my mother and i returned to Fort Wayne. Just in time for me to begin kindergarten.
The First day of classes. they had us all sit down outside of the hallway for our grades. I knew that i should have started kindergarden the year before, so i walked down the first grade hall and sat with the other kids. After the teachers came to call out the names of the kids in their individual classes, i was the only one left in the hallway. The teachers checked and rechecked their rosters looking for my name, they asked me at least 10 times what my name was and what grade i was in, and i replied each time "My name's quay, and i'm in first grade"
One of the teachers walked me to the principals office, trying to find the right place for the lost little girl. As i sat in the lobby watching the receptionist look through the paperwork for "Quay Bowen", my uncle Corey, who was in the second grade came in to the office to get his asthma medication. When he saw me, he chuckeled, "Wow Quay-ana your first day of school and you're already in the office"
I looked down at my shoes in shame, and mumbled "they cant find my class." The receptionist overheard our conversation, and came over to speek to my uncle. "Cory, what did you say her name was" she asked with one eyebrow raised"
"Quay-Ana mam"
Corey puffed his inhaler and sat it on the counter then walked towards the door. As he grasped the handle, the receptionist called out to him while staring directly at me with a look nothing short of discontent..
"Corey, what grade is she in"
"Oh, she's a kindergarten baaaaaabbbbbyyyy"
As my uncle closed the door behind him, the receptionist stood up and walked into the room behind her. She was speaking calmly and pointing in my direction. A tall slender white man with ash white hair came to the doorway looked at me, and walked to the back closet of his office. In a thick southern drawl he called to the receptionist "Bring er in and shut tha dar"
I stood up, the receptionist walked behind me and put her hands gently on my shoulders and walked me into the office. She sad me down in a leather chair facing a giant brown wooden desk and patted me on the shoulder and walked out of the room and shut the door.
From a child's perspective, the office looked like a dungeon, The shades on the windows were pulled shut blocking out all natural light in favor of the dim flicker of several 40-65 watt light bulbs hidden in the dome of a ceiling fan. The desk was a dark brown wood, and it seemed to tower over the little leather chair. The walls were barely decorated with with black or dark green plaques of recognition, and various diplomas and certificates with black framing. And there was a Ceramic dalmation sitting smugly on the left side of the desk.
I stared at the dog wondering if it was once real,
And if it was real, what it's name was. I decided to name it "puppy." I stood up from the chair and went to go pet the dog, when the principal slapped
a large wooden paddle on the side of his desk and yelled "Siddawn." The sound was so loud i screamed and jumped back into my chair.
the principal asked me why i had told the teachers that i was in the first grade. I went on into an explaination of how i was born in october, and how i should have started school the year prior, and how i knew all of the kindergarden materials already and started to list all the 2 and 3 letter words i knew and that i could say my ABC's Backwards
"See look .. Z Y X W V U T" i started to sing..
Tired of my ramble the principal interrupted my song.."I dont car what you can do mrs. lady, you LIED to your teachers. and LYING is NOT acceptable. You lied about your Name, you lied about your grade"
"I didnt lie about my name sir"
"What's your name darlin"
"Quay Sir"
"well it says here, on the paper your mother filled out that its Quai-yannn"
"Quay-ana.. Ana's my middle name, its my mom's, my middle name used to be D like my daddys name but my momma changed it to match hers because..."
"Hun," The principle said in the coldest calmest voice i'd ever heard, "If you dont close your mouth right now, imma take this here paddle n put the fear of god in ya."
I immediately stopped speaking. The principal continued in his monolog of expected behavior of children, i tried listening, but i began secretly counting the number of wrinkles on his face, and tracing them into the arm of the chair with my finger. After connecting them to his severe overbite i came to the conclusion that he was the evil old man from poltergeist, or at least his brother. My heart started racing, and i became overwhelmed with anxiety, I HAD to get out of that room before he killed me. And as i began looking for a way to escape, he ended his speech, He walked over to my chair, stood me up, and hit me 3 times on the bottom with the paddle.
then proclaimed that if "I ever hear of another lie coming out of that mouth, i will personally wash it out with soap and bend you over my knee and give you what fer, understand"
"yes sir"
The principal then called the receptionist and told her to take me to my right class. She introduced me to my teacher "mrs.Merryweather" and explained to her that there was a mixup earlier and that i'd ended up in the wrong hall.
Mrs.Merryweather took my hand, smiled at me, and knelt down.
"Well Queayneea, its just about story time, everyones already sitting in the circle, would you like to come read with us?"
I stared at the floor and muttered "thats not my name"
"what was that Queaynnea?" she said in her best marry poppins voice.
"THATS NOT MY NAME" i yelled as i snatched my hand away. I ran over over to one of the empty tables,slammed myself into a chair, slumped down and layed my head on the desk where i sat for the next 3 hours, until the bell rang for the kindergarten dismissal.
