Suspended From School

"Your father came earlier this morning. He had the processes of your leave from school done. We have already handed the official letter to him, so you are required to pack up and vacate your locker, hand the locker key back, and return any borrowed books from the library, if you have some in your possession. Good luck."

Jennifer felt the world wobble at her feet, her head spinning. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her at that moment if that would mean avoiding the mess she had now come to embrace as her life.

She and her father...if that was what giving birth to her awarded him, well, she had no choice, but he never treated her like his own. Or part of his own. It wasn't because of anything she did, rather, he detested everything she was. A girl. A girl who would end up contributing nothing to his lineage or his bloodline. That's how he saw her. An empty vessel.

He preferred boys, and always showed the bias and favoritism towards her brother. He showered him with everything that the little money they had could allow him to and left nothing for her.

Now, he had come to snatch her school from her too. She wanted to think of positive things. Wanted to believe that there was something, some concrete reason that would be good enough, but as hard as she tried, she came up with absolutely nothing. No reason was just good enough for her to forfeit school when she had worked her way up to the graduating class.

She emptied her locker and got her bag, amidst a few murmurs from the students around. It wasn't like she was particularly famous or hard to pass, but the science teacher who has first come in, Mrs. Margaret had literally said it, before sending her to the principal's office to hear the details.

It had been like any other day, any other school day. Science was her favorite and she had been looking forward to it, but now, she couldn't help the small pang of resentment she felt for Mrs. Margaret. It was not her fault and she had nothing to do with her father's sudden decision, but she just couldn't help it.

"Jennifer?" Mrs. Margaret said, and she looked up.

"Yes, ma'am."

"You are still here? You didn't leave with your father?"

"What? My father?" Just the name spelt impending doom and her heart dropped to her stomach in fear.

"Yes. He came to process your leave and left just a while. Did you not know?"

It had been hard for Jennifer to process the information until she went to the principal's office and found out it was not some prank that was going to be laughed off. It was real.

She handed in the locker keys and returned the book she had borrowed from the library to read ahead of the finals she had in three months. Never in her life did she think she wouldn't even be sitting for it.

She turned and walked away, her heartbroken even more into smaller pieces, and no positive thing she spoke to her mind could keep them back together again.

She walked home briskly, now fueled more by the desire to know why her father had chosen to meddle in the academic life she had built for herself by working day and night, than by letting the deep sadness she felt put her down. She wasn't easy to take out, because she would cease to exist in the kind of environment she had been brought up in if she had let everything break her resolve.

The house, a small place she shared with her mother, father, and brother, was as silent as usual. She used to have an elder sister around too, but she had gone missing a year back. They had not given up on finding her, although her father acted like he never even had her. She was sure he would act the same way if something suddenly happened to her too.

She opened the door and stepped in, holding her school bag in her hand. Her father was sitting on the couch, watching some blurred documentary. The TV was small and old-fashioned, so that was the most it could do.

"Father," she said, coming closer to him.

He didn't flinch or take his eyes away from the TV, just kept his focus where it had been before she came in.

"Dad. I have something to ask you."

He turned to her, his face morphed into a sneer, and then turned away again.

"Why did you go to school today?" Jennifer asked, despite his attitude. The school was more important to her than anything he wanted to throw at her right now.

"I processed your leave. But I guess you are sharp-mouthed enough to face me when I know you are back here because you have already been informed."

Jennifer blinked hard, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. Hearing their voices, her mother, a middle-aged woman who carried more sadness and weariness than her likes walked in, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why are you back so early? Did something happen?"

"Dad asked for me to leave school. He processed my leave from school without informing me."

"And why should I inform you? What sense do you have to take part in the decision-making? You are only but a girl."

"Dad. I am the one who pays my tuition. You only ever catered for Paul. So why are you interfering now?"

This was when he stood up and backed the TV, his hands on his waist, his eyes boring into her. She lowered her head. Regardless of how much he did to her, he was still her father and she respected him.

"It is because I am still catering for Paul. You are leaving school to get married. Your bride price should be enough to settle the expenses for Paul's marriage. If you have some dignity in you, you would do that much for him."

"Marriage? I am getting married to settle Paul's marriage expenses? Dad!" Jennifer said, finding it hard to control the bitterness she felt. Of all things she had imagined could be the reason, this one just never crossed her mind

"Yes, you are." He said, his tone final. With that, he threw some documents at her feet, documents on which he had signed her future away to some man she didn't even know.