For Ton
IN MEMORIES OF THINGS PAST

Her voice was strident over the line, quick brother, turn on your TV, he's on, he's there, he's appearing on BGT right now. Quick go see him.
Who, who are you talking about, who's on BGT I countered
Its that boy Virgil, you know that horrible boy from my Drama class
she replied. Even now I can still feel the pain and anxiety in her voice and with that came all the visions of what she had experienced.
I never got to see Virgil that evening on BGT, I really didn't want to but anyway he had finished his stint by the time I turned on the TV.

Till today, I don't know what he looks or looked like or anything about him or his whereabout presently, and yet I know so much about him and what he did to my sister. I know Virgil was a big lousey coward bully who made my hapless sister's college days a misery and eventually would tip a very vulnerably young woman into a nervous breakdown.

She had already been through hard times and went to Drama School to fulfill a passion she had and rebuild a new career path. Initially she felt she had found a home at last and was enjoying her new adventure, that was until Virgil started picking on her, Virgil and another girl, whose name I now don't remember. They both did all the things bullies do and more. Gradually, these horrible pair in particular wore her down and dimmed the light in her eyes, in her passion and in her soul. She returned from school, tired, miserable, bewildered, annoyed and befuddled. She unburdened herself to me, I tried all I could to help, but short of following her to school and sitting by her side all day, there really was little I could do. I pained for her so much and could only imagine what she must be going through. Every day was an ordeal for that poor girl and vacariously for me too. Her only consolation was another girl who never joined Virgil and his gang and was always kind and friendly to my sister. This lovely person later became a very famous member of a very famous Girl band. Which goes to show that more often than not, good things do happen to good people. Even now when I see that ******* TV or in the news, I always in my mind, say thank you to her.

Shortly after finishing her course, my sister had a Nervous breakdown and was hospitalised for some months. Apart from myself she never discussed this bullying experience with anyone else. Years, years years later when Virgil came on TV that evening, my sister's voice was raw, scar-ladened and bleeding, she never really got over it.

My sister is no longer with us, she sleeps with the angels now and I doubt any of her school mates remember her, though a repeat of a TV series she appeared in might rekindle some memories if they ever came across it. Its a fitting legacyand I'd like to think a testament to victory over darkness and inhumanity. I hope Virgil, wherever he is and whatever he's doing is living his best life, if he has kids I pray they never get bullied and I would like to remind him, there's something called KARMA, either down here or above.
That girl never did anything wrong to Virgil.....