I was in my Junior year of at Heritage High School in Saginaw. I was starting to turn my rebellious ways around and I was finally making honor roll at school. Most of the classes came easy for me except one, geometery. I never could understand the point of knowing how to prove theories and studing theorems. I daydreamed of taking those shapes and figures and using them to create a device specifically to torture the greek mathematician Euclid, the father of geometery.
It did make it easy that my old science teacher from Nouvel Catholic Central transferred over to the public school to teach and he was now our geometery teacher. I remember before school started I looked at my schedule and seen Talbot as to who teaching the course and thought to myself, This can't be the SAME teacher I had before. Sure enough on the first day there was Mr. Talbot up at the chalkboard in a shirt and tie. He looked refreshed to see a familar face as well. He used his knowledge of me to help pass out papers or to run errands. Unfortunally, he would also call on me often for answers to geometery problems. Overall, I think I got a C+ that year in his class which I was happy with. He wasn't a boring teacher. He did try to make his class fun as much as he could.
As you walked in the door the chalkboard was straight to the front. To the right were 3 rows of tables and to the left were also 3 rows of tables. Four student's would sit to a table. Mr. Talbot's desk sat in front in the middle of the walkway to the chalkboard. I don't know if it was the layout of the classroom or the students in it but it was a very comfortable class to be in. For the most part we all got along with each other.
I sat in the front row on the right hand side when you walked into the room. To my right sat a guy I was dating at the time and to my left sat a freshman boy named Mason. Mason was such a smart, sweet kid who wouldn't harm a fly. He was short and kind of on the chunky side. He was the type of person that everyone considered as a brother. There would be times we would be bored and doodle on each other's papers or try to stomp on each other's foot to see who would make a noise and get into trouble. He was fun to goof off with. However, if I did need something to be explained in my homework he was always willing to help. He was very kind in that way.
One day Mr. Talbot was trying to teach us something difficult. I must of been tired that day because I wasn't in the joking around mood. Mason would try to poke me with his pencil and laugh. Looking back I know he was trying to make me smile but I wasn't in the mood at the time. I asked him to stop. He did stop for a little while then I would feel a poke in my side from his pencil eraser. Then another poke. I firmly told him he needed to stop and that I was trying to pay attention. A few moment's later - poke, poke, poke. The eraser jabbed at my side again with Mason giggling thinking he was getting away with something. Without even thinking the back of my hand reached around and I backhanded him across his face. The sound of my hand smacking across his face echoed across the room. It was followed by a few gasps from students who witnessed the event. Mr. Talbot turned around to see what happened. Mason quickly got up and ran out of the room. For a second I was numb. It seemed surreal that I did such a cruel and hurtful thing.
"I can't believe you just did that!" came from Jason, the guy I was dating. He, then, got up and dashed out the door to find Mason. I sat there for a moment, eyes closed with my head down. Remorse sat in. I had never struck anyone like that in my life before. Mr. Talbot was still speechless. He was probably trying to make sense out of what happened as his back was turned when I backhanded Mason. It seemed like a minute had passed when I knew what I needed to do. I had to find Mason and apologize to him. I looked up at Mr. Talbot with a look that told him that I needed to remedy the situtation. Leaving my books on the table I got up and left the room in search of Mason.
I rounded the halls in the circular building and found Mason sitting on the floor leaning up against the brickwall, his head buried into his knees that were pulled up to his chest. Jason was already there consoling him. Jason took notice that I was there and gave me a disgusted look. The look he gave me was granted. I deserved it. He tried to shoo me away but I couldn't leave. I needed to make my peace with Mason.
I sat down next to Mason and put my hand on his shoulder. I never felt so horrible. I was ashamed of my thoughtless actions. All three of us sat out in the hallway talking and working things out. The bell to signal the changing of classes rang. We got up and gave each other a hug. All was well between us. We entered back into the classroom and Mr. Talbot looked at us wondering what happened. I apologized to Mr. Talbot for disrupting the class and for striking out at Mason. I think Mr. Talbot knew that doing such a thing was out of character for me and he knew we handled it. By all rights I should of received a detention for striking another student and I would of accepted it but I never got one. I believe Mr. Talbot seen our maturity in how we handled the situtation and he knew I was very remorseful for my actions.
Mason and I both agreed that we both were wrong that day. He said he should of stopped bothering me when I asked him to but that still was not an excuse for my actions. I never lashed out at anyone like that again. I am not proud of my actions that day in class but I have learned from them. I learned to check my actions and not be spontaneous with my emotions. I learned to own up to what I had done and to know to seek and apology without someone guiding me to do so. I did a lot of growing up that day.
I ended up moving across the state at the end of that year. I will never know what ever happened to Mason or if he even remembers this situtation. But I still remember and I still regret my careless actions.
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