School Short Story – Are you still there?
Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com
She was the most beautiful teacher in the school.
Being seated in the front row the distance between him and her was no more than 5 feet, and heavens fell down when she decided to come over and sit on his desk, which was quite often, and continued with her lecture explaining the nuances of a poem, with the whole class not listening, observing!
The dress code for teachers was white sleeves and black trousers for the gentlemen and cream coloured saree and black clouse for the ladies.
It looked like the perfect dress for her, though she looked beautiful in any dress, quite tall for a woman , with the perfect figure, white complexion, cheeks with a hint of rose, her palms and soles of her feet a peculiar red, even his palms were reddish while he was of a much darker complexion.
It was one of those days and she sat on his desk, all he could do was stare at her, his book and notebook had to be removed to make way for her. To make things worse she touched his face now and then just to leave marks of chalk powder that stuck to her hand. He could not understand her actions.
Suddenly she remembered something and asked him to get up and follow her to the corridor. In the corridor she handed him a bunch of keys. She asked him to go to her house in school premises and bring something.
” come quickly” she said ” before the class is over”.
” but what about the lecture madam?” he asked ” I will miss everything”.
She giggled ” I know you do not require it.” ” even then you may come over anytime, always welcome.”
He asked her the time, it was only fifteen minutes to the bell.
He was at her house in five to seven minutes, he opened the front door and entered, it was the most beautifully kept house he had ever seen, everything very tasteful.
But what was this? He had forgotten what she had asked for, he tried his best to recall but couldn’t.
Time was running out, he looked at the study table, he noticed a notebook that she carried to school everyday, ” she must have asked for this” he thought, he was now convinced that this was what she had asked him to bring.
He took the notebook, relocked the door and made his way quickly to the classroom.
As he neared the entrance of the classroom, she signalled him to stop outside, maybe she did not want the class to see what she had asked him to bring.
” what is this?” she remarked when she saw the notebook in his hand. “was this what I asked you to bring?” she said in a tough tone.
He was scared now, his eyes fixed at the ground, unwilling to look up and face her famous temper. Both of them were silent for a while.
Then he mustered some courage to look up expecting to see the flaming eyes- he could now recall what she had actually asked him to bring- her glasses.
But her eyes looked at him very fondly, and she was smiling- ” so you weren’t listening, were you?”
” Madam I remember now, I can go back and bring it quickly.” he said.
She moved closer to him, ruffled his short hair with her right hand , leaving more chalk powder upon him.
” Go back to your place, you are wet with sweat.” she pulled out her handkerchief that was tucked at the waist of her saree and wiped his face with it.
As he returned to his seat,the whole class was looking at him, with envy.
Most of his teachers had either retired or left for other places, he discovered, as he returned today to his Almamater after a hiatus of fifteen years.
His eyes were searching for anyone he could recognise, as he suddenly saw her, as beautiful as ever , resplendent in the cream and black. Strangely she also saw him at the same instant. She met him halfway, took a couple of seconds to make sure he was, who she thought he was. And then she embraced him and planted one, two, three kisses on his forehead. The high school boys walking past ,stopped in their stride in disbelief, jaws dropping, mouths wide open. And for the first time his arms enclosed her in a hug, he felt he would fall asleep there and then.
She realised the presence of the boys and let go of her embrace, his hands dropped to his sides.
Taking both of his hands in hers- ” how long are you here?” she asked ” come home for dinner tonight” – ” you still look like the same loveable schoolboy” she said , all in one breath.
” I will return in the afternoon Madam” he said.
” Alright come over for lunch then” she said ” Although it will be very hasty and I have a lot to talk about.”
” But Madam I have already accepted the Principal’s invitation for lunch.” he said.
She was annoyed now, ” ok come for anything or even, come for nothing, but do come.” she said.
” You remember my house? Don’t you?” she asked and without waiting for the answer ” It’s the same house, from where you forgot to bring what you were asked to.” a smile on her face.
The tears were now flowing freely down his cheeks.
The boys, standing around, even in their limited wisdom, seemed to understand and left the two alone.
After her lunch, she did not go for her usual afternoon nap, it was a ritual, almost.
She sat down in the living room turning the pages of an old magazine , glancing at the clock now, at the door then and sometimes walking up to the window to see if a car had pulled up on the street outside.
The whole afternoon passed, ” it will be dark very soon” she thought ” he must have returned by now.”
She was quite upset now “They are all the same.” she muttered under her breath.
She had joined this school when she was 24 years old, her father had passed away while she was a little girl, she had no memories of him.
And after the death of her mother joining this school had seemed the best option, till she found something better. That was about twenty to thirty years back.
There had been several proposals for marriage as was natural for someone so beautiful, but she had remained single.
Every year a fresh batch of students joined the school. Now and then she found among them someone she grew fond of who she would adore, but none of them returned once they were out of school.
” Even if one of them came back today, he could not find time to come and meet me, they are all the same.” she muttered again, and got up to make some tea for herself, ” I will be having tea alone today also” she thought, as she heard the familiar sound of shoes being wiped on the door mat, there was only one person who wiped his shoes on the door mat so vigorously- ” Could this be true?” she thought ” Is he really here?” ” he was supposed to return in the afternoon.”
She opened the door before anyone could knock upon it- he was there, alright!
” Oh! Come in, I was wondering if you would come after all.” she said in delight.
He came in, but was unusually quiet, he had always been a quiet fellow, she remembered only too well.
” I was about to make tea for myself, have some tea with me.” she said ” Where is your car?” ” Why did you walk down?”
He did not answer.
” Ok I will make tea, you must be getting late.” she said as she started towards the kitchen.
He reached out for her hand and stopped her.
” I came walking down, to relive the old memories, I have been to your house so many times, so many cups of tea, so much of snacks.” he said.
” But I won’t have tea now.” he said.
She was shocked, and stared at him in disbelief.
” I just came to tell you something.”
She continued to stare at him, in anger now.
” I am sorry, it took me fifteen years to realise this.” he said ” I am not going anywhere Mom!” ” I will have dinner with you tonight, and as many other times as you wish.”
–END–
