Jason's Epiphany

“You can’t run from your past,” Mildred told her son, Jason. “And that’s why Momma can’t belong to the PTA.” She smiled at her son and kissed him. She handed him his lunch and pushed him out the door.

When Jason got outside at the end of the walk, he turned around and said, "But Momma, if it’s your past, then why do they keep bringing it up? Haven’t you already paid for what you’ve done?"

She waved him on, and he met with his friends and talked about anything and everything sports.

“Mrs. Horan, I have something on my mind,” Jason said.

“Oh, is it something I can help you with?” Mrs. Horan asked him. Her voice was both syrupy and cheerful.

“Maybe. When could we talk?” Jason asked.

“How about during recess, or we can eat our lunch together, and you can tell me then.” She put her hand on his shoulder and said,

“Unless it can’t wait and you need to talk now.”

“I’d rather talk now, if you don’t mind.” Jason held back tears and turned away quickly.

“No problem, Jason, I’ll settle the class and see if I can get someone to cover for me,” she said. She told the class to “Sit tight; she ran to the main office, and she would rather not bring a VP back because of discipline issues.” Then she disappeared.

Jason waited in the hallway. She returned with another teacher; Jason had seen him around the school before but didn’t know his name.

Ms. McMann was introduced as the teacher before she left the room. “Okay, Jason. Let’s go to an office to talk, where we’ll be alone and have some privacy.”

“Okay.”

“Is everything okay at home?” She asked while they walked to the office.

“Yes. My mother and I get along fabulously. We love each other dearly,” Jason said. “But it’s the respect we have for each other that works the best for us. We don’t hide anything and have no secrets from one another.”

“That’s wonderful. I am glad to hear that.” Mrs. Horan said. “So what is the problem then?”

“My mother recently received a letter from the PTA outlining why she couldn’t be a member.”

“Oh, what were their reasons? Do you remember?”

"Yes, I do. One was, ‘Mrs. Johnson, you're wearing your dresses way too high.’”

“They also said she’d been drinking and running around with men.”

“Is that true?” Mrs. Horan asked.

“Not at all. Then they said, “We don't believe you should be bringing up your son this way."

“What’s wrong with the way you’re being raised?” Mrs. Horan’s voice was raised, and her brows were furrowed.

“Lastly, they didn’t even have the nerve to sign it.”

“That’s nervy. That is right.”

“Yes, I agree. But the real reason is that my mom never said it, but I know. Is because of me.”

“What do you mean? Because of you?”

“Don’t you know about me and my mother?”

“No, Jason, what is there to know?”

“I’m a bastard. I was born out of wedlock.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Mrs. Horan said.

“Well, it does to some. Those women on the PTA had a list of things fabricated so that my mother could never be a member of their precious group since they’re so perfect with their lives.” Jason’s cheeks, red and wet, were more than Mrs. Horan could bear to see.

"Jason, listen to me: nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, but you were planned and wanted. God has a plan for you.” She smiled at Jason; he looked into her eyes and believed her.

“Thanks, Mrs. Horan, I feel a lot better now.”

“Okay, go to the washroom, and then I’ll see you in class.”

“Sounds good,” Jason said.

He hurried to the washroom to pee and to wash his face. When he arrived, an older kid, Ricky, and his friends were just leaving. “Well, if it isn’t the school’s bastard. Hey fellas, do you think he needs a swirly?”

“Yeah, give ‘em one,” they said.

“Okay. Let’s do this.” The older boy grabbed Jason before he could run and dragged him to the toilet. He pushed his head into the bowl and flushed. He pulled his head out. Then he pushed his head in again and held it there. Jason flailed around, but then he stopped and lay limp.

“Oh my God, Ricky, you drowned the poor kid,” one of the boys said.

“I’m outta here.”

Another boy left with him. Ricky panicked and ran too. They left, Jason stood up and wiped himself dry with his T-shirt. He just had to pee, since the boys washed his face for him. He had just finished when the Vice Principal and Ricky came in together.

“I swear it was a prank gone bad. I didn’t mean for him to drown, sir, honest. He was right here.”

Jason opened the door and stepped out. “What are you guys doing here?” Jason said. “Jason, you’re okay,” Ricky said, and his body relaxed. His voice stopped quivering.

The Vice Principal looked at Ricky and said, “Since you admitted to what you did, you’ll be suspended for two days. I hope you learned your lesson.”

“Yes, sir, I did.” Ricky said as he put his hand on Jason’s shoulder.

At recess, the kids stood around to chat instead of playing soccer.

"Did you guys see 'The Mick’ last night?” Jason remarked, "He hit a Grand Slam in the bottom of the eighth and entirely changed the game."

“Yeah, I told my dad they should’ve walked him,” Tyler said.

“Especially with the bases loaded“, said Mary Jane. Mary Jane, Phil’s sister, hung around with the boys because she loved sports like them.

Nobody thought anything about her. With recess nearly over, they ran to be the first to reach the doors. Jason always beat everyone by a long margin. Mary Jane was next, Tyler, and then Phil. Only this time, Mary Jane beat Jason. Nobody could believe it, not even Jason and Mary Jane.

The teacher, Mrs. Horan, stood at the door and called out their numbers as they arrived.

“Jason, she's getting good. Better watch out. Did you let her win?” She winked at Mary Jane and said, “Well done, Mary Jane, well done.”

After school, Jason didn't say a word to anyone; he walked straight home in silence. He waited for his mother to get home so they could talk about his day. Homework consumed him until she arrived.

"Hi Mom, do you want to hear about my day? I made dinner."

"Aren't you sweet! Sloppy Joes is what I had a hankering for. How did you know?" She smiled and kissed his forehead. Jason beamed.

While they ate, Jason recalled the day's events. She looked at him with wide eyes and listened attentively. She gasped when Jason told her about the swirly incident.

“But when I stayed still, he nearly shit his pants. I was captivated by the expressions on their faces. Two guys left, telling him they didn’t want any part of this,” Jason said. “Then he ran out because he thought he killed me and told a Vice Principal. They came in the washroom to see me coming out of a stall and were amazed. That’s when the VP suspended Ricky---who, by the way, wants to be friends now with the bastard of the school.”

Jason smirked and said. “You know, Momma, you were right. You can’t run from your past.”