BIRTH OF G-MAN

First Strike - Part Two

Gaurav was in his last lesson, English class, settled down at a desk with his friend John at the next desk.

The kids welcomed their friendly red-haired teacher, Mr. Bryan. He wore his dark blue blazer with big buttons, his bluish trousers, and black lace-up shoes.

As the bell rang, their teacher instructed them to take out their notebooks and their pens or pencils. Gaurav, John, and other students took out their lined notebooks and a pen or a pencil from their school bags.

Gaurav took his lined notebook and black Biro pen out of his bag. A smile appeared on his face as he remembered a shopping trip with his mother Lois, his brothers, and his sisters to a stationary store. He chose a black backpack that felt heavy for him as he strapped it on. But he had to pick it. It had his father's famous symbol on it.

Gaurav came out of the memory and opened his notebook on full display in front of him on the wooden desk.

Gaurav and John enjoyed the lesson, not because of the English subject, but because the teacher himself. He was a very cheerful and down-to-earth person.

The teacher settled in his big wooden chair with a cushion. Gaurav and the other kids sat on hard plastic chairs. The teacher pronounced each student's name by reading through his registration file, and after he read Gaurav, he then pronounced the full name of John: Johnson Kenzy Bondage.

"Who made this awful uncomfortable chair, and why did they make it for schoolkids?" Gaurav asked.

"It's not fair... how come he can sit on that comfy seat, and we have to sit on this dead rock?" John asked.

Gaurav cracked a smile at his friend's whispered complaints, and was surprised that they both thought the same,

"I agree with you, buddy." Gaurav lowered his voice, "It may be because he is the teacher and all the teachers have the right to sit on that comfy chair. Also, Jon and Conner told me that older boys and girls have the right to sit on those."

"Really?" After John received a nod from Gaurav, John grimaced, and he complained, "That's not fair, Rav. Why aren't we allowed to sit on a comfortable chair?"

Gaurav was stunned by John's question. He sat in silence for a moment and thought John was right. The black plastic chairs attached to the desks were uncomfortable unlike the Wadsworth oak chair with an upholstered padded seat.

"I don't have an answer to why we couldn't sit on those chairs we can use at home. I think it's the strict rule for the school."

After Mr. Bryan finished taking attendance, he faced the kids. "Alright, class. I hope you all are well and enjoyed all your other subjects before lunch. In my class, I have exciting news: we are going to watch a movie!"

After the cheers and applause died down, one of the kids asked a question. "What movie are we going to watch, sir?"

Mr. Bryan smiled. "That's an excellent question, Gina."

Gaurav smiled at Gina, a tan-skinned brunette who wore the same uniform as the other students but took off her blazer to show her white short-sleeved shirt.

Mr. Bryan said, "The movie is called Beethoven, and it's a classic movie from the 1990s. Let me put it on."

Mr. Bryan put the movie in the DVD player and pressed the play button. The screen at first showed a trailer for the movie, and then played the movie. Mr. Bryan said, "While you watch, I want you to write about your favorite scene. Five hundred words, or about two pages."

Gaurav wrote about his favorite scene in the movie, in which the cute dog, Beethoven, played a starring role. Any scene with the dog was his favorite, so he picked the one that made him laugh the most. Gaurav wrote fast.