Dionne: “A fight between parents got completely out of hand on the schoolyard
Well, I have to tell you, normally my days are quite predictable. Dropping kids off at school, working, grocery shopping, cooking, you know the drill, the usual mom stuff. But recently something happened at the schoolyard that still doesn't sit right with me. It was one of those typical mornings where everything seemed to go wrong, and then there was that fight between Willa and Robin. Boy, that was something...
How it began
I was already running late that morning. My youngest, Sam, couldn't find his gym shoes (which later turned out to be just in the car, no idea how they got there), and my eldest, Liz, had decided her hair wasn't right. By the time we finally arrived at school, most parents had already left. Except for Willa and Robin. And they were clearly not happy with each other.
The argument
I've known Willa and Robin for a while. They are usually quite laid-back women, but that day they stood opposite each other, in the middle of the schoolyard, and sparks were flying. It was about something one of their children had said to the other's child. I heard Willa yell: “How dare you call my son a liar!” Robin, usually the epitome of calm, stood with clenched fists: “If your son wouldn't keep bullying my Emma, we wouldn't have this problem!” It was like watching a tennis match. My head was turning back and forth between the two. And believe me, I wasn't the only one watching. A few other mothers and even some fathers had stopped to see what would happen.
The conversation quickly became more intense
Willa and Robin started to scream, and their voices echoed across the schoolyard. The children, who had just come out of the classes, stopped to watch. I tried to pull Sam and Liz along, but of course, they didn't want to miss anything. At one point, Robin grabbed Willa by her arm. “Just listen to me!”, she yelled. Willa pulled away and screamed back: “Get off me!” I saw the shock on the children's faces. This was really not okay.
I knew someone had to do something before it got out of hand
So I walked up to them, my heart pounding in my throat. “Ladies, please, not here,” I said, “There are children present.” My voice sounded strangely calm, given how my stomach was in knots. It seemed for a moment as if my words had no effect. But then the school principal, Jacob, joined us. He looked stern and said: “This is no place for such behavior. Willa, Robin.”
Willa and Robin left, and the children started to trickle away, still whispering about what had happened
In the days that followed, it was the talk of the school. Willa and Robin avoided each other, and it seemed as though an awkward peace had returned. I don't think they ever really talked it out. Nobody brought it up again. Willa and Robin simply stopped looking at each other. And their children stayed away from each other.
DIONNE
