A Sew Through Time [Banbudh And Budbak]

1: The new student plays Mega Robot

In the midst of heavy traffic, two boys on a red cycle raced past the other vehicles to reach school on time. On the way, a traffic policeman shooed the cycle away for almost wrecking the municipal garbage van, a milkman almost lost his balance as the cycle raced too close to his cans, making him curse in native words. About five minutes away, it almost hit a black buffalo who was busy chewing on grass and leftovers with its usual preoccupied grandmotherly state. Every second did not proceed in alignment, yet their eyes remained fixated on the school building seen faintly from a distance.

"Almost there, almost, ALMOST!!!!" The tall boy shrieked, gripping the handles of his cycles. Unable to feel the pedals, he kicked his feet in all directions; his hamstrings felt like tiny elastics about to tear. His best friend behind him gripped his orange blue schoolbag tightly, fearing that he would fly away any moment.

Successfully, they halted in front of the school gate. Nobody was present, they sighed in relief. Parking their cycle in the stand, they hurried, scurrying through the corridors. A few students saw them outside and started giggling, their respective class teachers turned their heads.

Badrinath and Budhdeb halted in front of their classroom door, panting and sweating profusely with a sense of victory. It soon dissipated when Dubey sir glanced at them in disdainment. He stopped teaching and bellowed,

"You two fools are late once again", he said in disappointment, "Why don't you two try to come to school on time?"

"Sir, we were early," Badrinath replied hastily, "But our alarm clocks also fell asleep"

The entire class laughed out heartily. The class teacher grew fierce and punished them to kneel down outside class, upside down with their hands passing through their legs and holding their ears.

"We come to school on the same time, early, that too everyday" Budh said in a disappointed manner, "Yet we stand here outside. Everyday"

"Why? That dingy classroom makes me claustrophobic!" Badri replied to him. "Ever wondered how we are the most observing ones in this school?"

He winked at Budh, who was confused at his friend's comment.

"How?"

"Well, we stand here and see everything happening outside the classroom" Badri snorted, "In this cold breeze, in the open"

Budh felt that his friend was somehow right. Changing the discussion of their topic, they went back into their usual talk about their favourite video game, Mega Robot; the points they earned last day, and the missiles they had hit destroyed in the game. Badri had a record of eight hundred fifty-two points, Budh seven hundred forty-nine.

"Badri, I got a question"

"What?"

"Dubey sir makes us murga all the time, had he been punished like us too when he was small?"

"Its his idea, of course he had been!" the smaller boy chuckled.

"How could he bend down with that huge tummy?"

"Huh, no idea" he paused, "Maybe he had to be held by two people to hit that pose"

The two giggled on the comment. Continuing the talks, about their childish antics, they noticed Rathi sir accompanied by a girl on his left. They stared forward. She had short ebony black hair, her new school uniform sparkled, her ballerina shoes followed the principal's footsteps. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, sometimes looking up and observing her surroundings as the principal face utters something in intervals. She looked complacent to them. Principal Rathi had his hands behind his back in his usual demeanor. He wore a suit, neat and clean, his hair parted to both sides except for the top of his bald head, his big steel rimmed spectacles rested on his stubby nose.