A blonde lady with red-rimmed glasses sat typing away on a computer; she looked up as Abby burst through the doors.
"Hi I'm here to see-"
"One moment dear" The lady stuck her index finger up indicting for Abby to be quiet. Abby looked taken aback feeling as if she was back at elementary school again and a teacher had just told her to be quiet. She pushed her fringe out of her face and sucked in large amount of air waiting impatiently to be seen to.
The lady purposely finished what she was typing and started to rift through some paper work. Abby threw her head back and wondered over to the wall gazing over the school children's art work.
"Now can I help you?"
Abby turned her gaze to the patronizing lady who was now clasping her hands over the desk and sat patiently waiting.
"Yeah, I'm Liana's mum. I received a phone call from uh Mrs Leaney?"
"Oh yes she's expecting you, just go through." She gestured towards a door which had a gold plate with the words PRINCIPLE carved into it. Abby slowly approached the door and knocked a couple of times waiting for an answer.
"Come in" bellowed the voice she had been speaking to on the phone.
Abby shuddered off deja-vu thinking back to her own childhood principle; she meekly entered the room to see Liana sitting on a chair. Liana bounced up from the chair and ran over to Abby embracing her around her stomach. She burrowed her head deeper into Abby's jacket creating a small little world which she refused to come out of.
"I think it would be best if Liana waited outside." Abby looked up to be met with Mrs Leaney's stony-grey coloured eyes behind rimmed spectacles. Liana's arms wrapped tighter around Abby's stomach and she refused to let go.
"Can she not go back to class?" Abby questioned desperate to know why she'd been removed in the first place.
"I'm afraid not, Liana wait outside please"
"Come on let's go home," her small head with bouncing dark curls framing her little face suddenly emerged and she tugged excitedly on Abby's hand.
"No I need to talk to your principle" Abby replied sternly. Liana considered her reply and her lips curved down the way as her bottom lip started to tremble. Abby bent down to her level and ran her hand gently over her forehead to soothe her.
"Wait outside for me ok?" Liana started to shake her head but Abby opened the door and pointed in the direction of the chairs. Once Liana had gone Abby turned her attention back to Mrs Leaney who was waiting patiently at her desk.
"Sit down Ms Lockhart." Abby did as she was told even though she felt like someone had just put her back into kindergarten.
"I'm afraid Liana's teacher and I have become increasingly worried about her behaviour towards myself, other members of staff and her fellow peers." She paused in her delivery and waited for Abby's reaction. Abby raised her eyebrows and crossed her left leg propping her elbow up on it.
"I was wondering if you had heard of the condition ADHD?"
"Whoa hold on a minute, why haven't I been notified about this if it's been an ongoing problem." Abby retaliated angrily at the insinuation.
"Ms Lockhart in my twenty-five of teaching experience I have come to the conclusion that children will be children. There have been rare cases, however, where certain children have been brought to my attention an-"
"What did she do?" Abby interrupted.
"Her constant mood swings for starters in class have become disruptive and have escalated in the past two weeks." Abby gained the impression that all the way through this conversation this woman was looking at her and placing her in the category of "bad mother". Perhaps she was, to of been totally oblivious to Liana's behaviour and how bad it had become.
"…and this morning after telling Mrs Buckle how to teach and pointing out what she was doing wrong she had a violent rage hitting out at one of the other children."
Abby's mouth fell open in shock; surely she wasn't talking about Liana that was so out of character.
"Ms Lockhart, has there been a family history of behaviour problems or mood swings?"
Abby suddenly snapped out of her daydream, she felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach. Insomnia, lack of appetite, irritability, hyperactivity and distractibility…. Abby ticked them off on her fingers; symptoms she had become so used to but hadn't even recognised them in her own daughter. Perhaps it was a mental block; she had never wanted to associate them with Liana as she was so little and sweet to possess such a disease.
Abby saw that her interviewer was propped forward expectantly waiting for an answer. Abby refused to let her know the truth behind Liana's behaviour; she hated anyone knowing about her manic family so she stood up abruptly.
"Thanks for your time; I'm going to take her home." Abby's eyes welled up with tears and she turned her back on the lady so she wouldn't see.
"We need to discuss this, I feel that we can resolve-"
"No I-I just need to get her home"
Abby walked swiftly out of the door to see Liana sitting on a chair by herself. She held back not wanting to approach the little girl sitting so innocently on a hard plastic chair. An enormous amount of guilt flooded Abby's conscious; she had passed the disease on to that child.
Liana looked up and crinkled her forehead confused to why Abby was staring at her. Abby walked towards the door and Liana quickly followed step. She reached up to take a hold of Abby's hand and cried out when Abby quickened her step out of the building and towards the car.
They drove out of the school in silence, until Liana opened her mouth and started to tell Abby what had happened. Abby suddenly pulled over and rested her head against the steering wheel as the realisation became more and more apparent. Liana was jumping to different conversations, believing that she had been right when telling her teacher what to do. She paused to catch her breath and looked outside.
"Mum we're at Mandy's" she stated. Abby lifted her head and undid her seatbelt.
"But I don't want to go to Mandy's".
Abby stepped out of the car and opened the back door so Liana could get out. She came out slowly her eyes fixated on Abby.Abby dragged her body up the steps expecting Liana to follow, however her small daughter lingered next to the car shaking her head.
"Mum please I want to stay with you, I'm not meant to go to Mandy's today its Friday. I get to stay with you on Fridays please."
"Liana it won't be for very long." Abby banged on the door trying to compose herself. Mandy opened the door a little confused to see Abby standing there but happy nonetheless.
"Can you take her for a while?" Abby's request was short and subdued.
"Sure, do you need to work?" Abby lied and beckoned for Liana to come up the stairs.
She ran up the stairs as fast as her little legs could carry her and wrapped her arms around Abby.
"Mum I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Can I come home with you please?" Her sentence was muffled through her sobbing and Abby did all she could not to break down as well.
She grabbed Liana's hands and detangled her from her body handing her over to Mandy. Mandy's face fell to confusion as she tried to comfort the hysterical child.
"NOO mum please." Liana screamed out with her arms trying to grab hold of Abby.
"I just need a while, I'll call you." With that Abby ran down the stairs and into her car, tears streaming down her face.