In the Schoolyard
with
The Singer and The Bully
Written and Illustrated by Ed Powers
NYIT Graduate Student - EDLA 615
Spring 2011
Ever since he could remember, Tommy loved music. Even as a baby, all of his favorite toys were those that would play some kind of melody .
Tommy especially loved hearing his mother's voice when she sang to him. Each night at bedtime, Tommy's mom would tuck him into bed and sing him lullabies before kissing him goodnight. Tommy looked forward to the nighttime ritual .
When Tommy got older, he would try to play sports like his friends. Soccer, basketball and skateboarding looked like fun, but Tommy was small and not very athletic, and no one wanted him to be on their team. The mean kids used to call him "Shrimpy".
Tommy wasn't very interested in playing sports anyway. It just wasn't the right fit. "You'll find your niche ", Tommy's parents would say.
When he was a little kid, Tommy's dad had shown him video clips of Elvis Presley and other popular singers on the computer. Tommy watched as they sang and knew right away that was what he wanted to do.
For Halloween that year, Tommy dressed up like Elvis Presley. Tommy's dad said Elvis was 'the King of Rock and Roll'.
Tommy sang in the chorus at school, in the choir at his family's church, and he practiced whenever he could. Tommy told his parents he thought he had found his niche in singing. He loved to sing, and the more he practiced, the better he became.
Tommy might have been smaller than his classmates, but he had a powerful voice when he sang. Whenever people heard him sing, they would remark about what a talented singer he was. This made Tommy feel very happy and proud.
Tommy's favorite television shows were American Idol and Glee. After watching these shows with his mom and dad, Tommy would go into his bedroom and pretend he was singing in front of the crowds of adoring fans.
Tommy still had to wait a few more years to be old enough to try-out for American Idol. Tommy made his parents promise that if he practiced really hard, they would let him try-out for the show.
Wendy was Tommy's best friend. She was in the chorus with Tommy at school and in the choir at Tommy's church. Wendy was a kind friend to Tommy, and she never called him "Shrimpy".
Wendy was small in stature like Tommy, but she had a robust voice that could be heard throughout the school's auditorium. Tommy was thrilled when the choir instructor announced he wanted Tommy and Wendy to perform a duet at the spring concert !
Tommy's mom had called Wendy's mom and arranged a singing play date at Wendy's house. Wendy and Tommy both had karaoke machines and wanted to practice their duet using their microphones .
The choir instructor had provided Tommy and Wendy with a CD of songs from the spring concert, including their duet. Tommy and Wendy used the CD to help them rehearse .
As Tommy closed his eyes and belted out a high note, he did not notice Wendy's brother Brad walk into the room, who was on his way to football practice.
Brad was the captain of the school football team. He was an older kid who seemed imposing and intimidating , especially dressed in his football uniform. To Tommy, older kids seemed unapproachable . He didn't think any of the older kids would want to be friends with somebody called "Shrimpy".
"What's up little man? So you're Tommy huh? It's nice to meet you. Wendy has told me a lot about you", he said. "You and Wendy sound fantastic together when you sing!"
Tommy felt shy and intimidated around Brad, and was pleasantly surprised when he heard Brad's compliment .
"Thank you", said Tommy. "Wendy has a great voice and I like singing with her."
"Have fun guys", said Brad as he headed out the door to football practice.
The next day after school, Tommy was confronted by one of the mean kids named Big Mike. Big Mike was the same age as Tommy but was enormous compared to the diminutive singer.
Big Mike was on the football team and Tommy had remembered seeing Big Mike with Wendy's brother Brad at football practice. Yesterday, Wendy's brother Brad had seemed nice, but Big Mike was not nice at all.
Big Mike was always picking on somebody and today he focused his bitterness on Tommy. "Hey Shrimpy!", he yelled as he began taunting and pushing Tommy around.
Tommy knew it was wrong to fight, but he also knew he had to be strong, defend himself, and stand up to bullies like Big Mike.
Suddenly, Tommy heard a familiar voice boom across the schoolyard, "Hey, that's my friend!"
Wendy's brother Brad ran from the football field and pulled Big Mike off of Tommy. Tommy was breathing heavy and was not sure what was going to happen next.
"Are you OK, Tommy?", Brad asked. "Yeah", said Tommy nodding his head.
"Hey Big Mike, little man here is my friend, OK? And his name is Tommy, NOT Shrimpy!" said Brad. "He might be a little guy, but he's got a Big Voice, and a Big Heart, so show some respect."
"You want to be a tough guy Big Mike? Save it for the football field. That reminds me...you're late for football practice!"
After that day no one called Tommy "Shrimpy" again.
The choir director said the spring concert was a smashing success , and the duet with Tommy and Wendy was the highlight .
After his successful duet was seen by all the students in the entire school, Tommy was known by another nickname , "Big Voice".
Tommy continued to sing and eventually auditioned for American Idol. As the years went by, even as an adult, Tommy never forgot the kindness that Brad showed for him that day in the schoolyard.
All images and sound effects were retrieved from Microsoft Clipart Gallery.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/
Hyperlink:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley