Someone Who Always Lies

SOMEONE WHO ALWAYS LIES

“What are you doing?’ came the voice of Johnno’s mother

“I’m doing my homework”, shouted back Johnno as he quickly picked up the porn magazine he was pouring over and threw it under his bed, just in the nick of time as his mother slammed open the door and stormed into his room.

“You are not doing your homework, I can’t see any school books or papers – what are you really doing my boy!”

“I’ve just finished.” Answered Johnno in a very convincing and soft voice.

The next day, wet and cold, all the children in the classroom were looking out the window, waiting for the rain to stop, so they could go outside and start their game of various sports.

“Now everyone,” said the teacher, “No one is to go outside until the weather clears, do you hear me?”

“Yes,” answered the classroom of children in unison.

They continued looking out the window, fingers jigging on the desk tops in anticipation.

The teacher turned her back and started organising the papers on her desk, she turned on the music machine to hopefully calm the children and stop them from being so frustrated and bored.

As the music was playing, there was good background noise for the door to be opened and the culprit to slip outside unnoticed. Johnno quickly moved out of the room and ran across the playground, getting drenched by the rain and pushing against the wind.

“What are you doing boy?” came a deep voice – it was the Principal, watching for the weather conditions to change, when he saw the boy running across the grounds.

“Oh, sorry Sir, but I was asked to come out and check that all the kid’s bikes were well under cover” answered Johnno.

“Very good son, get the job done and be careful.” Said the admiring Principal. He is such an amazing kid, he thought, always out and about and doing things. I don’t believe all the stories I get from the teachers and other students, saying how Johnno makes things up and doesn’t do all the amazing errands he appears to do. I will have to reward him at the school assembly.

Johnno continued to run across the fields, and ended up down the road, deciding which shop he would go into. He finally decided on going to the local bike store..he was needing a new bike pump.

He entered the store, looking wet and bedraggled, but with a strong determined expression on his face. “Hi” he said to the store keeper as he entered. The store keeper quickly jumped from where he was sitting, checking messages on his phone. The shop had been deserted most of the day due to the weather.

“How can I help you son,” he asked.

“I’ve just been asked by the school principal to see if you would help us out by loaning us a bike pump so the kids can get home safely. This weather has attacked some of the kids bikes and their tyres are flat.” Johnno put on a genuine, pleading voice and was satisfied with the response the shop keeper gave.

“Oh that’s not very good – I can certainly help you out. I can give you 3 pumps and lend you a bike to get back to school if that’s any use.”

“Thank you so much, that would be great” Johnno replied, with a thankful voice and matching smile.

The shop keeper went to the back of the store, packed up 3 bike pumps and wheeled out the latest model BMX bike – handing over the box of pumps and giving Johnno a new bike helmet and wheeled the jazzy bike up to him.

“Oh this is very good of you,” said Johnno, putting on the helmet and packing the box across the back of the bike, took hold of the bike from the shop keeper and quickly strode through the door, jumping on the bike and took off through the now torrential rain.

He rode home and stashed the bike in the shed, covering it with several sheets that were stored there, making it invisible.

As he was moving out of the shed, his mother stepped out of the back door – “What on earth are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in school, and running through all this storm, sometimes I really wonder about you Johnno!”

“I came home to see how you were in this awful weather, you look OK, though so that’s all right, “ he shouted back to his mother, whilst moving towards her, still holding one of the bike pumps, he had put under his jacket.

With one big swing, he hit his mother over the head with the pump, causing her to scream and collapse on the ground.

Johnno checked that she was out cold, then struggled his way back to the school. When he got back to the classroom, his teacher, pulled open the door and raged at him.

“Where on earth have you been, boy!”

“I’m sorry, but I got a call from my mother saying she wasn’t feeling well, so I had to go to check on her, but I couldn’t find her in the house, so was hoping you might be able to help me.”

“Oh” said the teacher, feeling immediately concerned. “I’ll get the Principal to see what we can do”. With that she picked up her umbrella and moved through the pouring rain to the Principal’s office.

After explaining to the Principal what had happened, and him being aware that Johnno was out of the classroom checking the other kids bikes, he felt disturbed and very sympathetic about the dilemma Johnno had found himself in.

“I’ll go over to his house and check on his mother – I’ll be back soon and let you know how she is.”

With that the Principal moved through the downpour and drove to Johnno’s house, knowing where to go due to the number of times he had visited the house.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door, receiving no answer, he again struggled against the weather and scuttled down the garden path which led to the back of the house. Immediately he saw Johnno’s mother lying on the back pavement, clearly unconscious.

He was shocked, and picked his phone from his pocket, which thankfully had not been drenched in the rain. He dialled the emergency number and asked for an ambulance. 

The ambulance arrived, quickly and the paramedics, checked Johnno’s mother and both immediately decided this was critical and packed her into the ambulance.

The Principal, returned to the school and went to Johnno’s teacher and told her what had happened. They both went to Johnno and quietly explained to him the situation and received the shocked and frightened look on Johnno’s face.

“I need to go to her straight away” said Johnno….”Can you take me to the hospital?”

“Certainly”, said the Principal. They went to his car and drove through the torrential rain to the hospital. On arrival, Johnno told the Principal he was OK and that it would be best for the Principal to return to his duties at the school.

The Principal was a bit concerned about leaving Johnno, but also felt he had responsibilities to attend to at the school and knew that the hospital staff would take care of Johnno.

With that Johnno entered the hospital….as he moved through the opening corridor, a young girl was sitting in the waiting room. She looked up at him and smiled, she knew him from school..but was immediately scared as to why he was there, knowing his reputation of not always being the most reliable and honest student.

She stood up, but as she did, he grabbed her arm and pushed her back down. “Stay where you are and don’t say you know me to anyone, or else!”

He turned and moved quickly out of the hospital. As he got outside a taxi was moving slowly in his direction. He hailed the driver to stop, and quickly got into the vehicle.

“What can I do for you son” said the driver. “I need to go to my father’s office, about 5 kilometres from here, if that’s OK’

“Well I don’t usually take young folk, but I’ll make an exception due to the weather and that you’ve obviously had some bad news from the hospital. Exactly where do we go?”

Johnno quickly created an address and sat back in the nice warm seat.

The driver wasn’t the most impressive driver, the car waving through traffic, hitting curbs on the way and singing loudly to himself.

As they were about to turn a corner, a huge truck came roaring through the intersection and missed the taxi by inches. The driver, shrieked, put on the brakes, immediately the vehicle screeched to a halt. The taxi driver was in great panic and turned to Johnno, frozen white face and then fell hitting his head hard on the steering wheel of the vehicle. It was clear to Johnno that the driver had passed out.

Oh great, thought Johnno, now what am I supposed to do? The driver appeared be totally still, Johnno checked him and he had stopped breathing. Quickly Johnno sprang into action and turned the driver’s head towards him, he commenced to recall the First Aid training he had been taught and started to check pulses, chest movement and everything else that came to his mind. He began mouth to mouth resuscitation and after a few minutes the Driver began to cough and breath again. 

Johnno felt relieved, and reached for his phone and dialled the emergency number. An ambulance arrived soon after and once again the paramedics went into action and bundled the driver into the ambulance. Johnno stood aside, watching. The ambulance people took notice of him and asked questions as to how the event had occurred. Johnno gave them very precise, accurate answers and was given great credit and admiration from the ambulance officers.

Whilst all this was going on, Johnno’s mother never regained consciousness and passed away in the hospital. The staff were able to make investigations and found her personal details, although no one had attended her admission, no family had been present and there had not been any information given regarding how her injury had occurred and been that severe that it had killed her. Finally the information gathered led them to connect with the school and they spoke to the Principal.

He was clearly shocked at the event and recalled how Johnno had been doing the right thing by the school and checking the other student’s bikes. He had received the frightening call from his mother and had headed home through the torrential rain. He had found her and asked the Princpal for assistance to take her to the hospital. He had assisted her – according to what the Principal had assumed – the young boy had caught a taxi to get back to the school, experienced being in a shocking car crash, injuring the driver and then being such a strong, intuitive and exceptional young man, had revived the taxi driver and called the ambulance.

And now the poor young boy was left in the terrible situation he was in. Johnno, in the background, was enjoying his life as totally independent, doing whatever he pleased.

At the next school assembly, the Principal called attention of all the students and staff and asked Johnno to come to the front of the assembly area. He spoke carefully, avoiding all the shocking details of the events leading to his mother’s death – but awarded Johnno for being such a strong, thoughtful, caring and honest young man and gave him an envelope with a cheque of $5000.00 to assist him to adjust to the loss of his mother. Not having a father, it was hopefully going to be an offering that could be useful.

The students of the school were hushed and most very surprised at what Johnno had done, as his reputation was that of a prankster, liar and not the best of friends to choose.

Moral of the story – don’t take a book by it’s cover – the lies can be altered in the wink of an eye. Johnno thanked the Principal and moved back to his place in the assembly arena. He avoided the smurky smile his face automatically took on and put on a face of despair ---- leading everyone up the garden path.