Mathematics was his favorite class of all in the 6th grade. The teacher was solving one of the most interesting problems in the chapter "playing with numbers". It was a piece of cake and he really enjoyed solving it very fast. All he required from the teacher was to show which problem to solve and by the time she completes reading the problem, he would have finished it. But today he had to skip solving the problems. With heavy heart he had his math book open on the table, but had his eyes fixed on the book that was open on his lap. His history text book. As much as the migration of Aryans from somewhere middle of Europe to an unknown hinterland sounded not only drab, but also completely incomprehensible. But the class test in the afternoon is something he cannot avoid. As he tried to remember the path followed but the Aryans, he could sense the bout of sleep that was about to hit him. He tried to keep his eyes open. He had not opened his civics books yet. The fundamental rights and duties and adult franchise was waiting patiently for him to master. This simple thought gave him a piercing headache. "I will not watch the football world cup anymore" he promised himself, blaming his father whose football fanaticism rubbed onto him also. The face of Kamala mam, his fearsome social science teacher frightened him and pushed him into going through the most boring text he had ever read in his short career as a student.
He could not hold off his slumber anymore and involuntarily fell on the desk, with his history book sliding off his lap. "Mam, Ramesh has fainted " shouted the overly enthusiastic boy sitting next to him. His sound was good enough to jerk Ramesh off his slumber. But his mind reacted faster than his eyes and kept them closed. He remembered the girl who had fainted the other day during the morning assembly session. She had received a royal treatment from all around and was sent home to take rest. He thanked the headless chicken who shouted, silently and went on to play the role of poor little kid to perfection. He could hear all the commotion around the room. A moment of fame or rather infamy is not bad for the average kid. His young math teacher had panicked and did all she could to wake him up or rather bring him back to his senses. Ramesh was secretly enjoying all the attention he was getting. "Raju, go and fetch the peon and the PT master" she instructed one of the boys fervently. By the time the those people arrived, Ramesh was calmly lying on a desk.
He precisely knew how he should act now. In another 10 minutes, he would open his eyes slowly and be groggy for a few minutes. He would explain the teachers that he had skipped breakfast in the morning. If all goes well in another hour his parents or atleast mom would be here taking him home. It was the summer and students fainting was a common occurrence. The idea of skipping the class test was too sweet even to imagine for him. By this time, the news had percolated to the headmaster and had cut short his morning rounds to visit the 6th standard F section. The sound of his 6 feet plus stout head master had spooked him a bit, but he was quite confident of pulling off the sick child act. "I have already called his parents. His mom will be here in another 20 minutes "declared the headmaster. It was music to his ears.
The stage two of his action plan was set in motion. Like a seasoned actor getting the role of his lifetime, he showed signs of getting back his senses. There was a lot of commotion amongst the students. "We will take him to the office room, so that you can continue with the classes" declared the headmaster. "Can you walk Ramesh?" asked the headmaster with genuine concern. On seeing Ramesh node doubtfully, he asked the peon to help him reach the office room. Much to the chagrin of the class, Ramesh left to room and math lecture was to be restarted. The events that followed perfectly feel in line with the script of the imaginary "faking a faint to skip a class test" manual, Ramesh had in mind. In exactly 40 minutes, he was sitting in the backseat of his mother's car. It was the perfect contraption, with all the pieces exactly falling in the right place. Sitting back, he enjoyed his mother rumbling about his father being ignorant and careless about his health.
As expected he got a royal treatment at home. His mom had taken the day off and started preparing his food. By noon, he was happily munching his favorite combination of Rasam rice and Bhindi fry, watching the highlights of previous day's football match, completely oblivious to the happenings in his class. During the social science period, a very young teacher who recently joined the school walked into a class of relived students, to make the announcement that, Kamala mam was sick that day and the test had been postponed to the next day. The students could use the free period to prepare for the test!!!