Confessions of Don Black

Chapter 10 - The Princess

"Athenarella!" four ladies shouted towards our direction giggling.

They passed us seated near the school fountain during a lunch break munching sandwiches.

"Our very own School Princess," one said.

(Whistling) A bunch of guys whistled past us and sang a "School Princess" song.

"Get over it already," Athena shouted back at them.

"Wow, they even made up a song," I said.

I laughed, and she became agitated.

"Princess," three young ladies shouted.

"Don't you dare call me that again," she said.

She threw an apple at them.

"Whoa – she's now a bullfighter," they said.

Ladies ululated at her. They called us the Prince and the Princess. I did not fight it, neither did I respond, and hence they stopped calling me Prince. She hated the title; nevertheless, the students imposed it on her.

"Don't fight it," I said," it'll pass."

"I hate it."

"So don't react," I said.

"How will that help," she asked.

"If you fight it this hard, they enjoy it," I said," remember the taste of forbidden fruits?"

I could have easily decreed that everybody cease and deceit, using my new found influence and power, but I must admit I enjoyed it. Athena looked too cute when trying harder to desist her detractors. Despite my best advice otherwise, she fought it instead, and it stuck. The ladies continued teasing her. On the other hand, most of the guys at school were envious of me. When they saw me with her around the campus, they salivated. One could see their Adams apples moving up and down. They were lusting on her as if she was a pudding. They failed dismally on numerous occasions to muscle me. The minute they tried, Al and the clan appeared from nowhere like ghosts. It must have killed them that they could not do any harm to me however hard they tried. At home, the security was tight; in the playing fields, I had Al; when traveling, I had my driver who also coupled as my bodyguard. I was always with someone and out of reach. I enjoyed the presidential protection afforded to me by my best friend Al and the clan. I was surprised that Al kept his part of the bargain, as he was known to do whatever he liked whenever he liked. Al was three years my senior. We were in the same class despite the age gap. He previously missed two years of schooling out of mischief. Sometime back before I came to St. Martenoir,the school expelled him for burning the Chemistry Lab while trying to be the stand-in coordinator. He mistakenly mixed the right chemicals the wrong way, and an explosion went out of control. He was a man without fear who thrived on experimentation. He was hooked on trial and error to solve problems. He took charge and tried new things all the time. Those were the traits that attracted me to him.

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One day I came home late, as I was permitted to do from time to time due to my excellent grades.

"Afternoon," I said to my guardian, "How was your day?"

"Afternoon," he said with a vibrating voice," you startled me."

He almost fell off the chair; that made me curious.

"How was school?"

"School was cool," I said, "it's good."

"Sam prepared your favorite lasagna," he said.

"I 'm not hungry," I said, "I had wings with friends."

"Night."

"Evening," I said.

I retreated to my man cave. Early morning after he left for work I sneaked around. I found schedule-4 heart-related pills. He hid it well; I never knew until that day. I guess he did not want to trouble me. We had a good relationship. On weekends, when I did not sneak out to the townships with the boys from my previous school, or with Al and the clan, he took me fly fishing in a catch and release stream. Sometimes we had a braai with his friends, who had beers while he had whiskey. I was always - without fail - treated to a fruit juice although I envied a few beers. I figured I was older and responsible enough to have a few drinks now and then. The golfing trips were for his business dealings only, and no kids were allowed. I later learned that those golf sessions were where they had sexual escapades with their mistresses. They popped expensive bottles of whiskey in crystal glasses.