Quotient – GROW UP MESSY

4X1=4

4X2=8

‘

‘

‘

4X6=32

4X7=36

“Misry! ” The teacher snapped. “Why can’t you concentrate? You are wrong again. This is the fifth week and you are not able to learn the multiplication table of even number 4 that is usually taught in the lower classes. All the students have already covered till 10 but you don’t seem to take any efforts.”

Misry heard her teacher quietly with her head down.

“Tomorrow I want to hear all the tables till 10. Understood?” The teacher said.

Misry nodded.

***

Next morning.

“What happened? Why won’t you go to school today?” Madhavi asked.

Misry ducked her head under the blanket and said, “I don’t feel like Ma.”

“What happened? Tell me. Are you not feeling well? Come here, let me see your temperature.” Madhavi was worried.

“I am fine Ma. I just want to be at home today.” MIsry pleaded.

“Okay then, let me tell Honey and Boney that you will not go today.” Madhavi got up to go.

Misry held up her hand and said sweetly, “Can I sleep some more time?”

Madhavi nodded.

***

Next morning.

“Misry come on get up now? You have to go to school today. You had enough Masti yesterday.” Madhavi said pulling her out of the blanket.

“Ma I don’t want to go to school. Pleaseeeeeeeee.” Misry pleaded. She was almost in tears.

“Whats wrong my child?” Madhavi was anxious.

Misry looked for excuse. “Ma its stomach ache today.”

“Let me see.” Madhavi checked out her daughter’s belly with her hand. “Does it ache here….here….here”.

Misry nodded.

“How can you stomach ache reach your chest sweetheart. See you are lying to me.” Madhavi caught her red handed.

“What if it pains in school?” Misry replied seriously.

“Will it?”

Misry nodded.

“Sure?”

Misry nodded again.

“Okay, skip school then.” Madhavi said at last.

Misry was all smiles.

***

Next Day.

“Now, you have a new excuse today?” Madhavi asked.

“No. I don’t want to go to school.” Misry said plainly.

“That I can see, but I want to know why?”

“I don’t feel like Ma. It is bad school.” Misry complained.

Anurag heard them both and came in the room. “Misry I heard that you have been skipping school? What’s wrong dear?”

“Daddy I won’t go. It’s bad school. ” Misry replied.

“Did anything happen sweetheart?” Anurag asked.

Misry was tempted to tell him the truth but she skipped.

“Nothing much Daddy. Just that I don’t feel like going.”

“Fine! Take rest then.”

***

Later in the evening.

“Misry! MIsry! Come here!” Anurag yelled.

Misry came running and stood in front of him immediately. Madhavi too had come to see what the matter was.

“You didn’t tell us that your teacher had asked you to learn the multiplication table?” Anurag asked.

Misry was silent.

“Multiplication table? What are you talking about, Anurag?” Madhavi asked.

“Madhavi your daughter is making fool of us. I went her school today and met her teacher. He said that Misry had not memorized her multiplication tables yet while the entire class has already done it. She is the only student lagging behind. And when he asked her to come prepared the next day, she stopped going to school. Tell me if it is not true, MIsry.”

Misry stood with her head down and didn’t answer.

“I want you to stop, whatever you are doing, immediately and by heart the tables now. I will ask them. Okay?”

“Okay.” Misry gave a meek reply.

“Now go and memorize it.”

Misry left the room.

After about half an hour later, Anurag called her again.

“Have you done it?”

Misry nodded.

“Okay tell me the first table you have learnt.”

4X1=4

4X2=8

‘

‘

‘

‘4X6=32

4X7=36

“No! No! You are doing it wrong. 4×6=24, 4×7=28. Come again now.”

4X1=4

4X2=8

‘

‘

‘

‘4X6=32

4X7=36

“What’s wrong with you. I just corrected. 4×6=24, 4×7=28.  Say correctly from the beginning.”

4X1=4

4X2=8

‘

‘

‘

‘4X6=32

4X7=36

“Misry! Misry! What are you doing child. You are making mistake. Listen carefully. 4×6=24, 4×7=28.  Now go again.”

4X1=4

4X2=8

‘

‘

‘

‘4X6=32

4X7=36

“Stop it I say! I can’t believe you are repeating the same mistake. That means you are not concentrating. I am giving you tonight’s time. Do it with full efforts.”

***

Next morning.

“Great so you are going to school today?”

“Yes Daddy.”

“Now before you go to board your school bus I want to hear the multiplication table of 4.”

4X1=4

4X2=8

‘

‘

‘

‘4X6=32

4X7=36

Anurag kept his cool. He didn’t utter a word till she completed her table. “Fine. Now listen you know very well that you have not memorized your lesson.”

Misry stood still looking down on the floor.

“I want you to go to school today and sit in the immediate lower class, not your class. Once you learn your lesson then you can come back to your own class. Is that understood?”

“Understood.” Misry replied in a whispered and left quietly.

When she reached school, Misry didn’t go to her class, instead she went to one class lower and sat down there. The younger students looked at her in amazement but she didn’t talk to them.

When the class teacher came he asked Misry to go and sit in her actual class but Misry replied that her Daddy had instructed her to sit there until she learns the multiplication table.

The teacher called Misry’s class teacher. When her class teacher came to take her she denied going giving the same statement. The teachers went away and came back with the Headmaster. But Misry won’t leave the class and gave the same answer.

Seeing her adamancy the children started laughing. At last the teacher had to leave and Misry spent the day in the lower class. The news spread like wild fire in the school and whenever the students had free time they would come to take a sneak peek at Misry sitting in the class. The child became a laughing stock. But she didn’t give up. She continued sitting in the lower class and faced the humiliation till she learnt her tables.

On the third day, she walked into her actual class with pride and took her seat. When the teacher came she gladly announced that she had learnt all the tables and he could ask her now.

The teacher nodded.

Misry said all the tables correctly and the students clapped for her. The teacher was all praise for her.

Later, when Anurag came to know about it his heart cried out. His little daughter will abide by his orders so strictly, he was never sure of it. She deserved a better Daddy, he thought.

But Misry came home and hugged him saying, “I love you Daddy. You know even the Principal was all praise for me. And it’s all because of you. Thank you.”

Anurag kissed her and said softly, “Don’t GROW UP MESSY.”

*****

26 stories in 26 days. I am attempting very very short stories series with GROW UP MESSY – The sweet sour story of a 5 year old girl. Follow my blog for the next story of Messy.

You can read the other post in the series here.