Violent Flaws and Gentle Imperfections

FIVE

Ira

Mama and Papa say we moved to America because there is more opportunity. But in India we were living comfortably. Both of them had well paying jobs as doctors. The real reason we moved was because Papa thought I was misbehaving, though they would never tell me that to my face. That does not mean it is not true.

I will do anything to find a loophole around Mama and Papa's rules. Of course it always comes with repercussions, like losing my phone, not being able to go out, coming straight home after school instead of visiting the market with friends, things like that. But they were never home. I found out where they would always hide my phone and would return it before they got home, I would sneak out easily, and could go to the market all I wanted without them realizing because all they did was work. But the real tipping point was when they finally found out I had been sneaking around with a boyfriend.

So now I am on an early flight to a state in America called Illinois. Mama and Papa have to finish up their work in India before they follow. And just so I do not misbehave myself in the land of opportunity, they are sending me to a boarding school to finish my secondary school education. I think they are kidding themselves. I am not changing just because my setting is.

҉҉҉҉      ҉      ҉

I arrive at Kentwood Heights around 17:30. It is a Monday in the middle of February. I step out of the cab and instantly the wind whips my thick ebony hair around my face and bites my nose. I pull my jacket closer around me and shiver, not used to the cold climate. I quickly pay the cab driver and rush inside, already eager to be warm again.

The interior of the school looked just as cold as the weather outside felt. The walls are all a cool tone of white with a thick colour block of grey along the top. There are showcases in every other wall, boasting plaques, awards, trophies, and medals. On one wall there is even a poster with the school motto on it: We succeed to help you succeed. Beneath the slogan is a picture of who I would assume is the Headmaster and two long paragraphs which I honestly do not care to read. Hopefully this school is as nice as its rep seems to be.

The hallway is not packed with students but there are plenty of them roaming. I assume the rest of them are in their dorms or in some sort of rec area. None of them are wearing uniforms. I do not get my hopes up just in case it is only because right now is not school hours

I stop a girl with long blonde hair and ask her where I can find the Headmaster's office. She smiles and just tells me to follow her and she will take me. I nod in appreciation. She seems nice; says her name is Melody.

We arrive at a pair of grey double doors. She asks me if I want her to wait for me. I tell her I will be fine and step inside. The office is warm in contrast to the hallways. The walls are a pale shade of yellow and there are pictures of sailboats on the walls. I tell the secretary my name, explaining to her that I am new to the school. She looks delighted and brings me back to meet the Headmaster.

The Headmaster's office is cool once again, the walls are light grey with a bluish tint. The first thing I notice is the simplicity of the room. There are no pictures hanging, no decorations or unnecessary hanging things. There is hardly anything on his desk. Just a single lamp, a cup of pens, a stapler, a computer and keyboard, and a neat stack of papers. There is one bookshelf against the back wall filled with what look like autobiographies, encyclopedias and dictionaries. The second thing I notice is the man behind the large brown desk. He is the same man that was on the poster and looks to be in his fifties. He is wearing glasses that he did not have on in his picture with large, thick frames. He raises his eyes over his glasses when the secretary introduces me, and smiles.