Page 17 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

2 BRAWLS & BRUISES

Everyone called me ‘Maymay’ for being the oldest in the class. That made me shun my friends in the
school. So, I sat on the last bench and stayed aloof most of the time.
“Oops,” I said, keeping my hand on my chest. “Wish my friends would call me by a better name.”
Ma’am Kencho with short hair was the class teacher. She chewed on betel leaves all day. And the smell
of alcohol from her breath made us retch. She plucked at our hair and slapped us when furious.
Sometimes, she took us out for the practical lessons. One instance, when I couldn’t find the product of
4x5, stands out. Seniors watched me grouping the pebbles. I could group the pebbles into four, but could
not add them together.
Ma’am Kencho furrowed her brow as she watched me counting the pebbles. “You scatter-brained, how
much is 4x5?”
I added all the pebbles in my shaking hands. “Nineteen.”
Slap!
My left cheek throbbed. Seniors laughed down at me from the verandah.
“4x5=20!” she blurted.
Lowering my eyes, I repeated to avoid another slap. “4x5=20!”
“You dumb-head!” she said. “Practice this at home.”
Because skipping classes meant whipping, I attended them reluctantly. But the school captain petrified
us the most. A nasty rogue with a masculine body who always sneered at us. We could not go out to play
during recess or lunch break. He cruised the school premises and harassed the students.
One day, the bell rang when I returned from lunch. “Oh, no! I am late.” I broke into a sprint, but the
school captain was at the gate with a cane in his left hand. “Hell no, I had it now.”
“Why are you late?” he thundered, tapping his calf with the cane. “Don’t know school time?”
“Sorry, captain, but I can explain,” I said, puffing.
He scrunched his face. “Late is late.” He raised the stick and whipped. “Bend down!”
Whoosh!

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