The cover image is courtesy of ipadwallpapers.us downloaded from bing.com/images.

​This book is dedicated to my son Simon.

“They’re bringing Mario back.”

“Not another one.”

“He’s been marked since he was delivered to us in that filthy rug.  He’s an intelligent boy. I can’t understand why people just can’t take to him.”

“It’ll mean going back to that school, won’t it?”

“I’m afraid so.  I’ll have a word with him about it.”

“Welcome home, Mario.  We’re so pleased you have come back to stay with us.  Do you want something to eat or drink?”  Sister Angelica said.

“No thanks,” Mario whispered.  He was a well built lad, gentle in his ways and had been brought up with the principles of Christianity firmly embedded in his psyche. Angelica was about to break those rules.  He had been bullied unmercifully at the school he was about to be sent back to.  He never fought back. More and more children saw him as fair game, and the bullying worsened.  Because he had been taught, and firmly believed it to be right, turning the other cheek was the only retaliation he gave.  Not that he cried over it.  At ten years old he was entitled to. He didn’t feel pain of the body or spirit and accepted whatever life threw at him as his lot.

“You remember that Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek during the Sermon on the Mount.  You understand what that means?”

“Yes, we mustn’t fight back.”

“Exactly.  You do know that sometimes some people do?  You’re a keen reader of books and I’ve noticed that history has a particular interest for you.  You’ll know from your reading that wars take place where people harm and kill each other.”

“But that doesn’t make it right does it?” Mario said.

“Before the eyes of God, the situation is complicated.  Made complicated by man’s laws.  Men make laws and if they’re broken, then they’re entitled to punish the offender.  What an eye for an eye means is that the punishment should not exceed the crime.  If one country invades another, then the invaded have the right to push back the invaders, employing exactly the same amount of violence. This is much easier to say than to do.”

“What does God think of that?”

“He expects people to obey him and his laws. If another law tells us we should do something else, what should we do?”

“Obey God’s law.”

“And what do we do with the people that won’t.  Our rulers, our governments, have a duty of care to their citizens.  If one of us continues to commit harm to another, should they be allowed to carry on hurting people? Or should the rest of us be protected by the police, who are upholding the law, putting the offender in prison, where they cannot hurt anyone else?”

“That’s difficult. I suppose they have to be put away for the benefit of all.”

“For the greater good, yes.  Now, if we have a situation where the rulers can’t do what is needed, the police can’t or won’t act, what should happen then?  Should the crime go unpunished or should the person who has been harmed be able to do something about it themselves?”

“I don’t know,” Mario said as he bowed his head, feeling he’d failed some sort of test.

“Nor does anyone else,” Angelica said encouragingly, seeing that he felt some sort of rejection.  “There are situations in life where we have to make a decision based on circumstances at the time.  If one person is harming another, then the person being harmed, if not receiving the protection of the police or teacher, should be able to do something.  An eye for an eye is what is sometimes referred to as the law of retaliation. In the Old Testament there is reference to three people who were violent. Lamech, Gideon and Samson are all hailed as Biblical heroes.  Do you remember their stories?”

“Yes, I think so. Lamech was Noah’s father and he boasted he had killed people who’d injured him.”

“Perhaps an eye for an eye means he should have only injured them back.   Not killed them,” Angelica said. “What did Gideon do?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Gideon had an army and he asked for food for his army and was refused.  So when he came back victorious he killed all those that had refused him food.  Even the innocent, who didn’t even know why they were dying.”

“Samson was my favourite,” Mario said, warming to the subject now.  “He killed a whole army with the jawbone of an ass. He had extreme strength, given to him by God.” It was true, he loved reading history and as it all seemed to be about battles, he’d come to love reading about battles and the heroes they bred.

“Yes, given to him so that he could combat his enemies.  God has given you strength.  Is it right that you don’t use it to defend yourself?  Will God be pleased that you’re not using the gift he gave you?”

Angelica was silently praying for forgiveness, even as she was saying these words to Mario.  She had no idea if she was doing the right thing. Mother superior knew nothing of this discussion. All Angelica knew was that this young boy was about to enter a life of total misery, until he was eventually seriously injured or even killed by his tormentors.  This was a rough area and Mario in his present mould just didn’t fit in.  She couldn’t understand how he had turned out the way he had.  Sure, he didn’t show his feelings.  Most of his foster parents had sent him back because they couldn’t relate with him emotionally.

Treating a sub ten-year-old like an adult was not in their repertoire.  But that’s how he acted emotionally.  He displayed no feelings whatsoever.  Each time he had been brought back, Angelica had been heartbroken for him.  Mario didn’t seem to care, one way or the other.  She had no idea how his head would handle what they’d talked about.  That was another thing.  He was the most intelligent young person she’d ever encountered.  He loved books and had read everything in the convent that was written in Italian.

Mario was looking at her expectantly.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Angelica asked him.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Mario replied.

After thinking for a moment Angelica said. “Yes, Mario, keep yourself safe.  If you’re threatened, defend yourself.  If you have issues with this, always come and talk to me.  God didn’t make you to be at the mercy of others.  He made you to use your gifts and be a success.  Therefore, let all those that come up against you fail. And whatever it takes to make them fail, so be it.”

She didn’t make the mistake of trying to hug him, just wished him goodnight.  He asked for a copy of the Old Testament and she took one off the shelf and opened it at Judges.  She knew he would be looking for his hero.  She didn’t realize he would dwell on the part, Judges 28-30, where the Lord granted him the strength to kill all the Philistines.  He killed more Philistines in that one move than he had killed people during the whole of his life.  And that was retribution for one pair of eyes. It was all starting to make sense to Mario now.

She could smell Mario as soon as he opened the kitchen door at the side of the convent. She was preparing potatoes for the evening meal. She turned suddenly to see him standing there, expressionless. The first few days appeared to be without incident, although Sister Angelica had no idea if that were true or not.  On the fifth day, Friday, she knew.

“What happened?” She asked, forcing herself not to retch.

“They rolled me in dog mess.”  She retrieved a garbage bag from under the sink and told him to put his clothes in it, then go to the bathroom.  Without his clothes, he even stank.  She followed him to the bathroom, collecting a bottle of disinfectant from the cleaning cupboard.  She waited for the hot water to come, then poured a large amount of the disinfectant into the running water.

“I’ll get you some clean clothes.  Wash yourself with the soap at least three times.  You can’t get dressed until the smell has gone.  When I get back, you can tell me what happened and I’ll sort it out so that it never happens again.  As she was leaving, she heard him call after her.

“There’s no need.  It won’t happen again.  I fixed it myself.”  There was no time to collect her thoughts or ponder on what Mario had said. A novice came up to her and told her there were two policemen wanting to talk to Mario.

“Tell them he’s in the bath.  He’ll be out in five minutes.” She collected his clothes and went back to the bathroom.

“The police are here.  Do you know why?”

“I pushed Emillio Denzo in front of a bus.”

“Why?”

“He’s the one that got me into this state.”

“Is Emillio alright?”

“I don’t know.  As soon as I pushed him, I came here.”

“They’re going to take you away, Mario.  They’ll probably put you in a home.”  Angelica had tears welling as she told him.

“I know.  I don’t mind.  That’s what I want.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have lived with good people all my life.  I don’t know how bad people think or behave.  I want to learn, so that I’ll be able to defend myself against them.”

“Dry yourself and get dressed.  Come out when you’re ready.”

“Is this Mario Notte,” the policeman asked Sister Angelica.

“Yes,” she replied in an expressionless tone.

“Do you know why we’re here?”

“Is it about Emillio?” Mario said.

“What happened with Emillio?”

“I pushed him in front of a bus.”

“How is Emillio?”  Sister Angelica said.

“I’m afraid he didn’t make it. The bus ran right over him.”

She gasped.

“We’ll have to take him with us.  For his own protection as much as anything else.”

“Why his own protection?”

“Emillio’s father is the son of the Godfather of the Denzo family.  He’ll want revenge.”

“Even against a child?”  Sister Angelica said, unbelievingly.

“Against anyone or anything.  The boy’s not safe.”

Mario was sentenced to ten years’ detention.  The first eight in a juvenile centre, then a transfer to an adult prison for the remaining two.  On his way to the detention centre he was told by his guardian that if he behaved himself at the centre, it was likely they would not send him to the adult prison.  The adult prison was somewhere he didn’t want to go, if he could help it.

At the centre, Mario had his eyes and ears wide open learning how bad people behaved.  He was surprised that some were just like him, normal youths who had been forced to do something out of character and ended up here.  Because of their age, a schooling of sorts was established.  With Mario’s hunger for learning he attended every lesson, which did not make him popular.  He excelled in English and was fair in mathematics.  Not that the syllabus really tested them.  Some didn’t bother with classes and the guardians didn’t force them, believing the negative influence they would have on the others would deter them from learning too.

There were those that were naturally evil and Mario, in his quest to understand them, got as close to them as he could, trying to learn all about them.  He made it too easy.