001

This is my first time at the school on a Sunday. The premises look rather peaceful. There is no running on the corridors, and the usually squeaky benches inside the classrooms stay idle with no one to move it. All thus remain in silence, broken by the gush of the morning wind.

A correction; a very early morning wind.

I came here at six. It is half-past six now. The activity is scheduled to begin at eight, so the preparations can be done within an hour or two. That's what I have been told, and the teacher clearly stressed to be on time. But I don't see anyone except the timekeeper here. I wonder; who does he ring a bell for today?

I tried calling the teacher from the office room, but he just texted back that he's on his way. Let me guess his excuse; can’t miss his morning coffee?

 The classroom smells friendly and pleasant when there's no one inside it. The benches are still cold. I could sleep all day if I rest my face on it. I'm already doing it. Except I couldn't, even after my eyes are shut. Maybe a boring lecture has a unique charm to it. 

I could hear someone approaching the classroom. The footsteps are rather light, unlike that of an adult. How much late is he planning to be?

A random kid appeared and stood in front of the entrance. He took a moment before entering and sat on the farthest bench from me. Who is he? Is he a classmate?? Anyways, I couldn't bother less. It's been only a week since the classes have begun. The critical issue now is – where is the teacher?

It has been a while now. I am not a conversation starter, but I began to talk first out of concern.

"Are you a student in this class?"

 He turned and nodded. Almost like he got something stuck between his neck. No wonder I didn’t know him before.

"Did the teacher ask you to come?"

He replied again with a nod. This time even slower as his eyes compensated for a sign of yes.

It doesn’t seem like I’ll get any answers from him. So I went back to my own world.

"He said to be here by 6:30. But he will come at 7", the voice came from his direction. He can talk after all!

"Wait, if he is coming that late, why did he tell me to come this early?"

He shook his head. I guess that’s a no? And just a moment ago, I thought he could talk... How is that even an answer to my question? Moreover, why is he here now if he already knows the teacher is coming at 7'? Asking him is a waste of time. I might very well wait for the tea-

“Oh, you are already here?”

Speak of the devil; holding a coffee mug.

What do you mean we are already here?

"You are the one who asked me to be so early", I retorted as soon as he entered.

"Oh, you are here too", he replied, seeing me now.

He didn’t notice me because that kid was sitting near the entrance and I was far away. And I came way earlier than him.

"I wasn't expecting anyone here. I indeed told you both to come help with the setup, but I honestly didn't think you both would really show up".

That's a lie. Lying even on Sundays. Wow.

“Sir, coming late is fine, but what’s not fine is lying”, I gave it back to him.

“Excellent. As expected of my student”, he grinned.

“I don’t understand”.

“I asked you both to come early as a punishment for lying to me", he cleared the question in an almost exaggerated tone.

For a moment I forgot there was another person except for this damned man and me. I know about me, but does that mean the kid lied about something too? Even if he did, why was I told to come much earlier than him? Well, whatever, at least he showed up.

“Understood”, I didn’t want to drag it.

“Is your father coming?”, asked the teacher turning to the silent kid.

"He did have appointments, but he canceled them as soon as he got the mail from the school regarding the activity."

“Good”.

Wow. What’s up with that framed sentence speech? Who is this kid? Is he a spy for the teacher? Wait, don't tell me the costumes he was searching were all for this kid? What kind of a student-teacher relationship is this? Scary!!

“I think one hour is enough time. Let’s do it”, said the teacher in an energizing tone.

I should’ve already known. One hour is more than enough.

We set up balloons, stickers, and decorated the walls with hanging crafted papers of various colors. They were all borrowed from the art and craft room, so that saved us a lot of time. 

Everything was set and ready. The only thing left is for a bunch of kids to come holding their daddy’s hand.

The school bell rang sharply at 8'. Just for us three people?

That is when the fourth person entered the classroom.

 

002

When the preparations were just complete, a fourth member entered the room. The clock struck 8', and he was right on cue. I guess he is the father of a student from this class? But I don’t see anyone else with him.

"Welcome, sir."

“Father”

The other two people besides me in the classroom welcomed this person while I was standing still. Father? Oh, that makes sense. The teacher went ahead and started conversing with the kid standing between them. I could hear because we were all in the same room.

“It is great to have you here, sir. Quite a punctual father and son”, the teacher jokingly said as he extended his hand to the parent.

“Thank you. It is indeed a good manner to be on time. And parents always do the best for their children”, the kid’s father replied in a robotic tone.

Considering the way he talks, the upright posture and the etiquette all show his experience in dealing with people. The kid's mannerism is similar to his dad: talks only when he needs to, uses only the necessary words, but otherwise remains silent. No wonder the actions of parents rub off so much on kids. As of now, the attendance count is one.

A few minutes passed, and students started coming along with their fathers. Once the class began to fill up, it was as lively as ever. Some even wore the same dress to give a matching appearance. I can see the excited kids along with their dads trying to show off how cool they are to others.

 It already started.

Friends introducing each other, smiling faces all around while they still maintain their pride outside. Displaying their status, hiding their ego, wearing a mask, both the parents and their kids become something they are not to leave an impression on the rest. When will they understand that they don't really care about each other except for themselves? They don't want to belittle themselves in front of others, so they step forward and maintain conversations. Just keep talking with someone, so you're not left out.

So that you’re recognized.

Given respect.

Acknowledged.

Then there is the other type, who seclude themselves from the rest. Just their mere presence and manner are so elite they leave a strong impression. The kid and his father who arrived here first seem to be one of a kind. While all this inner chaos of maintaining outer appearances, the teacher was busy seeing that if everyone were comfortable. He doesn’t have any other option left.

After almost everyone gathered, the teacher took the stage to begin the event. The crowd became silent and focused on him.

"Ok, now that everyone is present here, I think it is better to start this now. Before that, to all fathers who came here to spend their time, and take part in this activity: thank you!"

I'm here alone. I deserve special recognition.

“Now, on this Father’s Day event, I think it would be appropriate to start off with introductions. Starting from my right, I expect each student to come up and introduce their father along with one precious moment you shared with them.”

You’ve done it now. As if it wasn’t enough hearing their chatter until now. As soon as he ended his speech, he came down and sat beside me. There were extra benches bought considering the occasion. There were enough seats, and we were in the last row. Why come here?

"So, how is it going for you until now?", he casually asked.

“Boring. I guess”, I had to be honest there.

"Maybe it was wrong of me to ask you to come today?", he said these words as he was facing straight to the student talking now. He was pretending to be listening to them while talking to me. A real con, I dare say.

"No. It has just started. I did not expect myself to get entertained. But I thought if I could get some answers", I never expected talking to a teacher to be this easy-going. For some reason, he doesn't sound like a teacher. It just feels like a casual talk.

“And did you find what you were searching for?”

“Yes, and No. It is all the same. It doesn’t matter either way.”

“Hmm..”

He is picking his words right. Somehow, he gets the answer he wants and doesn’t go beyond. I can’t understand his intentions at all. Our little talk halted for a moment. After some time, the kid who came after me took the stage.

Everyone claps whenever a student finishes his talk. But the attention and appreciation were easily greater when this kid completed his speech. They were all moved by how his father, after a busy day at work, comes home late at night without fail to check on him and ask how his day went. And thus, every night when his father asks about how his day went, was a precious moment for him.

Quiet the crowd pleaser he is. His way with words and melodramatic way of speech gained everyone’s attention in the room. I couldn’t believe it was the same kid who barely opened his mouth earlier today. Nonetheless, humans always have a soft side for cute stories from kids. At least the ones inside the classroom for now. The robotic father of his gave a humble and proud smile at the same time. I don't know how else to describe it.

Surprisingly, the teacher near me fell asleep sometime during the middle of everything with his hand supporting his chin, was woken up after the large reception for the kid.

“What happened? Did I miss something important?”

“Yes. But no.”

“Why don’t you ever give a clear answer?”, he asked with a sleepy face.

Says who?

“Now do you understand why students fall asleep?”, I was really using a questioning tone.

“That’s mean. No one sleeps in my class. Do they?” he asked with curiosity.

I smiled, honestly. It's been a long time other than with my mom, but I did. He is such a caffeine addict but still ends up sleeping.

“Smile all you want. Next time I see anyone sleeping in my class, I’m going to give them a cup of coffee. That’s the punishment.”

He sure has a weird way of dealing with things.

 By then, the introduction was all over. Everyone tried their best to come up with an emotional story and how they are proud of their fathers. Quite a segment it was.

Teacher stood up and went forward to talk.

“It was such a refreshing segment until now. I hope you all had fun.”

He lectures about lying, while the first thing that comes out of his mouth is a lie.

“Now here is the really fun part. We are playing a game.”

I'm thrilled not to be a part of this.

“Actually a quiz - How well do you know your dad?”, he said that in a very confident tone.

How does he come up with such names? He went ahead explaining the rules.

“I will distribute a set of question papers to the students as well as to the fathers. Both factions are supposed to sit separately and answer the questions. Once that is done, my student and I will collect your answers and evaluate it”, this time pointing towards me.

The crowd turned at me as if it is the first time they noticed me since morning. Not surprising.

“As the name speaks for itself, the questions will be about the father and the pair with a greater number of matching answers will be declared the winner. But that aside, consider it as a fun session in knowing more about your father.”

Made his point at the end. Both sides started separating out to one end of the classroom. Students towards my right, fathers on the left. Teacher and I started distributing the papers. I read a few questions while giving them out. All of them were either basic or funny. And he definitely made sure to include the most crucial question – Q5. What do you think is your father's favorite beverage? I get what he meant by a fun quiz now.

 

003

Fifteen minutes passed since everyone started answering the questions. We both were sitting idle in the same place. I can see them having fun answering the questions. He did set up an amusing list of questions.

“Who do you think will get the most correct answers?”, the teacher asked me.

“I don’t know. It can be anyone. But if I have to guess, I place my bet on that Paper bag. He seems very confident.”

“Paper bag?”

"Yes, a paper bag. One who hides his true self by putting it on his face. That one who was earlier with us today.”

"You think so too?", the teacher asked me while wondering himself.

So, he thinks the same as well. Out of everyone here, this kid was trying his best to be perfect. To a point, the perfectness becomes so questionable. If I can notice it in this short amount of time, teacher should’ve already within a week. Actually, he might have noticed even earlier. The kid seems quite popular with students. After today, he sure will be. But what bothers me is how he was completely different when we two were alone earlier. 

A completely different person. He seems way more mature for his age.

That would be ironic coming from me, but my case is an exception.

“I don’t know much about kids, but do all middle schoolers use father instead of calling them dad?”, asked the teacher.

"Father?" I didn't quite get what he meant.

“That kid used the word father earlier today. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with calling that way. But do kids nowadays use that word? I still mention dad while calling my old man. So, that surprised me.”

I never considered it. I overlooked it very quickly.

“It might be his way of upbringing. His father looks like an influential man. And considering his lifestyle, there might be certain things that are taught even though he’s young”, I couldn’t come to any other conclusion.

“That makes sense. Despite his young age, if he is trained that way to represent his father in future occasions, it is not surprising that he excels beyond the rest of his classmates now. A lot of wealthy families do that. But it seems sophisticating for some reason", he ended without wholly agreeing to my conclusion.

“I don’t think so. I’m sure he’s enjoying it. Do rich kids have any problem in their life?"

“Now that is way more generalizing. I expect better from you”, this time he outright rejected my point.

“However, he seems boring to me. Trying to be different as if he considers the rest beneath him.”

“Aren’t you the same?”, that came out in a straight tone from him.

I was startled for a moment.

“Maybe that’s why you can’t stand him”, he continued.

No. I am much different. A pet hamster running in a cage is much different from the life of a rat. You would never understand. I wanted to say it out loud but remained silent and stared at him. He didn't mind. I guess he just wanted to stir me up and see my response.

“Does it make you angry?”

“No. It seems that we both found him different, but for different reasons. Maybe you are right”, I replied calmly.

 "This seems more like you. I was afraid if I lost my student back there". He said that in a most concerned tone.

I stopped thinking for a moment back then. Teacher might be right. Maybe paper bag is just maintaining an outside appearance like all others, but he’s perfected it. He is raised in a way that definitely outweighs the rest of the classroom. That doesn't mean I'm wrong. I'm still different from him.

“I apologize for speaking ill about my classmate.”

“Oh, does that mean I can punish you?”

“No, Sir.”

Here comes the scary side of him. I am not sure if anyone else will take that funny. I don’t mind anyway. He knows how to calm things around. I’m also aware he knows I would think that way. He understands his students well.

The quiz time was about to end.

We collected the sheets and started evaluating, and I was right. Paper bag had the most matching answers. It was like he came prepared for this moment.

“You were right here after all”, said the teacher.

I know I am. I just smiled. Everything came to an end. Paper bag ended up collecting the reward – a basil sapling.

I don’t know which teacher would come up with such a reward. It is a herb, not even a flower. I was expecting a packet of coffee beans to be honest, but this was better. It can be grown indoors and has a variety of uses.

It wasn't a bad day after all. It was boring for most of the part. But the air-conditioned classrooms and the teacher's company compromised for it.

After everyone left, I helped him with arranging things back at their places for a while. We were about to leave.

“The dress was for my dog.”

“What?”

"I promised to tell you about the costumes I was searching for if you stayed for the activity."

…..

“It was for my dog. I like to dress him up. There’s a dog contest coming up this month. So, I was selecting the outfit.”

…..

I laughed so hard. He just stood there, seeing me laugh. I take back my word. It was a fun day after all.

Meanwhile, his phone rang, and he stepped away to take it. I was still laughing.

It seemed like a call for me. I still don’t own a mobile phone, so I gave my mom his contact if I’m late. But it isn’t that late after all.

“It is from the City Hospital”, he said in a softer tone while giving it to me.

What? I took the phone in hoping it was not a repeat of the past and the words I heard after were even worse than that.

 

To be continued.