The Wisdom Tree and the Red Swing (eBook)

CHAPTER 2

Patrick O’Hara and the School Bully

Patrick O’Hara had a problem. He was being bullied by a boy in his grade at school who was bigger in size than he was, though he was also eleven years old.

Jimmy Smith was mean to almost everyone. He picked on the girls, pulling their pigtails, and he hit or shoved almost every boy who walked past him. A few boys, who were actually afraid of Jimmy, became part of his gang and became bullies too, though usually only when Jimmy was around and was leading the way.

Patrick’s ancestors emigrated from Ireland. Their flaming red hair and numerous freckles had been passed on to everyone born into the O’Hara family ever since. The hair distinguished the O’Haras, but also made the kids the butt of jokes and unkind nicknames. Carrot-top, Red, Ketchup-head and Pumpkin-head were just a few of the names Patrick had been called all the way through school. This year, because of Jimmy, the name-calling was worse than ever.

To make matters worse, Patrick wore glasses. Because his family was poor, his mother could not afford fancy “cool” glasses, so Patrick’s were of the basic black-rimmed kind and more or less rectangular, making him look very square and bookish. The image fit, thought Patrick sourly, since he really was kind of square and bookish.

In fact, as far as grades went, Patrick was the smartest kid in the class, which made Jim-my Smith hate him even more. Jimmy was not a good student, mostly because he didn’t study. He was plenty smart in other ways and probably could be smart in class as well, if he would just pay attention and do his lessons.

Patrick liked to study and read books, but this year he hated school because Jimmy was always picking on him.

His mother knew there was something wrong and when she finally got the story out of Patrick, she was furious. She wanted to call the school’s principal right away, but Patrick begged her not to. He knew if Jimmy was called before the principal, he would take it out on Patrick when no adult was around. He would just have to find another way to deal with it or endure the bullying until the school year was over.

One particularly bad day at school, Jimmy had called him every name he could think of in the hallway between classes and shoved Patrick hard on the ball court so he fell down and skinned his knee.

On his way home, Patrick happened to look out to the horizon, wishing he could just disappear like the clouds do when there is a breeze.

That is when he saw the familiar old Wisdom Tree on its hilltop. Patrick thought, I can’t run away from school, but I can run away to the top of that hill just to get away from everyone for a while.

He climbed the odd hill with its flat top and -ancient oak tree. Patrick had lived in the village all of his life. He had heard about the Wisdom Tree and the Red Swing, but his mother never let him climb the hill because she was very -superstitious. She didn’t believe the local legends about the Tree talking, but just in case, she forbade her son to go there.

Patrick had obeyed, until then. He knew he would get into trouble with his mother, but that day had been so bad he didn’t think any human could help him, not his mother or his father or even the priest at his church.

So Patrick headed for the hill. The climb was steep and the grasses were tall and whipped against his blue jeans. Patrick, accustomed to running away from Jimmy, was in pretty good shape, so he easily made it to the top.

Immediately, he headed for the longest limb, so low to the ground that there was a bend in it like an elbow. He climbed onto the limb easily and headed for the trunk and a higher branch. He straddled that branch and then lay down on his stomach letting his arms and legs dangle off each side. The bark was warm and rough against his cheek. From this position, Patrick could gaze out over the surrounding countryside. It was actually fun to view the world this way—kind of cockeyed. It made Patrick smile for the first time in a long time.

“I’m glad you have come to visit, Patrick,” said the Wisdom Tree in its customary low, soft and very slow voice.

“Yikes,” Patrick uttered as he sat up suddenly, almost losing his balance.

“Who’s there?” he demanded.

“It’s just me, the Tree,” said the Wisdom Tree. “I’m the one your mother is afraid of, which is why she has forbidden you to come here.”

“Whoa, this is a little spooky, a … a … and kind of cool too.” Patrick said, allowing his curiosity to replace his initial fright. “How do you know she told me never to come here?”

“Never mind how I know,” said the Wisdom Tree. “Just accept that I do and let’s talk about Jimmy Smith and you.”

“You know about Jimmy Smith and how he picks on me?” asked Patrick, completely amazed by what the Tree was saying to him.

“Yes, I know that Jimmy’s a bully. So, Patrick, tell me, why do you think he acts that way?” asked the Wisdom Tree.

“Geez, how do I know what makes him act that way?” Patrick replied, a little irritated at such a dumb question. “He’s just mean, I guess, and no one stops him because he is so much bigger than the rest of us.”

Despite this strange interaction with the Tree, Patrick felt easy enough to lie back down on the tree limb with his cheek pressed against the warm and strangely comforting bark.

The Wisdom Tree could feel Patrick relaxing on one of its arms, so it continued.

“Patrick, when you feel happy, what do you do? Do you smile and laugh? Do you get on your bike and ride like the wind then suddenly let go of the handle bars and pedals and spread your arms and legs out?” asked the Tree.

“Yes,” said Patrick quietly as he lay sprawled out like a big cat taking a nap. “Yes, I do that and sometimes I even burst into a song. I act silly, I guess.”

Then the Wisdom Tree asked, “Have you ever seen Jimmy Smith act silly, laugh or even smile?”

“Well, he smiles a really crooked, mean smile when he scares someone, like me, but it isn’t -really a happy smile. It’s more like the smile of a Halloween goblin,” Patrick answered.

Patrick sat up so he could demonstrate this by pulling down the corners of his mouth. “He never sings, not even when the whole class is singing a song. He refuses to sing, in fact.”

“Do you ever see him run or ride his bike for joy?” asked the Tree.

“No,” said Patrick. “He always seems angry and mad. Now that you ask, I don’t think I have even seen him happy, though he pretends to like it when he hits one of us.”

Patrick was now really thinking about Jimmy and seeing him in a new way. He really was an unhappy boy, Patrick realized.

“People, young and old, act badly when they feel badly, Patrick. Haven’t you noticed when you are sick, how cranky you get? You feel physically bad and you act badly as a result, don’t you?” asked the kindly Tree.

“Yes,” said Patrick, standing up and holding on to the smaller branch over his head. “It is true. When I don’t feel good, I don’t act good -either. Lately, because I hate going to school, I have been really hard to get along with at home. My mom said that to me just last night.”

“So, if this is true for you, Patrick, do you suppose it is also true for Jimmy Smith?” asked the Tree.

Patrick was silent. He never considered that maybe Jimmy was unhappy and that was why he acted so badly. But what could he be unhappy about Patrick wondered to himself. Jimmy was the biggest kid in school and everyone was afraid of him.

The Wisdom Tree, as usual, read Patrick’s mind and said, “It is hard to think that a kid who is bigger and stronger than everyone else and has everyone afraid of him, could be unhappy, but he is, Patrick.”

“But why?” asked Patrick.

“Well, Patrick, we can’t know exactly why without asking Jimmy, but it is true that people act outwardly the way they are feeling inwardly, so what do you think could be making Jimmy unhappy?” asked the Tree.

Patrick thought for a few minutes and then suddenly his eyes opened wide, like they do when you suddenly see something you had not seen before.

“Maybe he feels unhappy because he is so much bigger than everyone else. He really sticks out in the classroom. Maybe he feels like some kind of monster, so he acts like one,” Patrick exclaimed in surprise that he had not seen this before.

“That is very perceptive of you, Patrick,” said the Tree. “You could be right. It does make sense.

“What else do you think could be making Jimmy feel bad about himself?” asked the Tree.

“Well,” said Patrick, really getting into this talk with the Tree. “Everyone knows that he doesn’t have a mother. Jimmy’s parents were divorced when he was little and his father has been raising him and working their farm mostly by himself. When the school has a function and the moms make cookies or cupcakes, Jimmy never has any to bring because his dad doesn’t have time to cook stuff like that. Mr. Smith has to work hard to keep the animals fed and also work in his forge since he is the town blacksmith. Jimmy has to help him every day after school, so he can’t play in any sports...