The Bell Rang

Everyday to school, Ashok takes the book that has a girl on its cover. He asks his friends to read it and see all the things in it. Few of them preserve themselves from not being attracted to it and shy away from even taking a look at it. Rest of them jump into it and scan all the pages with jet speed.

One guy catches the price of the book and asks a good question,"How do you buy it every month? It is quite costly."

"Save some 20 rupees every week. It's easy. I ask money to eat in "Sairam Chats" but I don't eat it always."

"One day your father is going to find it."

"I give it to my friend who lives opposite to my house. He will hide it inside his room"

"I wish I also have a separate room like him. Full day, I'd be watching F tv."

"Seeing the whole day is wasting time. Only sometimes, they come without anything."

"Yeah I too saw one day, one lady was rolling on the floor without any dress"

"Nude ah?"

"I didn't get you. Nude?"

"It means naked. If you want to see more, you can search in your father's phone."

"No no, he will find out. He only allows me to play games, if he sees then I am dead."

"Will they show everything on TV?"

"Once I have seen that she literally split her thighs!"

"Oh, I too will check it out. It should be wonderful to see in big screen."

"We have 21 inch, how much is yours?"

"We have 48, I think its bigger. Even if I stretch my hands, its difficult to touch both the ends. Dai Murali, 21 inch tv is big or 48?"

"Buddy which ever has larger number, it is bigger"

"Ashok, then I too will come there once."

"But don't scold me if you cannot see anything, we can sit and wait till my mother goes out to shop."

"Heyy, won't your grandma be there?"

"She can't see anything clearly, her eyes have become like "Kaasi" Vikram."

"Ohhhhh!" Ashok gets the book in hand from Anbu.

"Shall I tear the center page alone?"

"No no, my dad will kill me if he finds out." shouts Ashok.

"Hey, aren't you buying this from your money? How will your dad know?"

"Ahh, my dad might see it by mistake. I might keep it at home he may read it casually if he sees." explains Ashok.

"Ok give the book, its going to be 2.30!"

"What! I should complete that Friday's homework. Dai Anbu give your notebook, take that last sum." urges Ashok.

Ashok's last words went into Uma teacher's ears probably, as she entered the class.

"Good afternoon Miss!", yawns the class.

"Sit down."

Uma miss walks to the first bench and asks Ashok to open his notebook and keep the last page. She asks everyone in the class to have their notebooks with last page open, come and keep them one by one over Ashok's notebook.

"Any absentees today?", she turns back and sees the top right corner of the board and finds no one is on leave today.

"No one miss." Guarantees the class leader as well.

"Ashok count the notebook and tell me"

Ashok counts it with a guilty face. He knows why Uma miss has asked to count. Everybody in that class knows why she has asked to count. Some don't care, some care, some are worried and some are praying their favorite gods. He has reached the top of that notebook stack, 48.

"48, Miss."

"Where are the remaining books? Stand up, those remaining 4 people!"

Heads turn here and there with minimal movement, benches screech, shoes rub the desk legs. Those four students get up.

Dhanasekar stood up seeing whom the rest of the culprits stand up- Ajay, Prabakar and Anbu. It is always a miracle in this class for none of the girls to be in the culprit list.

"Where are your notebooks, don't you know you have Maths period everyday?"

They stand with the shyness of this insult, just looking at Uma Miss and the floor, nervous to focus on anything for more than 2 seconds.

Dhanasekar said, "I forgot miss, I have done the home work. I will bring it tomorrow."

"Prabakar, where is yours?"

Prabakar explains, "I took it but by mistake I had kept it in the auto-rickshaw, Miss"

"Then it would be lost forever. I need to see your notebook tomorrow and even if a single sum is missing then I am going to blast you!"

Prabakar promises, "I will bring the book, Miss."

Ajay "I forgot Miss"

Anbu "I forgot Miss"

"All four of you should submit the notebook at my desk by morning 8.30. I can't waste time for these things."

There is silence in the class except for Uma miss.

"Sit down."

"Everyone take out your rough note. Sit and practice those 5 example questions from LCM and HCF now. I will check everyone's book before leaving. And don't make noise, let me correct the homework sums."

Ashok and Murali turned back and looked at Anbu.

"Why did you not submit?" questions Murali.

"I have done it wrong, I will submit it by tomorrow morning".

"Ashok bring the notebooks to my desk. Guys, stop talking and work out the sums. There should be pin drop silence here." yelled Uma miss.

Ashok placed the notebooks and stood there as if he wants something back from that.

"What happened? Go to your place." Staring at the floor, he returned back to his place.

All the known and unknown faces were looking at each other's note and getting the practice sums done.

Uma miss started her correction.

"Krithika, go out, sit and redo it. All the answers are wrong." Shouted Uma miss and threw her notebook outside the door.

Ashok knew Krithika from the lane even before she joined his school last year. Her house was exactly at the center of the street along the line of houses. And Aravind knows very well of Krithika's family celebrating her puberty or age attend function as they say, last month. Hardly a month has gone by. Krithika looked at Ashok with the slightest glance and went out. Ashok was not ready to give her a consoling look, but only could think of his turn. All he hoped was for the bell to ring at 3.15. But he remembered Uma miss keeping them till 4 when she was in no mood to leave anyone unpunished. Uma miss was a devil, Ashok thought. Just 10 mins have gone by and Uma miss has already crossed 10 notebooks. Ashok knew his turn would come. He should have lied and stood up when Uma miss asked, but only if he knew the last time when Uma miss squeezed and turned those ears of Selva for not bringing his geometry box, he would have kept silent as he did now.

Anbu took his notebook and started correcting his sums to submit tomorrow morning. He is smart enough to save his time. Anbu had to wait till Murali finishes the practice sums one by one. Murali is at his 3rd one and Aravind sitting next to Murali is keeping pace with him. Ashok is distressed and scribbling what ever he sees in Murali's notebook. After all, Murali sitting in the center of them is a blessing in disguise.

Murali had done with all 5 and so had Ashok.

"Ashok, take that magazine, what's the name of it? I will take it home today." asked Anbu from behind.

"Debonair. Wait! Uma miss might see."

Anbu settles and continues to copy the sums. His ass does not rest on the bench so he pushes with his feet on the floor and rests just with the edge of his ass as he tries to see Murali's notebook from behind. After all, the benches in this classroom belonged to 12th standard. Anbu can only be more happier if they had sat in the older class where the benches and desks would match his age and size, which was just 1 week back in time. School's management have these benches still pending for shifting and until then Anbu's tiny things can only rub the edges of the bench, never occupy them fully.

But Ashok was tall and well built, a miracle when it comes to lower middle class. When you don't get enough protein while you grow, you never grow and any would-be teenager's beauty and physical aesthetics depend on it. But Ashok's body had managed it with less protein and no rich money-drinking food. He had it in his DNA or who knows his pituitary gland had it in him, those hormones which cause hyper growth. 

Ashok had checked the watch 16 times in the last 15 minutes. He has only 10 minutes to go for 3.15. Uma miss had already thrown 3 more notebooks outside the door and hardly had 10 more to go through. But no one had submitted an empty notebook. Ashok knew it.

As time moved, Uma miss started crawling through notebooks, one by one.

Ashok had his eyes staring at her hands and pen going through the pages.

"Is there anyone who haven't finished these 5 practice sums?" She asked.

She saw some still scribbling something with their pen.

"Get up those who are still working on them. Stand and work out them."

Around 10 of them stood. Uma Miss counted before ordering, "Don't move even if the bell rings. Complete before leaving."

Five more minutes to go and still she had 8 more notebooks. Ashok's eyes had a happy sight. He could only thank those who were standing for hindering Uma miss's pen.

'But is it enough?', questions his mind.

Sitting on the floor near the door, Krithika murmurs to Ashok, "Are you coming to Hindi tuition today?"

"No, I don't know. I am discontinuing there. Mom has searched for another centre."

"Friday, Anandhi aunty asked about you. I said that you are not well."

"Did she say anything for that?"

"She told me to bring you today. She was asking your last month's fees."

"My mom will come and give it tomorrow."

Krithika nodded looking at him.

"You too can come to my new tution centre, its near that YG Kalyana Mandapam."

Krithika nods with her tongue out. She is not willing to move to new places easily. Her new found age covers her boldness. She feels she is no more a child.

"I am going to see the new tuition, probably today. I will wait outside your house, you can join me."

"I will ask and come with my mom if she allows."

Ashok thought about her new found unwillingness to roam with him. Krithika knew every pani-poori shop, every soda-sarbath shop, every fruit mixer shop, every sand fried peanut shop and what not in her area, thanks to Ashok. All these would remain in their minds forever. But suddenly it all stopped and Ashok can't find the answer to the question-why. Maybe, Krithika was hesitant as she was going through something new in her life but she wasn't the only girl to go through puberty. Ashok may never feel what she feels, he can only be surprised at Krithika's unwillingness. His mind had crossed outside the classroom walls, waiting near the pani poori shops where Krithika had tried her first pani-poori.

But Uma miss did not care about these. All she cared about was the last page of Ashok's notebook.

"Ashok, come here." shouts Uma miss holding a blank page in her hand.

He turns his neck at break neck speed, gets up and rushes to her desk.

"You have not even started anything, what were you doing for last two days?"

"Miss, I had to go to my aunt's house for a function. I came back just today morning."

"What function? Stop giving silly reasons." shouts Uma miss. She asks looking at the girls side

"Does anyone have a long scale? Bring that for me."

Priyanka, the class leader rushes taking her wooden Camlin scale. "Here, I have Miss!"

Uma miss grabs the scale. "Show your right hand."

"Miss sorry, I will sit and write now and then leave."

"You were busy giggling when you had time to write and now you give me excuses! "

"No miss, I didn't even talk."

"Show me your hand"

"No miss, sorry miss."

"Ashok! I will take you to the Principal now."

"Sorry miss, I will write now."

She slapped the scale on his forearms which were hanging by his hips.

"Show and stretch it."

"Ssshhhh" whispers Ashok in pain as he stretches his hand with his palm facing up.

Uma miss had a joyous eye on seeing Ashok obeying her. She slapped from a feet above with Priyanka's scale which hit dead center on Ashok's palm.

"Ssshhhhhhh." Ashok hissed.

The class was in complete silence when the bell rang. The loudest bell Ashok had heard in quite some time.