Chapter 4
As the entire class sat in the library, the foursome and Bathsheba came into the library and sat down towards the front of the group, and Bathsheba and Cherie held their babies on their laps. They saved a seat besides Bathsheba for the Directrix, whenever he came in. After a bit more time, Natonito came in with Bill and Tim in chains. The class looked nervous and guilty. Natonito acknowledged his wife and then went up to speak.
�We are here concluding the first year of the first imperial school class. This has been a year of ups and downs,� Natonito said. �Some of the highs of the year include our service projects and concerts, as well as a surprise academic leader of the class, our resident commoner.� The group cheers, everyone else is sullenly silent. Continuing, Natonito said, �We have also had some lows, like my sister-in-law getting pregnant, and worst, the appalling keg party that closed out the year and ended up getting these two students in irons, to be sent off to the marines. First, I would like each of our resident convicts to give a message to the class. This should be entertaining.�
�We feel our treatment was unfair,� Bill said.
�Yes, we have been wronged,� Tom said.
�We did plan the party, that much is true, and we spent a lot of money with our weed man getting the right herbs for our party, as well as the right drinks, but we were not the only ones to partake of the abundance of the keg party,� Bill said.
�Yes, if we are to be punished, the rest of the class should be punished just like we are,� Tom said.
�Well, I do not think having them expelled would be deserving. After all, as the ringleaders of the party, and the organizers, as you have said yourselves, you deserve special condemnation,� Natonito said. �Still, what do you suggest as a punishment for them.�
�How about having their parents know about the party, about their children being marijuana users and drunks, and having the children be forced to do additional community service, say at a drug rehab center or something,� Bill said.
�Yeah, that sounds good,� Tom said.
�I agree. That is the first intelligent thing I have heard out of your mouth all year,� Natonito said. �I agree with your suggestions. I think that is a fitting punishment, besides the demerit that will go in all of the files of the offending students so that if they apply to universities, their indiscretions will be reported.�
�That sounds fair, after all, I doubt we will be able to survive to go to college,� Tom said.
�Yeah, stopping bullets is a hard job,� Bill said.
�You will receive what you have earned, and more,� Natonito said. �You are going to be adults one way or another.�
�I just hope I won�t get violated in the shower,� Bill said.
�Yeah, I�m bringing soap on a rope to boot camp,� Tom said.
�Good idea,� Natonito said. �Well, what do you all think of that?� The class was silent. He continued, �You were all having a good time earlier this week, but now you are silent. So be it. Daniel, it is time for you to come up and present your speech to the class, as the person who led the class, by a good margin, in marks.�
After walking up to the lectern, Daniel began to speak. �It is not important who speaks here today as the best student of the first year, or who speaks next year, or three years from now at graduation. For such speeches are not memorable, merely show so that some may look back on the moments fondly as they tell their grandchildren about their own great deeds as young people. I doubt anyone will remember what I say here today, as it is even less momentous occasion than high school graduation will be for all of us. Still, as I have been asked to speak here, I could not let the Directrix down. One does not reject offers from the second in command in the Empire.� The class laughed. Continuing, he said, �It is not the brains that we have that is important. Brains are a gift from God, and in themselves they mean nothing. We all have various inborn talents, things that come to us easily, and all of us have things that we struggle with. It is not our gifts that are important, but what we do with them. For those who have been given much, much is expected by our Creator, who keeps balanced and just accounts. I speak to you this way because I do not want you to be jealous of my brains. While I work at least as hard as the rest of you, knowledge comes easier to me than it does to some of you. That is the way we were differently made by our Father God. Still, there are some things that do not come easily to me at all. I will never throw a ball or run as fast as some of you, and I will never be at ease in parties or social occasions. We must all deal with what we have, for outside of what God has given us we have nothing. It is my hope that if you remember anything about my speech today, it is not that my speaking here today means that I am a better person than the rest of you, or that I will succeed in life and you will fail, but merely that in this small area I have an advantage. It will be determined at our reunions what we have all done with what we have been given. I hope all of you enjoy your summer, and come back next year with a renewed focus on learning and socializing, this time without the keg parties. I am sure we have all grown up a lot this year. I know I have. Coming into this school I was an awkward boy from the country. While I am still awkward, I have learned a lot about dealing with people. I hope you all have learned much outside of classes yourselves. We will forget our lessons if we do not use them in our lives, but we will never forget our life experiences, those things we chose to do on our own. Thank you all for your time, and enjoy your summer.� He stepped down from the lectern to a cheering audience.
�That was a good speech,� Natonito said.
�Yeah, it was great,� Delia said.
�It was good because it was spoken from the heart,� Daniel said. �Too often these speeches are ego trips, but I wanted the other students to know that I was not as proud and stuck up as they may have thought I was.�
�I think you succeeded wonderfully,� Delia said.
�Abase yourself and you will be exalted,� Daniel said.
�Exalt yourself and you will be abased,� Bathsheba said.
�Very true,� Henry said. �It is a wonder that more people do not learn that lesson.�
�The problem is that so many people are consumed with themselves that they find it difficult to let go and admit their faults. People are strange. To those who are open about their faults, people give adoration and love, since their heroes have admitted being human. To those that act like they are perfect, people drag their names into the mud looking for any allegation that will stick, knowing that the proud souls will make a slip at one point or another,� Natonito said.
�Very wise words,� Daniel said. �They are especially prescient for politicians like yourself.�
�Or like my father,� Henry said.
�Yes, you are fortunate to learn that lesson,� Delia said. �Many people never learn.�
�Yes, that is true, to their lasting shame,� Natonito said. �In this day and age, with the media so focusing on the flaws of every person in power, while avoiding accountability themselves, the only way a public person can avoid rumors and gossip is to be completely honest. When you are honest and open, people don�t have anything to say about you because they already know all. It may not be easy to be that open, but there is no other choice. When you live in a fishbowl under bright lights, you can�t hide anything anyway, so why try?�
�Very true,� Bathsheba said. �I am glad people have been forgiving about my past.�
�What do you have to be afraid of, sis,� Cherie said. �You were kidnapped as a child and sold to a prostitution ring in the city of Bravia. People will not judge you harshly for that.�
�That is very comforting, Cherie,� Bathsheba said, hugging her. �Still, some people are judgmental, no matter what the circumstances.�
�You cannot change closed minds,� Daniel said. �You can only do the best you can to live your own life, and be kind to people even though they may be unkind to you.�
�Yes,� Delia said. �And you shouldn�t worry about the past too much. After all, the only thing we can do with the past is gather strength from it, or learn from it. All else is futile.�
�These are wise young people,� Natonito said. �I hope that you all do not transform your wisdom into folly, like so many do.�
�If they were ever wise,� Henry said. A short pause followed.
�So, what do you want to do now?� Cherie said. �The school year is over, and we have a little while before we have to head over to Bravia for the wedding. Even the babies are acting peacefully.�
�Why don�t we all go to Bravia early?� Natonito said. �There are some places there I love to relax at when I have the chance. Work has been slow here for me recently, which is fortunate, because being the second in command of an empire is usually quite hard work.� Everyone laughed.
�What places in particular did you have in mind?� Bathsheba said.
�How about the place where I wooed you,� Natonito said. �The Bravian Cantina.�
�Quite an excellent place, I am sure. Maybe you can tell the children about how you met me, and how you got to be where you are now,� Bathsheba said.
�Sounds like a plan to me. I can always use the time flapping my jaws,� Natonito said.
�I love stories,� Daniel said.
�Me too. Especially if they are exciting ones,� Delia said.
�This one should be exciting,� Natonito said. �After all, it is about my time in the rebellion.�
�The rebellion against the Animal Star Empire?� Daniel said.
�Yes, that one,� Natonito replied.
�The one where you fought against Emperor Juanita�s legions with my father,� Henry said.
�Yes, yes, we will get to all of that soon enough,� Natonito said.
�Well, let us go then, to Bravia,� Bathsheba said. Her baby son and Cherie�s son laughed.
�Sounds like fun,� Cherie said. Everyone giggled, and then went off to pack their bags for the trip.
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