Next day
"Papa, I'm going to school," Saraswati says, putting on her sandals and calling out to her father as she prepares to leave.
"Alright, dear. Be careful and call me when you reach," Adarsh replies, sitting in the living room with a newspaper in his hands, smiling at his daughter.
"Wait...wait... take your lunch before you go!" Parvati hurries out of the kitchen with a lunchbox in one hand and a rolled-up roti in the other.
"If she doesn't take her lunch, she'll stay hungry all day," she says, putting the lunchbox in Saraswati's bag and then feeding her the roti with her own hands.
"Ahhh, Mom, I’m not a kid who needs you to give me lunch. I'm getting late now; let me go, please!" Saraswati says with her mouth full, trying to swallow quickly without chewing.
"Quiet! You'll always be a child to me. Instead of sending your kids to school, you're going there yourself." She said rolling her eyes "Do you know Reshma, who used to live next door? She got married. She's your age, and you're the only one left now," Parvati teases while feeding her. She knows that Saraswati skipped breakfast and won’t eat anything until her classes are over in the afternoon.
"Mom, please don't start again. Besides, I’m not going to SCHOOL to study; I’m going there to TEACH."
Saraswati POV:
Like every day, the usual morning hustle is going on in my house. Mom is scolding me and feeding me, while Dad is pretending to read the newspaper on the sofa.
Dad, you think I don't know you're listening and laughing at our conversation.
And Mom won’t let me leave without making sure I’ve eaten. How am I supposed to eat so quickly? Oh, great, now she's bringing up marriage again. I’m not even old enough for that!
I don't know why Indian parents have this craze about marriage. The moment their son or daughter is grown up, they start pestering them with "marriage, marriage."
“What exactly do you teach those kids?”her mother asked.
What do you mean? Does no one understand what I teach? I'm their literature teacher; I tell them stories. Besides, no job is big or small, as the wise say.
“Mom, I tell them stories, teach them moral values, do fun activities with them, and my kids love me a lot.”
“That's fine for now, but what about the future?”
“Mom, we'll think about the future later. I'm getting late now, bye.”
“Wait, at least eat this last bite... Wait, Saru…”
“No, Mom, nothing now. I'm getting late. Imagine if a teacher gets late, how would it look? Bye… bye... bye...”
“Alright, take care, bye.”
“Bye, Mom. Love you. Don’t stress too much. I promise I’ll have lunch at school.”
“Alright, dear, travel safely.”
---
Time skips to school.
Sarswati’s POV
“Not many kids showed up today. Maybe it’s because of the weather; lately, everyone’s been falling sick.”
She greets a few kids with a “Good Morning” and then heads to the teacher's cabin.
Sarswati stands by the window, enjoying the beautiful weather outside.
“What a lovely day! I rushed here for no reason; my class doesn’t start until the second period. Ugh, Saru, you’ve become so forgetful!”
She blames herself for her own silliness when her phone beeps with a notification.
YOU ARE READING
Vivid Imagination
Misterio / SuspensoI'm not imagining this. He's real, and he's dangerous-more dangerous than anyone could ever understand. But who would believe me? To them, he's just a shadow in my mind, a figment I can't let go of. I can see the doubt in their eyes, the disbelief p...
