Exercise 4: Letter to the Past

A letter to the past

To Mrs Siew,

I was primary 4 back then, Primary 4G. You took our class for English, and I was the skinny, tall guy with a baby face seating somewhere in the middle row. You didn’t quite like me, I knew it; each time you looked at me with those cunning eyes, as if I had offended you.

It was Friday the thirteen, before I left the house for school, my mom reminded me to bring my English file, but I didn’t quite care. And down came my retribution for not listening.

When you demanded the English file from us, I merely told you I had forgotten to bring, but you blew up. You started throwing your temper all over me, you scolded me, you insulted me, you called me a cow, you embarrassed me in front of the whole class, you told me to stand outside and face the wall and, you still continued to scold me, you bloody bitch.

All for a file? All for one stupid miserable looking green colour English file?

What the hell had gotten into you? You old hag. Had I committed a crime? I did not even talked back at you; neither did I even resist your scolding in any way.

I guess you were possessed by the spirit of anger and hatred; I guess my English file meant so much to you.

And so I told my Dad to file a complain letter about you, he listened to my situation and agreed to do so. The complain letter went straight to the principal.

And from then on, you hated me even more. When I forgot to do my homework that day, you made me find my brother to talk to you. He was having lessons and studying for his PSLE. What the hell can he do for you? Huh? You never failed you embarrassed me by scolding me in front of the whole class again. And this time, asking my brother out from class to talk you, you bloody bitch.

And you even made me talk to the principal. Mr Go; the fierce man who always said, “you’re in hot soup!” or, “ the boy over there! Stop digging your nose!”
And so, almost everyday, I climbed down five stories just to see the principal.

Oh well, that was the past. And today, I write this letter to you, just to remind you of what you did to one little boy in your former school, Jurong Primary School of class Primary 4G, 1999. To remind you of your actions and how you got yourself fired in the end.

And till today, I still remember how bad you were at makeup; putting those really dark blue eye shadows, it just made you even more ugly.

But here I am today, a young adult studying in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, writing to you this letter to tell you, I still remember Friday the thirteen and, you suck. =D

Signing off!
Wishing you all the best in whatever you do.

Tan Jun Jie
Class of Primary 4G, 1999