A Vengeful Heart Sees No Love
Part 4
Please see the disclaimer on the Synopsis page.
Three weeks came and went. Peter had been called into the local school board after being tested to see what grade level he was to be placed. The local school board took an interest in learning all they could about Peter Caine's education. They never heard of a monastery offering an education to young boys. It sounded suspiciously like some kind of cult and the thought of young boys among older males with no females present smacked of possible child abuse and molestation. Many of the questions that were put to Peter were probing and the young man started to fidget in his chair, especially when it came to questions regarding his father.
"Did your father ever touch you in ways that made you uncomfortable?" one woman asked.
"In what way?" Peter asked back.
The question that Peter threw at the woman caused a momentary pause. She then tried to ask the question again, this time choosing her words more carefully. "Did your father ever touch you . . . you know . . . in an obscene manner?"
Peter stared at the woman, a blank expression was on his face. What was this woman asking him? That his father would . . . Shaking his head, Peter tried to remove the images from his mind.
"My father never did anything like that," Peter answered. "My father was a Shaolin Priest."
"What is a Shaolin Priest?" Another person questioned.
"Sounds like some kind of cult to me," a third stated under his breath.
Peter's mouth became a hard line, and his eyes became narrow. "You don't know anything. A Shaolin protects those who cannot protect themselves."
"Take it easy, Son," the principle of the school board stated. "We just want to get to the truth."
"The truth? You don't want to know the truth. And don't call me son."
"Peter," Paul came in at that moment. "What's going on here?"
"Paul, they're trying to accuse my father of abusing me."
"I'm Peter's foster-father. You have no right to question him about his past relationship with his father."
"Mr. Blaisdell . . ."
"That's Lieutenant Blaisdell of the Metro Police."
"Yes, whatever," the principle did not seem impressed. "Look, the kid's background sounded . . . well . . . suspicious. We're just trying to determine if there was any wrong doing . . ."
"I know what you were asking," Paul stated. "I had been standing there for the past ten minutes observing. I have to admit his background is unusual, but that does not mean that there was anything going on that you described."
"Well what would you call it?" the principle questioned. "Young boys entering a monastery full of men and no women present, hey come on we know what's really going on."
"To be ignorant of the facts is one thing. To take ignorance as fact is evil," Peter stated.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I think you know," Paul stated. "Come on Peter."
"Wait. Let me explain, Lieutenant Blaisdell. We've tried asking the boy what happened. By the scores on his GATs he's lacking in a lot of areas. His American History is poor. His math is strong. His science is weak. And there are other areas that are also lacking. His understanding of Social Studies and Geography . . ."
"The test makes no sense to me. I didn't study those things at the temple," Peter stated. "And I was already tested when I entered the orphanage."
The principle continued as if he had not heard Peter, "With the kind of scores that is listed here, I assumed we had a mentally handicap kid we were going to deal with. So asking Peter in for an interview was the most logical step."
"Did you take a look at his scores when he entered the orphanage? He had been tested then as well."
"Well, no."
"Believe me, his scores were a lot worse. I saw them. But that was early on when he first arrived. He had not been tested since," Paul stated.
"His scores are not the issue here. After meeting the boy, I realized he is an intelligent kid, but his scores suggest there was another underlying problem. Some children score low on exams because they have low self-esteem or they are having problems at home. Abused children are among those who especially have lower scores, even though they are very bright kids."
"Peter's father did not abuse him," Paul Blaisdell stated. "Peter's education was different than the rest of the general public."
"Oh, come off it officer," another member of the school board spoke up. "How would you know what went on in a monastery filled with young boys and men?"
"Because I've been to a Shaolin temple," Paul answered.
End of Part 4
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2006.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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