Author's Note: This is my response to the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, it is a kind of short story thing about the main character's, Christopher's, teacher or mentor something like that. It is based off of a passage from the book on page 29 where Christopher is talking about he doesn't know what staying out of other people's business means, I kind of took it a different way saying that sometimes you have to disregard the fact that it is their business in order to help them.
I remember the first time someone told me it was none of my business, I was only four and didn't at the time know what that meant. As I grew older I gradually gained knowledge as to what was my business and what wasn't, my business was stuff that involved me that I didn't necessarily want the whole world to know. As a general rule you stay out of other people's business, but when does it become the time to cross the line into their business, because sometimes that is exactly what that person needs.
At the age of thirteen I saw something of my friends life that was really none of my "business". I was walking up her front lawn a wrapped parcel in hand about to surprise her because the previous day had been her birthday and me, being out of town, was not available to come and wish her a happy birthday and give her her gift. I was almost to the doorway when I saw her through the window, standing in her family room. I was about to raise my hand up to wave at her and say hi, but then I saw that she was crying. My hand dropped limply to my side and stopped and continued to look into the window, searching for whatever had made her cry expecting it to be her older brother or something.
Instead I saw her father advancing towards her, as if her where a tiger stalking its prey. When he reached her struck her so hard in the face she fell down and then I couldn't see her, but I could still see her father, could still see that he had continued to hit her. I stood there frozen in horror, with no idea what to do. I couldn't move, it was like being glued to a scary movie, unable to move your eyes, but wanting to so bad. Finally he stopped and faintly through the window I could hear him shout, "I need a drink!". My friend, my friend I saw her pulling herself up using the window sill as support, her body was scored with bruises, and as she lifted her head up our eyes connected for just a moment. Then she shot to her feet and closed the shade.What I did next was stupid, I turned around and went home thinking to myself the whole way it is none of my business, it is NONE of my business!
The next day at school we acted as if nothing ever happened, and everyday she came to school with a new bruise I pretended it wasn't there. Pretended I didn't know the truth, that I believed the story that she had concocted. Months later, how I wished I would have ignored the fact that it was her business and not mine, because months later she died.
The day that Christopher came into school with the bruise on his cheek, my heart jumped and I was reminded of this all. I had to ask him, make sure he was okay, and he must have been because he told me so and I know that Christopher can't lie. Although that was technically going into his business, sometimes as human beings we need to do that, because after all you are your brothers keeper, and sometimes to make sure that he (or she) remains unharmed you have to go into their business.
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