In My Memory

If my memory is right it was in third grade at New Richland.  One morning at recess  time a group of  kids were throwing rocks up on the flat roof of the gymnasium.  This looked fun so I pitched in and threw some too.  After a few rocks [just a few] it dawned on me that there were skylights on the roof that could not be seem from the ground.  Now a few rocks on the roof did not mean much but a broken skylight that was a costly repair and trouble.  So, I stopped.  I stepped back to the rail fence that surrounded the playground.  I was standing there, behind everyone when crash, a skylight was broken. Everything just stopped, all were frozen in place.  Suddenly this guy in front of me, who could not have seen me throw if I had, turned to me pointed at me and said “He did it.” Then everyone else chimed in and all yelled, he did it.  That guy was supposed to be a friend of mine, some friend huh.  By this time some school personnel, I really don’t remember who had come out.  One grabbed me by the arm and marched me right into the principal’s office.  No one questioned any of the kid’s, they just assumed since all were yelling I did it, that I did.  The principal was usually a fair-minded man but this was a broken skylight and costly to fix.  This time he was bullheaded, either I was going to confess I did it or I was going to stay in his office on till I did.  Now mind you I was scared going to the principal’s office.  It was bad enough, but to be accused of something I didn't do and that a so called friend that said I did.  I really think he did it and know it too, but with so many rocks going up on that roof it was impossible to know who’s rock did it.  I was so scared I did not and I could not say a ward.  I just kept my mouth shut. After much talk, pressuring and berating by the principal he finally said, “Alright if your not going to admit it you are going to sit on the floor in front of my desk until you do.”  So I sat.  I don’t know how much time went by, it seemed like hours.  Finally my dad walked in to that office unannounced.  He walked over to me an asked, “Did you do it?”. At this I told dad that I had been throwing rocks but when the skylight broke I was not. Dad turned to the principal, who I should say, was quite put out with dad just busting into his office.  Dad said, “Have you got any witnesses that saw him do it?” The principal was a bit stopped by this question and stammered, "Well, no not one, but all the kids said he did it."   At this dad said, “If they were all throwing rocks and Roger was behind them how could they see him?” At this dad turned to the principal and said, “What have you got to say to that?”  Put on the defensive by this, the principal said, “Well if he had just told us that in the beginning it would not have come to this.”  Then dad ask, “Why wasn’t some one watching and stopping them from throwing rocks?’ To this the principal said, ‘There will be from now on.”  That was one of those traumatic experiences a child has to go through all by himself.  I was so proud of my dad, that day he wanted to know the facts and when I told him he took my ward for it.  To this day that incident is still haunting me.  The reason I did not say anything to the principal was I did not know what to say.  A simple no I did not seem enough and I felt helpless to defend my self.  With the whole school saying I did; what good was my denial.  Even weeks after when I pleaded my case with other students, some not even there.  They all still believed I did it. I’m sure that‘s why to this day I have no faith in so called eyewitnesses.         

Roger