A Lesson Learnt

A Lesson Learnt

Tia sat at her desk with her coffee mug in hand. Her spectacles perched on her nose, her hair in a messy bun, the tank top she was wearing and her favourite steaming Nescafe gave her all the comfort she needed after a long day at work. She always used to start reading or browsing the net after a shower but today her work wasn’t over for the day. She had an extra work of marking a hundred and twenty papers not to mention the tallying all to be finished within five days. Yes, this is the interesting life of a teacher.

She wouldn’t say that she loved teaching but when she was with her kids she loved every moment. For however strict Tia might be at times, they still came smiling towards her after she makes a joke to smooth the atmosphere. Moreover there were kids to whom she hasn’t even taught but wherever they see her, they give her that toothy grin that says, “There’s that teacher I always see.” All these satisfaction and honor along with the pride that comes when her children score made her give her best for the most patience demanding job. For that thing, PATIENCE was one thing that she never had. So there she was at ten p.m., in a darkroom, lit only by her desk lamp to let her see the papers her grade four children had scribbled for her.

Yes, that’s the word, mark it, “scribbled”. No matter how many times she had cut the work and made some children re-write, they still wrote in the wobbly figures they had invented for English. “Not the time to be cranky Tia, get started”, she says to herself and marks. As always she takes the smartest child’s paper to mark at first so that she would have a picture of all the correct answers. And to her surprise that kid had got complete marks in both the grammar and language part. She was astonished. For however smart a child be, a child is a child and therefore makes at least one silly mistake. She didn’t know whether to be proud that she had done her job well or to be happy that this kid was a born genius. So she moved on. Marking papers takes time and one tip you should always have in mind is, “Keep the soreness of the day at bay or confront the parent in a warfront.”

That’s true some parents never understand that mistakes make their child learn. The worst of all was that they even think that teachers hold a personal grudge to have put a wrong for something correct in their child’s paper. “God won’t you slap some sense into these people’s thick heads”, is what her staff body pray. But that doesn’t mean that they do not understand the parent’s interest or care but sometimes the melodramas just get too much to bear.

Tia kept on correcting and felt proud that she really might have done some good work with her kids. For most of them, even the ones she didn’t expect much had given their best and she was all awake not because of the action of the caffeine but of the enthusiasm her children had brought into her. Some children had funny way of answering and that showed their innocence and sweetness. Then her pen hovered over the sentence, “I love my best friend very much.” Best friend. That was one thing that she luckily or unluckily never got. Suddenly her world shifted into a place where she was in grade four in her school.

She had not been a really smart one at those times but she wasn’t of the lame ones too. The only subjects she loved were science and English. She remembered that she never had anyone close till that grade but she hanged out with everyone instead of being pestered by one. That was when Shana came into the picture. Their friendship started with their fight over the seat arrangement and as always Tia had taken the place with the help of the teacher. In grade five they bonded better and in grade six when classes were switched, Shana and Tia were left for one another and they took each other as BESTIES.

Tia kept on marking though the memories were flooding her and when she saw how one child chose one for a best friend but that best friend chose another. She couldn’t help but wonder what that child would feel if he gets to know that the person he considers as a best friend considers another. Tia started laughing when she felt that this seemed like a clichéd teenage episode where the boyfriend is not sure if his girlfriend really considers him as the love of her life and vice versa. But that didn’t stop her from remembering her past.

It was in their seventh grade when the class was split again Maya joined the besties in sharing the desk and chair. At first they were both hostile towards the intruder but with time everything settled. Tia always had a feeling of whom Shana would choose when she wrote, a letter for a friend, in the exam paper. Would it be “Dear Tia” or “Dear Maya” always bugged her. But the most hilarious part, now observing after so many years was their conversation after they exit the exam hall. “Um, Shana that letter we got, how did you frame it?” Tia would ask not giving away that she was testing her bestie’s loyalty. And Shana too would play along though now Tia doubted that her bestie would have understood that she was investigating. Sometimes it used to be Shana who would directly ask, “Who did you choose when writing the letter?” and then there would be that, “DO YOU SERIOUSLY DOUBT ME?” episodes.

Then again with the passage of time and in the second semester Tia got her first heart attack when Shana said that she wrote for Maya. Tia being a child then (unlike the big headed kids nowadays) was broken and she still remembered how she cried into her pillow and swore that she would never ever depend on Shana. Tia wasn’t a crybaby. So she dealt her worries within herself. The fact that her parents kept switching between the places where half of her sibling her settled never helped. For at the end of the day she still had no one to go to with her worries and so she learnt to stand on her own for her vulnerable sides.

Though she swore, it wasn’t easy for Tia to slack down from a friendship built on three years understanding. But that was only till Shana and Maya became besties excluding Tia from the circle of trio. The games that they pulled to hurt her, still hurt her. For they used the strong face she put, when they kept saying profanities about her, to hurt her more. She remembered that she bore everything well and when she got her time she did take make Shana taste the bitter fruit that she fed Tia. But unlike Tia, Shana took the case to the teacher with the help of some of Tia’s foes. Tia smiled at the memory of that scene now. “Miss, Tia keeps insulting Shana and she won’t let Maya associate with Shana. Please tell her that it’s wrong”, said the judge of the injustice who now is a mother of a child. So that led to the trio being separated for a week. For the great teacher believed that would teach them the lesson of THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP.

Tia smiled now thinking of it. For that is the same strategy that she now uses to make her children concentrate though not to make them understand the importance of frienship. Maybe it did work for her and her friends. For after that incident a lot of things changed about them. They all got new friends around in the class, had good class corporation and even had pleasant conversations at times. Yet they never became what they were. Sure Tia now has their number saved, still chats in whatsapp, knows that Maya is a happy mother of a lovely girl and that Shana’s stuck in the middle of a proposal but the magic that they found in their innocent age was lost right there buried right down in the fourth class room on the second floor of their school building.

Tia stopped marking half way through a paper and saw that the clock had stricken twelve. She had marked around twenty five papers and had no stamina for more. So she left the table to the comfort of her bed that wrapped her in its warm arms. Still she couldn’t switch off her mind from the thought, “Things done could be forgiven but never forgotten if it comes with the baggage of pain, hurt and heart break. Sure that combo makes you strong after a bitter lesson but at the same time it also has the power to wreck you if you are not strong enough to handle the bitterness.” Tia had silently thanked her parents many times in her life for leaving her to fight her own battle when she was young. She knew that they had no other choice and accepted it. For that made her strong enough to handle situations unlike some crybabies that irked her. So once again after silently thanking her parents, Tia made prayer for their prolonged life and added that god forbids the heartache that any of her children might get when they get to know that besties are not for everyone. She just wished that one day that child, would come to comprehend that they are better off on their own legs with some people they trust rather than leaning on the strength of brick besties as pillars in life.

Author:- Badurdeen.Fathima.Ayesha

Down the memory lane to 9c

Down the memory lane to 9c

It’s not always that

Life decides to shower happiness

So you ought to revel in it if it does.

For once the bubble is broken

Never would you gain it again

Grade 9c was when

My life gave me that

Wonderful opportunity

We were twenty seven

Each with our own baggage

Some family issues, some social issues,

Some lover boy issues, some friend issues

Some traumatic, some manageable

Somehow all had a story to tell

Yet once entering that corner, dark class

With only a passage  to separate the bathroom

A triple window high up in the wall and

Dilapidated furniture

We were happy, contended angels

For inside this uninteresting place was our bliss

Whatever pain in heart vanishes

Whatever anger that burns vanquishes

Whatever guilt that eats us diminishes

And the warmth of 9c embraces

It’s funny how we were the

Boycotted, worst, stupid, idiotic and

Best of all the TAMIL girls.

This glory was the result of

Rejecting SINHALA as a second language

None of them knew

That we were the fun-loving,

Non-jealous, smart, caring and

CUTE girls (well, some really were)

The INTERVAL was our

Most beloved period.

The food tasted freely from

Twenty seven lunch boxes

Lasts till now.

The friendship that we treasured in her

Holds its value yet.

The fights we fought for her

Holds its memory tight.

The literary associations, song practices,

Art competitions, most desired khailoolah period,

Detested morning assembly and

The Arabic school song, that we never got right.

The rumour of Zakir sir and Husainia miss.

The science lab in BOYS’ SECTION, our IT lab

CCTV in the entrance, that one cashier from Ilma

All have become monuments in our minds

We still remember Azra’s innocence, Ishama and Sameena’s jokes,

Aksha and Humaira’s tragic love story, Ayesha’s British English,

Kool and Funk Nufla’s tomfoolery, Hifla’s romantic smile

Hafsa’s scary laugh and much more

From the endless lot.

Though we teased Miss. Duck walk, Miss. Eagle eyes,

Miss. Kelavi, we cried when they left us.

Precious teachers like Shihara miss, Rizniya miss,

Riznaz miss, Vijitha miss and

Logamathi miss will never evade from

Our memories till the end our breath.

I’m sure though we all might not get together again

None of us will ever forget the

Farewell party at my place where

9c assembled for the last time or

The life we shared in that corner gloomy class.

(A part from my life which I will treasure till the end of my breath)

picture of the classroom isn't 9c but it's relative

Poet: Badurdeen. Fathima. Ayesha

Living yet

Living yet

The sky was clear, the stars were out and I just loved the tranquility, quiet and stillness of my surrounding. The land my dad had half bought recently was way into the country, so there wasn’t anything to boast about it until the night time came. We were not much interested in buying this land at first but when the land owner was so desperate to get money immediately and as he came for a deal of twenty five percentage off, we found it to be on more than agreeable terms. So we paid the advance it about a month ago and since none of us had time to come to check on the land after the first time, my parents made me take this trip. But now it seems like it was completely worth it. There’s enough fruits around in the trees, the stream running close by the land was really refreshing and musical at this peaceful moment and the small wooden house was spacious enough for a small vacation like this.

The grass on which I am laying now is about half my size and so gives me a feeling of being in a completely different universe. The Orion out there in the sky was aiming at me and the moon really seems happy to see him shooting at me. The clouds weren’t prominent but still it wasn’t hard for my wild imagination to imagine them to be in a shape of a teenage ghost.“Watching many horror movies really pays off Tessa!” I chided myself and stood up to go and ravish the mouth-watering food that the cook seems to be preparing in the kitchen. “Hmmm.. Jenna you make me hungry just by the smell of your food!” I moaned on entering the kitchen. I know Jenna had talking issues but since I had no one else to converse other than Jenna and the driver I couldn’t help but try her to make her talk.

Jenna just turned and gave me an empty look with, “You shouldn’t be out at this time. Things are different here!”. “Woah!” was all I felt. I just shrugged and stood up to go to my room in the attic. For I really didn’t like to adviced about silly, superstitious things. “You must go from here, you don’t belong here”, Jenna said out of nowhere. When I said, “Excuse me?” Jenna did not say anything nor did she turn to even look at me. I looked at my watch and found the time to be nine. Sure I was hungry but as the awesome yet mood spoiling cook took away my will to eat just now I just flew up the stairs.

The attic room had been furnished to be used as a room for one, so it fitted me perfectly. Though not extremely beautiful it was comfy and the previous inhibitor of this room had really been in love with it. For there were many evidence around that proved it. It apparently must have been an early teenager’s room. The large window also gave a breathtakingly beautiful view of the surrounding of our land and the night sky. I sat at the window seat and peered at the night sky. The night sky never fails to amaze me. The ginormous galaxy really is a wonder. While I was wondering about the creations of god I suddenly felt like someone was staring at me. I turned my head and found a girl with pale skin, long black hair, white eyes and tattered nightshift standing behind me. For a split second I couldn’t even breathe but when I came to my senses I shook my head and found Jenna standing in the doorway of my room. She left me with a “Food ready, table downstairs.” I actually was dumbstruck. Was this woman for real? Also I wasn't able to erase the image of the white angry eyes.

Anyways, as I was famished I went down and ate in the company of silence. The food was really awesome, so the wait was worth it. I finished my dinner and as Jenna was not around I washed the utensils out of habit and left for bed. The bed was comfy enough but sleep was not welcoming me as soon as I wanted. Tomorrow will be a big day. I need to do the background checking of this land, get acquainted with the few neighbours who were yards away and most of all settle the rest of the amount to own this land lawfully.

Suddenly I felt like something flashed from the door towards the window. I saw it too, it was some white flash with a black mane cascading but as I wasn’t sure, I shut my eyes and tried to get some sleep. “Gettttt ooouutt…. thissssss issn’t where youu beloooong, geeeettttt ouuutt”. This chanting kept getting louder and louder and when I wasn’t able to bare it any longer I opened my eyes and sat straight on my bed. The curtain of my window opened and the white curtain was winnowing in the wind. Saying, “All these must be my stupid imagination.” I shot out of my bed to close the window. The cool breeze welcomed me and the willow tree in front of my eyes was really beautiful with the silver shine of the full moon. Just when I was about to close the window I saw Jenna looking at the tree too. She seemed to have been lost in her own world and when I raised my eyes to see what she was seeing, I saw it!

I saw it glaring at me from the branch of the willow tree. A skinny pale figure in a tattered nightshift, with blazing white eyes and thick black mane that was flying all around. I could not shift my eyes. I was transfixed and rooted to the place. The figure did nothing but glare at me as it wanted to incinerate me with its eyes itself. I shook my head to clear my thought and looked down, Jenna was staring at me too and just when I was about to see the branch again, it swooshed in front of my face in lightening pace and knocked me down with a loud screech, “Myyyyyyy rooooommmm”. My vision blurred and I fell into a deep abyss.

The heat was penetrating through me, I couldn’t bear it anymore, I wanted to run but my body ached, I couldn’t even twist. So I just fluttered my heavy eyelids open to meet the source that was scorching me. A smile crept on my face when I saw that it was only the sun. It must be noon time by now and that was the reason for the heat. I wasn’t in hell. Well not yet atleast.

I got up to get ready for the day which I was already late for. A sudden pain hit my back bone when I stretched and that was when I notice a bruise as large as an apple at the side of my hips. At that moment I went back to the memory lane of yesterday night and a tremor shook my frame. The blazing hot sun reminded me of the yellow eyes that had glared at me not inches away from my face. I wanted explanations. What is up with this place? Then I remembered that Jenna had witnessed all that happened yesterday but not even uttered a single syllable. I dashed down jumping over two stairs at a time and not even caring about my sleeveless pajamas or the pain that shot through my body like thunderbolts.

I dashed through the two rooms downstairs, kitchen, storeroom, and even the bathroom but Jenna wasn’t in any of these places. “Seems like you’re searching for something miss”, I heard a gruff voice from behind me and on turning on my heels I saw the old driver James leaning on the door frame. This man had been in these areas and he sure would know some details about the madness that happened yesterday. So I moved towards him. “Yesterday night something happened”, I started but I didn’t fail to notice that he started too. “You know about it don’t you?” I questioned him and he hung his head. “It’s a big story miss, poor soul. It all happened because of that monster.” The pain in his eyes changed into hot red anger so he sagged to the couch nearby.

“Jenna’s child Hannah was a very lively child. She wasn’t like other teenagers. She was very much like her father, who was a wonderful friend and an excellent worker. The master of this land loved her like his own child but…” James stopped like he hesitated. As I waited he continued, “The master had a daughter too. She was of the same age as Hannah but an exact opposite of that sweet soul. Jenifer had an outrageous anger that made her do mad things that no one would even dream a teenager to do.” I kind of figured the theme of the story but remained quiet. So James went on “Jenifer hated the fact that a servant’s daughter was treated equal to her. She hated her father being kind to Hannah. She hated that Hannah too got gifts when her father came from work from abroad but miss, most of all the little monster abhorred that Hannah was given the room which she had wanted to keep for herself as an art room. That little monster wasn’t even fond of art and the master who knew this gave the room to Hannah who always loved cleaning that room though she was never asked to.”

James said that Hannah had cried out of happiness when the master had painted the room pink and purple before letting her have it as a gift for her birthday but Jenifer had not been one bit happy with the set up that she had left the room when the gift was presented. No one reacted to the anger in her eyes nor the tears streaming down her face when she left the room because they had been absorbed in Hannah’s reaction and the master’s praise of her. Two months had passed and that was when Hannah had brought her report card to show to the master. She had not noticed that Jenifer was already sitting in the dining table with tears in her eyes. When the master had seen that Hannah had got really good grades he praised her and shot Jenifer a glare and uttered, “I wish you were my child dear.”

Jenifer who had never spoken about her feelings before had burst when the master had said this and after screaming, “I wish mother was here to see me as her child while you discard me and cherish on the servant’s child!” had stormed out into the night. Hannah who had felt bad thinking that she had hurt Jenifer whom she saw as a friend had gone after her. James said that he never knew what had happened after that and the next day when he went to the stream he had seen something fat floating on the water and on nearing had seen that it was Hannah who was face down in the water, dead and soaked due to the water seeping into the body.

“I still remember how unrecognizable that beautiful child had been and how I felt carrying the corpse that was about to fall apart if I gripped a little bit further! The whole house collapsed with her death. Jenna is now always lost in her own world, Alexander had a stroke and was dead five months ago and the master now wants to sell the house.” he stopped to wipe away the tears that had rolled down his face when he was telling me the flashback. “So what happened to Jenifer?” I questioned out of curiosity. “That monster pledged that she had not even seen Hannah and had returned home after a few hours. But I am sure miss that she must have pushed that dear into the water. She was terrified when the cops kept interrogating and after a few days she started telling tales that Hannah haunted her, that she saw Hannah coming to strangle her and all other nonsenses. So the master has put her in an asylum unable to see his only daughter suffering.” he finished. “Do you think this place is haunted James?” I asked him observing the stupidity of my own question but I was as sure as my existence that all that happened yesterday night was true. “She is a sweet soul miss, I’m sure she won’t ask anything more than her own room.” With that he left the room not even noticing that I was gaping at him.

This man must be insane! I was more than sure that later he’s going to say, “She’s a lovely soul miss, I’m sure she won’t ask anything more than a little blood!” I just packed my bag with the determination to terminate the deal and drove off without James. But throughout the journey back I could not stop thinking how much responsibility parenting holds, the consequences bad parenting brings and how much Mr. Jefferson must have suffered to sell the house he has lived with his wife and one which holds so much memory for him. 

Author:- Badurdeen.Fathima.Ayesha