Brady

Meet Brady.

He is 18 years old, and as you can see by his outfit, he loves sports, especially basketball, especially the Lakers. Brady no doubt was my class’s troublemaker. His face constantly had a smile of mischief on it. More than once, I caught him riding a motorcycle around town. I later found out from Gabby (who you will learn about later) that Brady does not have a drivers license. Of course.

One of Brady's mischievous smiles

He wore this purple Lakers sweatsuit almost everyday, and walked with a swagger. One of my co-teachers aptly named him a thug. He hung out with the cool, tough kids. But if ever a motorcycle riding, swaggering, incorrigible little punk had a heart of gold, it would be my Brady.

We ran into him once, as we were stepping into a small shop selling school supplies. He came in with us. While we were deciding what to purchase, I noticed him playing with a small girl, about 5 or 6 years old, in the shop, tickling her and playing games. I asked him later if he knew her. No, he did not. He didn’t know anyone there. He just wanted to make her laugh.

Here’s another story for you. On our final day of class, we teachers decided to throw a party. We brought three cakes. None of them were eaten; we had a cake fight. Of course, who was Brady’s main target? Me. I had so much cake smushed into my face and hair. But what hope did I have against an athletic boy about a foot taller than me? None... except in stealth. So, I got him back. After all was said and done, Brady went to clean himself up, washing himself and his jacket. Before I knew what was happening, he was smothering my caked-up head with his wet jacket, trying to clean me off.

He may have caused a lot of trouble. He might have been the one to cause the most classroom distraction. Maybe he was sometimes disrespectful. But he was always the one to help me carry my books. He was one of my three students who came to see me off. He was the one who gave me multiple bear hugs (breaking cultural barriers - boys and girls don’t hug) when I left. He was there crying as our bus pulled away from Longde. Yes, Brady has a heart of gold.

So, before I get too mushy, I will leave you with a few Brady quotes that I hope will make you smile.

Enter Brady (where he’s not supposed to be)
Me: Why are you here?
Brady: ....I like here!
Students laugh and tease him; he retrieves his jacket, the real reason he came; he still lingers and I know he’s up to no good
Me: Go away.
Brady (defiantly): I don’t like here.
Exit Brady

Here’s another one...
Me (pointing to a spot on the floor): Stay here.
Brady: No. Stay here. (Moves over a foot)
Me: Ugh. Fine.
Brady: You stay here.
Me: Don’t you tell me what to do!
Brady runs away.

Here, Brady insists on a picture with the bride. Yes, that is me hiding behind the bouquet. And yes, my dress is made completely out of toilet paper, designed by my class.

Oh! I know this is getting long, but I have one more thing! Brady was often teased about being a “bad children” (he got coal from Santa when we learned about Christmas). So, I would often ask him, “Brady, are you being bad?” To which he would reply, with his hand on his stomach, “No, Miss Jane, I’m a good boy.”

When I left, he told me, “I will become a good boy, and I will always be careful on my motorcycle.”