Chapter 14
1221 Words
14
(page 6 of 126)
I felt nervous being here in this room with her. She was really difficult sometimes. If she really wanted something, she would go and pounce on it right away. That’s why she’s here seated beside me at my Social Science class.
“Just don’t do something, okay? You shouldn’t be here that’s why you shouldn’t be noticed.” I reminded her. She appeared to be very enthusiastic being seated illegally on a college class room.
“Deviance,” Mrs. Briones announced, her voice was fierce as always. “You might have heard that before as it became quite popular in our University.”
She wanders around the room looking at each of her students’ reaction. Her rectangular eyeglasses made her more intimidating despite of her small stature.
“Could you tell me what you have heard of what deviance is?” she handed her microphone to a boy with large eyeglasses, boxed face and randomly brushed hair, sort of looks like me.
“I’ve heard that deviance, here in the University, requires you to break the norm and show it blatantly to the public which usually are the wandering students. Though I think of it as plainly embarrassing.”
“Right. Some teachers, made deviance somehow a gag-a funny prank for the public, soliciting certain reactions from them. I’m not saying that their wrong but what I’m saying is they haven’t made the students realize the gravity of being a deviant. It is never funny or entertaining. For some people it is their way of life.” The class was quiet. Every attention in the room was focused onto Professor Briones and she handles it exceptionally.
“I remembered last three meetings ago that someone here asked about the deviance of falling in love with a person with a higher social class.” Yup that was three weeks ago. How could I forget that?
“Before, it was a deviance. But today, on our modern generation, media has made it so common and normal it might not be considered anymore as deviance. The way of life changes, you see. And deviance is the key. Deviance is another way to live our life but is called “deviant” because many of us people doesn’t see why should we ever diverge out of the norm. Now could you think of deviance you’ve seen or heard?” she smiled and looked at the back of the room.
“Gay relationships” a girl from my back answered.
“Yes. That’s a deviance we might say. What else?”
“Taking illegal drugs,” a deep masculine voice answered.
“Hmmm, could be. But I would say it is not deviant, it’s illegal.”
The class broke out some laugh.
“There is a fine line that divides deviance from illegal or being wrong anyway you look at it. You just have to figure it out, people”
“Having a third-party affair.”
“Another ‘could be’. It could shift between the wrong and deviant.”
Professor Briones uses the word deviant so often that it feels that it was not a word anymore.
“What else?”
The class was quiet again. Maybe they ran out of ideas. What else? I asked myself.
“Stealing could be considered deviance.” She announced. I could hear confused chatter around me. I, myself was confused.
“If I steal a medicine for my sick and dying child, is it so wrong?” she asked. Students continued to mumble answers from their seats.
“If I was so hungry and stole food from someone who is probably not going to starve, am I evil? I mean, could I be considered as a criminal?”
“No,” a girl beside her muttered.
“No?” she asked again.
“Yes, you are a criminal.” Another girl answered.
“Why?”
“Because, we got these virtues. You should have made other things than to steal.” She replied.
“Virtues? Moralities? Is it important if what is in stake is your life? Why do some people need to suffer while some are squandering with pleasures of life? We might be falling off topic but these are some questions we cannot really ignore. You know, Ninoy Aquino was once a deviant. He said that the Filipino was worth fighting for and it is. Deviance is an act worth fighting for.”
I pushed back my glasses as I realized what she was aiming for. The difference between being wrong and being deviant was the desire and the purpose. An act worth fighting for...life is worth fighting for, love is worth fighting for.
“Dreams.” Eureka called out. I covered my face with my hands. How could she do this?
Mrs. Briones turned her head to our direction and she had successfully spotted Eureka “What is that?” she asked.
“Dreaming. It is a deviant act, isn’t it? If the world seems to reject what you dream of yet you still thrive hard to achieve it, then it is a deviance. It is so important that you would find a way to live it like nobody cares. Because it is what you want and what you need, at the same time.” Eureka explained.
She just smiled at Eureka and looked at me for some reason. Teachers are like mind-readers sometimes. Or maybe their noses were trained so that they could smell something wrong. But right now, Mrs. Briones looked at us.
After that she declared our project for our semester. And it was to report, at the end of the semester, a deviant act that we personally had to do. It sounded so simple yet I feel estranged by it.
When she dismissed the class, I was surprised that she was motioning Eureka and I to go in front so we reluctantly did. Mrs. Briones’ hands were closed together and held if she would pray.
“I know that you’re not a student of mine” Uh oh, busted. “and I suppose you would be the one responsible for bringing her here” she was referring to me. Her framed eyes were very intimidating and so I admitted.
“That would be alright for me. But at least ask for permission first, okay?’ I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought she’s going to kick us out from her class. “As for you, miss” referring to Eureka “you did well there. I find your perspective rather intriguing. I wish I could see more of it.”
Eureka gave her a cute smile “Thank you, ma’am.”
And she let us go. On the way home, Eureka constantly nudged my elbows. “What is it?” I asked her faking to be annoyed.
“Your teacher liked me.”
“I know.”
As she walked in front of me, constantly turning back to make sure I was following her; I thought “That girl, she is a deviant act.”
- Writer
