I have been waiting for Ma since a really long time now. The frills on my dress were beginning gnaw my pink flesh and the heat was enjoying the show, shining mischievously. We had some feast in school, hence the dress instead of the uniform. I wonder what kept Ma away for such a long time. She told me that she’ll pick me up as soon as she finishes her purchase. Both Grandma and she would sew innumerable dresses for Bua. Today, they had gone to buy some other supplies. Grand ma was with her too. They told me to wait after school and assured me that they would be there before time. I patiently waited and after a long time of baking under the unwanted vitamin D, I went inside and sat on the staircase.

Schools have a peculiar feel to them. They always have staircases; I guess the makers know how exciting it is to run away from the institution once you’re done for the day. There were several parents who’d come by to bring back their kids. While hoping that Ma would come sooner, it occurred to me that I had noticed Aunty. Misra Aunty I think was her name; not that it was of any consequence then, But she sure seemed to be in this great tussle to drag her daughter’s hand in what seemed like an unwanted stretch of the limb.

She somehow threw in a glance! Man! I am dead meat. I hope she doesn’t notice me. I wonder what caught her fancy, my dress or the constant dragging of her daughter, who seemed quite forlorn. She looked like she was tired of dragging her with one hand, so she chose to drag her with both hands. She looked like she believed it would be worth the trouble or perhaps she did it to gain momentum of some sort. Dolly simply refused to let go and Misra Aunty did not budge either. It was then that she approached me! I persisted, pleaded, tried to withhold my hand, but to no avail. I told her in more words than one that Ma was about to come any time now to fetch me. She paid no attention to my moans and simply tagged me along. All my way home I kept thinking whether I should have trotted by.

I had this sinister feeling that something had gone wrong. I don’t know if kids of my age also felt the same, but it was an uncanny feeling! Throughout the journey someone kept whispering in my ear that there’s trouble on the way. When I reached home, I was exhausted and breathless, so I stood out in the balcony to grab some fresh air. The feeling was rather claustrophobic. I had barely stepped out when I saw two ladies ramping about from a distance. One was huge and the other one was counting shadows closely behind her. It didn’t take me long to discover Grand ma and Ma battling each other’s speed. I think Ma saw me first from behind her specs. She blasted and then thumped in. “Who in the world told you that you can walk alone from school? Didn’t I tell you not to?” roared Ma, tweaking my blood red ears. I kept whining that I did not mean to; and that Misra Aunty dragged me home. Truth got the better of me and I blurted that Aunty was really strong, little realizing that all of whimpering, was but to fall over deaf ears.

With a wave of encouragement, Grand Ma stepped ahead and shoved Ma aside. She was smiling savagely with rage and fury. Grabbing the largest stick she could find she literally threw Ma away. Locking the room behind me, she picked up a large baton and beat me to pulp. I cried hard, constantly saving my knees from being battered. It all felt like a horrible dream. This can’t be happening to me! After all, all I did, was tell the truth! The beating continued as I wailed as loudly as I possibly could. After a while my voice too became feeble and gave away. Triumphant, Grand ma thrashed me black and blue in a way that I was not too far from being paralyzed. I could barely see the broken bits of the baton as the swelling misdirected my gaze. It was a while before the turmoil finally ended.

I staggered to find my feet and said a little prayer to the Almighty. I don’t know why I did that. At the time I remember something that Grand ma did; she had once again proved to the world as it were; that she was the toughest. That she would rather die than go against her rudimentary principles. She firmly believed that children who disobeyed orders should be so heavily thrashed that even the thought of disobeying makes them shudder to attempt the act.

When I thanked God, it suddenly rained in the month of November. I was glad that I wasn’t the only one crying. Ma always taught me that everything happened for a reason and that sometimes there is no other alternate method to teach you the lesson. You need to be grinded the hard way. I guess I thanked the Almighty for instructing me something I would never forget; never be too honest in life; it will prove fatal! And that being truthful often loses its acceleration on life. It was a painful lesson, but a gem nevertheless.