Mary My Student

Episode 35

I later visited the principal to relay to him the whole news and showed him the footage of which Mary unknowingly exposed herself before the cameras. The principal was silent for five minutes. Then he spoke ” Mr Wilson, I am sorry for the way I handled Collins case, I was wrong in everything, and it wasn’t all because of Mary’s lies, it was also from my personal jealousy of him, I was jealous of him at how the students loved him and adored and I somehow found the incident as an opportunity to give the devil his due as a chance to paint him red.

I wish I could see him so I could apologize, I exaggerated the whole event, the students were sad but most of the teachers were happy at what happened as the were also jealous of him as I do. Tomorrow I am going to address the students and ask for their forgiveness and also tell them the whole truth.
With that I bid the principal goodbye and I left his house.

On my way home, I imagined how Mr Collins would feel if he got the news now that his name is cleared, that he was innocent afterall and was just a victim of false accusations. Would he be relieved? or would he be angry that nobody believed him? Would he burst into tears that his name has been tainted for no fault of his? Would he begin to sing and dance that his accuser in now in jail serving the government?

Ever since the rape incident I had never had a glimpse of him and I could safely assume he was now living somewhere with a different name and different look. How I wish I could get to him now and tell him that he is innocent, but he never left any clue to where he was. I would still thank Rita wherever I go because without her bringing up the idea, I would have been in jail as I am talking.

Anyway I hope I would find Collins one day.
The next day was interesting.
Many of the sighed in frustration when the principal stopped them as the were about to disperse to their classes.

He went thus ” My beloved students, I stand before as a master, as a teacher and also as a prodigal son.” This led the students to exchange glances with each other as the didn’t know what the principal was up to.
” I am standing here to ask for your forgiveness, I am sorry for how I handled the case of your beloved teacher Peter Collins.”
Almost all the students sighed at this point while the others groaned.

No one wanted to be reminded of the whole incident or bad luck that befell their beloved teacher but why is he apologising now? What’s the need? About 90% of the school population has agreed that he was innocent and that he was a victim in the whole saga so there was no need of the principal boring them with his apologies.

” I am sorry for what I did, I should have done things differently, I should have investigated deeper but I didn’t, I blame myself it is all my fault. But today I am happy to announce to you that Mr Peter Collins is innocent of the rape charges Mary Jasper put on him, he didn’t rape her he was a victim of false accusation.”
This was met with a ” yesssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From the students. It was quite surprising as the students jubilated, I’m not sure they would have jubilated half of how the did if the school won a major tournament, it was deafening and I was sure the people living outside the school fence would be disturbed.