(excerpt)

      “As early as tomorrow, we have no any other person to consider and you look well qualified for what we need, so you can come tomorrow, say seven o’clock AM and go find Mr. Kelly; he’ll clue you in and start your work, learn the ropes”

       With that father Nicolas indicated to him that their conversation was over. Anton got up, shook the man’s hand and walked out of the office. Strange feeling overtook him recalling the sensation he felt squeezing of the priest’s hand, soft and slightly sweaty, yet with certain firmness of a man who knows where he goes and what he wants. “A priest, after all”, Anton thought and smiled as he walked to Gladys’ desk where he informed her of being hired and that he’d start early the next day. The nun welcomed him and wished him the best.

       As he was walking out and the sunlight flooded his joyous face the school bell rang to which Anton stopped. He waited outside for a few minutes to meet the savages for the first time. He decided to walk to his truck and getting in it he sat waiting to see the kids come out and play; and he saw them coming out of the main door, in groups of two or three, kids who didn’t seem savages to him, in fact they looked exactly like all the school children he had seen everywhere else. Only these kids came out slowly, timidly, almost scarily with a certain fear in their mannerisms as they turned and looked behind them before they ventured out, the boys walking slowly in the yard and kicking the odd stone here and there, girls, two together and holding by the underarm, as if supporting each other, the younger of them started running around chasing each other, the older ones just walking slowly and talking among themselves. At the end a nun came out with a priest who started pacing up and down the front yard of the Residential School supervising the children, making sure they never got into a fight or anything else. However these kids didn’t seem to be in the mood for a fight, or a game or anything children usually play during their school recess.

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