ANY THIRD PARTY IS EXCLUDED
"Are you boys done eating?" Kam called from the living room. She had just helped Zaara with her food. They'd decided that she was not going to Kindergarten today and Amid wasn't going to work early because of the meeting with the Principal at the kids' school.
The couple had been pondering over how to deal with the situation, they didn't want to punish or praise them without hearing from the school first. Zaara was tagging along too. Kam was never fond of servants or a nanny taking care of her kids. They get a neighbour's daughter to babysit if they necessarily have to though they have workers in the house that could watch over them.
Amid stepped out of his room all dressed up in a grey tuxedo, a look that still made Kam droll, she knows she got herself a handsome man. He looks perfect with his well-trimmed beards broad shoulders, superb abs and his long long legs. Plus he has really good characters and waking up with him by her side always, she considers this a blessing. The boys immediately cleared the table seeing tht of the house to wait in the car from their daddy. Afterwards, both their parents came out with Zaara in Amid's arms looking cute as a button. She still isn't completely her old self but she is better. Soon they left the house for school.
The ride to the school is a very silent one, boys looking calm. It is a very rare sight, especially Jamal's demeanour. Both Kam and Amid kept checking on them from the rear mirror to see if it was just a façade they were putting up but even Zaara's cute self right between them in her babysit did little to change the situation. They just smiled at her occasionally. Kam was a bit worried but she didn't say a word. Amid thought, it was a scam to just escape punishment. In no time they got to the school.
On entering the school, the kids were still on the assembly ground and they got directed to the parking lot. Jamal and Jamil joined the other kids on the assembly ground while their parents were ushered to the Principal's office. The couple who is an acquaintance of theirs's were who they first saw, The Durelos.
" oh my God, Jane!" Kamila exclaimed in joy. Jane and Kamila are childhood friends and their husbands, business partners. Jane just recently gave birth to her first child, a baby girl who looked so divine in her carrier. The men too gave themselves a brotherly hug. They've been business partners for many years but rarely meet on informal occasions. It has been quite a while since the ladies too met, since giving birth to Zaara, Kam has always been home or anywhere her family is. Making home calls became a thing of the past, the kids are a handful and Jane Durelo was always an introvert which made the gap between both of them more defined.
While they were exchanging pleasantries, a woman with a huge headgear walked n looking all bossy. They all turned to look at her and suddenly as if she wasn't worth a second glance went back to their discussion.
"What are you guys doing here Jane?" Zaara asked, "are you already planning to enrol your daughter at the daycare here?" She continued while trying to stop Zaara from pulling the Principal's table apart.
"We uhm… we're here for our son", she replied not meeting Kam's eyes.
Kamila was confused because she didn't know they had a son. She turned to send a questioning look to her husband who shook his head and shrugged. Kam decided to drop the matter seeing the discomfort the Durelos were exhibiting, it wasn't her place to pry. After a minute, they relaxed and soon the Principal entered.
The Principal got in followed by the kids with the twins at the front, followed by John Bull and JJ at the rear. Zaara is by now making baby talks with 20 months old Alyssa oblivious of everybody's gaze on her and Jason but nobody said anything. The kid's teacher entered and closed the door breaking everybody's line of thought. The kids remained standing with their class teacher behind them.
" Good morning ladies and Gentlemen", the Principal started and they all replied.
"Not to beat around the bush, I know your kids each gave an account of what happened and we checked our CCTV too, according to that, we've concluded that John is the innocent here".
"You did what!" Jane exclaimed, " The same John who bullies my son almost every day since he got enrolled in your school?", she asked furiously.
"You have no rights to call my son a bully or insinuate such madam", The woman with the ginormous headgear fired back.
"And why can't she when that is exactly what your son is", Zaara said with fire in her eyes in a deadly tone.
"Ladies, please calm down", Damola said stepping between them to avoid anything physical while sending Jane a reassuring look. He has never seen her so worked up and it is heartbreaking.
"How did you come to that conclusion, sir?" Amid asked calmly.
The principal noticed the venom in his calm voice and broke a sweat.
"I asked two teachers to check the CCTV yesterday and they came back with this feedback ", he replied. The principal knew dealing with rich parents was never an easy task, a tiny mistake or judgment could get him in trouble.
"Can you please call in the teachers and of course we'd like to see the recording ourselves", Amid replied. By now the ladies were calm but the tension in the room had risen many degrees, even the two little girls stopped playing and watched.
The Principal nodded to the class teacher who is also present, who in turn left the office, coming back a few moments later with two teachers and a laptop.
"Miss Grace, Mr Davis, please explain your take on this matter clearly to the parents seated here", the principal said.
"Well if you could watch the clip from the CCTV, you'd come to the same conclusion", Miss Grace replied nonchalantly smiling rather faintly.
"The clip please", Mr Durelo said, the laptop was opened and the clip was played a moment later, it only took about five minutes.
"As you can see, JJ and the twins were at fault", Mr Davis said, saying something for the first time since entering the office and he broke a sweat just meeting Amid's eyes.
"Why is the clip mute moreover, is there another angle to this video?" Jane asked
"Yes, all we can see is John Bull's… I mean John's back view and all that happened next", Kam corrected though her slip earned a laugh from her husband which he covered up with a cough.
"We need all people involved in this matter here now, the girl he pushed, the boys with John, and even some of their classmates especially those seated at the front row", Jane said through clenched teeth.
"We can't do that madam, this will interrupt their class", The principal said trying to reason with Jane
"I don't care!" Jane half screamed, looking pointedly at JJ whose head was bowed low.
"This is what is going to happen, we'll have a meeting with the whole class. It is going to be just us the parents, the boys involved, the classmates, the Principal and the class teacher" Kam said authoritatively in a tone that brokered no argument.
"Any third party is excluding, any whatsoever" she concluded looking pointedly at Mr.
Davis and Miss Grace.