When I Grow Up

Chapter 5: A Downpour

                                                                             LILLY YU
                                                                         10 Years Old

It was raining heavily outside – gloomy for a Saturday. I looked out my window and listened to the ticking of the clock. It was almost time for tuition.

I shuddered at the memory on a dark, rainy day at school. The rain was so heavy that the surrounding noises were a blur; students talking, feet dragging heavily on the cemented floor and chairs screeching as students pull out or push in their chairs.

All the lights at school were turned on. I passed by classes to classes, feeling the gaze of students sitting alone and daydreaming. My hands clutched to the straps of my school bag.

I was walking to class when Miss Yao parked her car opposite the school building and under the shade of a roof like she always do; I could hear a faint sound of her closing the door to her black Sedan under the sound of rain but I did not look.

When I was about to step into class, Miss Yao called out loudly, "LILLY! Come here now!"

The hairs on my body stood up and goosebumps started to form not just from the wind and cold.

I looked back to where Miss Yao stood – she lifted her arm and gestured for me to come to her. She appeared to be upset and was ready to bite someone's head off.

I quicken my pace and walked towards her direction – not knowing what I did wrong or what she wanted from me.

"I called your name and you dare ignore my call? Are you trying to act dumb?" Miss Yao asked harshly.

I didn't dare speak, so I shook my head. My head was filled with thoughts and responses like, "I couldn't hear you because the rain was too loud" or  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you."

I remembered feeling frustrated with myself during that moment – pinching my arm softly as I looked to the ground.

Miss Yao called me because she needed help carrying her bag filled with books and papers. I carried it all the way to the teachers' office and placed it on her table. Majority of the teachers were already seated on their desks; either playing with their mobile phones or chatting with the other teachers in the room which I hardly recognised.

Miss Yao nodded to show that she was pleased without saying a simple "thank you" and I left the office obediently.

It felt like a punishment. Miss Yao instructed that I do this for her for the whole week.

So every morning, I would listened to the sound of her car, just like listening to the school bell and knowing recess was over, and would walk over to her and helped take her bag to the office.

"Dear Lilly,
The world can sometimes be cruel but I know you're strong enough to conquer everything that comes in your way."

I held the letter and those simple words close to my chest when Mum called out, "Lilly! Quick, let's go!" I placed the letter gently in the drawer with all the other letters I had.

I took my tuition bag that I have packed an hour ago and left home.

Mum pulled over in front of the tuition centre and said, "I'll be out with friends. I might be late for a few minutes, so just wait for me inside."

She unlocked the door after I replied with an "okay." 

The rain was increasingly tempestuous and I ran into the building, making sure I didn't get soaking wet. I wiped the droplets on my shirt and went to class.

Everyone was seated in pairs: Ezekiel and Ryan sat together and Bonnie had an empty seat beside her. Ezekiel and Ryan were talking, mostly arguing about who was stronger and has more arm muscles: flexing their arms to compare.

"This calls for an arm wrestle!" Ryan exclaimed. Bonnie was laughing with her head tilted back and her hands on her stomach.

They stopped when I came in and I waved. "Hey, Lil." Ryan said.

Ezekiel looked at me with a straight face. Sometimes I wondered if he disliked me. We barely talked in class unlike Ryan who would chatter about almost everything. 

"Hello! Come sit here," Bonnie called, patting the chair next to her. She was wearing a red headband to match with her red skater dress. Her hair was long and almost touched the table. It was a habit that Bonnie would fidget with her hair when she's bored. I knew just as much by sitting next to her during class.

"Did you run in the rain? Your hair and clothes are slightly wet," Bonnie asked.

"Did you run in the rain? Your hair and clothes are slightly wet," Ryan said mockingly.

"Shut up, Ryan." Bonnie replied, felling annoyed.

"Shut up, Ryan." Ryan stuck out his tongue and did a silly face.

I smiled at Ryan's mischief. "Yeah, I did."

We waited for Mr. Sia, our maths teacher to come into class but he never did even after half an hour has passed.

During this time, Ryan asked if I would like to play tic-tac-toe with him and I agreed, taking a piece of paper and two pencils. Instead of the the normal Xs and Os, Ryan would draw a skull and I'd draw a flower: it had somewhat became our thing.

Ryan rested his elbow on the table and his hand placed firmly at the side of his head. Bonnie was busy doodling and Ezekiel was burying his head in Maths and questions on problem solving. His square-framed glasses sliding off his nose every time he looked down which he didn't bother to push them back up.

"Should we ask the other teachers?" Bonnie finally cried out. "We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

There were other classes that were ongoing and Bonnie decided to ask Mr. Lee, the teacher who was in charge of one of the classes. "The bigger kids' class" Ezekiel would call it.

Mr. Lee told us to wait in class until he came back.

"Mr. Sia has a sudden family emergency and he'll be here soon. Just stay in your seats, be quiet and behave."

We nodded. Ryan did an OK sign.

Ryan suggested that we play in one of the rooms that was unoccupied because it was getting boring.

"Don't be ridiculous. Didn't you hear what Mr. Lee said?" Ezekiel scowled. "You can't keep your butt on your seat, can you?"

Ryan shook his head and said with a funny voice, "No, I cannot. Bleh."

Bonnie, Ryan and me decided to leave class to go play in the other empty classroom that had long tables that were spaced and arranged in a rectangle. Ezekiel had no choice but to join us.

We played wolf and sheep on the table and pretended that the floor was lava, everyone was panting heavily and laughing.

"What are you all doing here? Okay everyone, come back to class," Mr. Sia said, standing at the door frame.

When class was over, I waited for Mum to pick me up which I had assumed would be late. I told Mr. Sia about it and he allowed me to stay.

Mum came 30 minutes after and I sighed with relieved. I thought she had forgotten about me.

And well...

"I was on the way home and I totally forgot about you! I had to turn back, then there was heavy traffic on the way." Mum explained as I climbed onto the passenger seat.

She did.