A new me

A new me

I went to our school yesterday in the morning, to discuss about updating of our school website. The driver dropped me off at the school and went to our farm to pick up some tender coconuts and mangoes.

I finished with the discussions within an hour. It was only 10.30 a.m. I decided to wait in the school office room overlooking the front gate. Newspapers were available. I sat comfortably in a revolving chair in the direction of the air circulating from a wall-mounted fan. It was blowing hot air. I read the days ‘Hindu’ and the day before’s and the day before the day before’s. Read all the news other people were talking about at home for the past two days. I read a Tamil newspaper too.I wasn’t in any way impatient that the car hasn’t come to pick me up. Did a 3 star Sudoko. Happy I could complete it without much difficulty.

The fan was not making any noise; neither was the girl working with the computer. The school is closed. So there was no noticeable sound. Being engrossed in what I was doing I noticed very little. Thinking back I recognize that I was more ‘here and now’. I recognized I was thirsty, but I wasn’t inclined to go and get a glass of water. Just then one of the ayah’s came and gave me a glass of fresh lemon drink. It was very refreshing. I appreciated the gesture very much and I thanked her again when she came to collect the glass.

After that there was nothing else to do. Only then I looked around the room. There was a daily calendar on the wall that showed the date as 24th April. I got up, went near it and leafed through the sheets up till the current date. I was about to tear the bunch of sheets.

Do you know what happened then?

A scene flashed through my mind; or is it across my mind’s eye?

The headmaster asks the office assistant, “Who tore these sheets? I wanted them specifically left on for a purpose”.The girl tells him, “Not me Sir, Jaya madam did it. I saw it only after she had done it and hence couldn’t say anything”.

I felt it is not for me to do that. If they had wanted to, they would have done it. I left it as it is.

After about 5 minutes the driver came to pick me up. It was about noon. I was not my usual anxious self, in a hurry to get back to whatever I had to do. I was a different me. I understood why the driver was delayed. I went back to my office very contented with myself.