A tale of two different worlds
I remember making an excuse. Telling my mother I’m sick. Sometimes an upset stomach and sometimes migraine.
Why would I make an excuse? When I’m all hale and hearty. I just watched Sachin smash the heck out of McGrath last night and neither my bowels were troubling me nor my silly headache. Then why do I get scared at the thought of school everyday? Its not like my grades are terrible and I can throw a pretty good ball. The teachers love me too. I do not have any registered complaints. Heck, I was just awarded the best student for February. My discipline and punctuality is exemplary. I am the most obedient chap you’ll ever meet.
Then why would I skip school? What makes me so afraid? Aghast at the thought of leaving my sheltered abode and taking the bus to school. Well, the reason is YOU. It has always been you. Fat ugly moron, not knowing the difference between “there” and “their”. Flunking in every single paper. Teachers punishing you. Tens and hundreds of times has the principal caught you red handed. You are the one who has the custody of all the “banned substances”, you are the one that always creates a ruckus in every damn school function. Drinking, fighting, abusing. Almost a hooligan. Aren’t you?
Even then, the students like you. They adore you. You have informers and sub-ordinates all over the place. If the school were a jungle, you’d most certainly be at the top of the food chain. And the girls, oh they swoon over you. You must have had a dozen girlfriends by the time you were 16.
Do I hate you for all of this? For heavens sake, no! There are reasons stronger than this. The times when you pushed me down the stairs with you and your comrades laughing at me. The times when you snatched away my tiffin and ate up the Aloo Parantha mumma had specially made for me. The times when you threw the basketball at me. I was in excruciating pain when you warned me not to share notes with your nth girlfriend. The times when you made jokes on me so terrible that the entire class would laugh at me. The times when you killed me inside, the times when I cried in isolation, the times I would shiver having to face you every single day of my life for 12 years straight. It all comes back to me now. So vivid, so fresh. Every single thing that bothered me still remains hidden in the darkest corners of my heart.
I am 25 now. Just joined a multi national company. I get paid enough to live a content life now. While you, you stayed back in the village. Numerous jail visits, molestation and extortion cases notwithstanding. You live a pretty content life given your grandfather just won the elections for the record time.
I am going to meet my boss now. I must say he shares an uncanny resemblance with you. Fat, ugly moron. Does not know the difference between “there” and “their”. Life comes a full circle they say.