on certain things — not because they can't speak, but because they fear losing their positions. Offices are full of evil people who can destroy your life, send you to prison, or break your family apart. My wife and kids are now in Iringa, but I moved far away because I couldn't stand being around them — they don't even know I'm still alive. I came here with the money I used to buy this bajaji and rent a small room. I have great education and experience, yet my life ended up here just because I was once imprisoned. In this country, do everything, but never go to jail — you'll lose your future forever."
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