The President's Problem

Room 22B

Room 22B was by far the least ventured and visited room of our little high school. And it was here that most of the misadventures of our "Lyadhkhor's club" began. In many ways over the course of that eventful sophomore year, it had become the dreaded last resort of all those tormented high-schooler souls, heart-broken, heart-stolen, pocket-pinched,the stalked( and once the stalker) and of course every now and then the prefects. This singular incident also began in that cove of curious cases. But just to produce a more dramatic effect, I will start recounting things from the middle.

A very monotonous silence had filled our room for the better part of the last ten minutes. It was being broken only occasionally by the rhythmic tapping of Koyel's fingers against the hardwood table, where she sat with eyes filled with curiosity. Our guest for the day, Niharika di was a picture of patience. And I was, as always turning over the puzzle in my own mind, hoping to beat Surya to it.

"Hmm..". Surya said at last, taking a break from playing with his curls.

As three pairs of eyes bore into him in eagerness, he rose( and with some Herculean effort kept his face impassive so that he looked as cool as a real Detective) and walking over to the window, asked over his shoulder :

"Say, Niharika di, do you have a younger brother?"

Puzzlement. And we stared at each other's face, until Surya turned around with a pretty helpless look on his face and said :

" Please tell me that you do.. It's the only way my solution holds."

"Well, I do.." Niharika di said at long last.
"And how old would he be?" Surya asked, half expecting a disappointing reply and half ready to jump in joy.

"Around fourteen .. I mean he will be fourteen this September."

"Splendid."

I could practically smell the excitement on Surya. Of course, he was once again expecting us to keep up with his (i hate to admit this but) octacore powered brain.

"Yeah, okay... Care to explain." I said as always.

"What a drag!" Surya said and stretched himself on the makeshift bed that we had come up with for resting in after-school periods by placing two long benches side by side . "Why don't you go and request an update for your brain, Wasim?"

Just the jibe I expected. He really needed to upgrade his sarcasm. At this time, he started explaining:

"Niharika di, you said your room smelled of your father's aftershave in the evenings on three distinct occasions. And of course you were right, since your father leaves for his work with you, at eight in the morning and doesn't return until late at night, it can't be him stopping by for a quick shave. And there are also no other male members in your house, no male attendants even who might care to try on the cologne. But you completely forgot to mention your brother. "

" Well, of course... He doesn't have a beard yet. What would he do with.. "

" That's precisely it. He doesn't have one, but clearly wants one. You see there's this nasty habit among teenagers to just give an empty shave, without any shaving cream I mean, but only with water. It's supposed to stimulate the facial hair follicles to grow vigorously. I am pretty sure that's how Wasim got that splendid beard of his. "

" That's right, a lot of our friends used to do it. " I said, standing up and marveling at the solution, and completely overlooking Surya's retort.

The silence returned to the room, until it was shattered to pieces by Koyel. She had finally stood up and was practically standing on her toes, her eyes sparkling.

"Surya.... That was amazing, bro!!"

Niharika di nodded her head in agreement as she wrapped her head around what Surya was suggesting. Surya however already had that bored look in his eyes once again, as he returned to the chair and shot Koyel down.

" No need to get so excited... It's just a theory at any rate... I don't suppose there's any way to confirm it."

"Actually...", Niharika di interjected, getting up, " there's nothing my little brother won't confess when I change all the Wi-Fi passwords at my house and use it to leverage a confession from him"

She said the last words with such a cunning smile that we were reminded why she was the editor of the school newspaper. And then collecting her bag, she prepared to leave. At the door she turned her head and with her usual warm countenance, said:

" Thank you Surya, for solving my little puzzle. I guess I owe you three a treat from the canteen one of these days. Alright, ciao. See you around."

The door slammed shut and her footsteps receded into the distance.
Koyel had been standing on her toes all the while. And now like a boiling chemical mixture, she exploded:

" But Surya, how... how did you.. I mean the whole empty shave thing.
How did it.."

Surya knocked his head back and started speaking, relieving Koyel of her seemingly endless question.

"What was the most intriguing part of the puzzle to you?"

"That her room smelled of aftershave in the evening. I mean, can you imagine.."
Koyel was rambling on very excitedly when Surya turned to me, with the same question.

" The same.", I replied, certain that there were no right answers except the ones Surya gave.

" The shame, more like. " Surya said, a cruel smile playing at his lips, " What limited imagination you have!!No the most puzzling matter was that her father's shaving cream had not even been touched, i.e it hadn't apparently been used,which had given her the impression of something unnatural happening in her room."

"If the shaving cream was not being used then why would someone be applying the aftershave? The only logical answer seemed to be someone who was shaving with water. ", Surya concluded and then turning his face away mumbled, " Erm... I had tried it once or twice at that age,too."

For a minute, Koyel and I looked at each other in stupefied silence. Then we both looked at a blushing Surya and all three of us burst into a maniacal fit of laughter.
" Oh, can you imagine Surya, the great and mighty pining for a manly beard. " Koyel quipped.

It was precisely at this moment that the door slid open once again, and two faces attached to two very tall bodies peered in. Both were upperclassmen, as was evident from their uniforms. One face was all too familiar to us, and the other face was known to every student in the school.

"Lahiri da! ", I got up to welcome the distressed prefect into the room. He had sought Surya's help on numerous occasions and had become our favorite senior.

As the two seniors shuffled into the room, Koyel suddenly seemed to realize who the other boy was. With that sparkling curiosity in her eyes she exploded:

" Student Council president Animesh da!!" she beamed, "Is it really you who requires our assistance??"
Surya finally made his presence felt in the room, clearing his throat.

"Umm.. Yes,",Animesh da spoke up, "Actually I have an unique problem that's been bothering me for a while. And Gairik here assured me that you people could help. So.."

It was rare to see the fiercely eloquent Animesh Maity at a loss for words. The vocal void left by him was quickly filled up by Koyel's ecstatic voice:

"Yes, you have come to the absolutely right place. The star attraction of the Lyadhkhor's Club, the piece de resistance, the boy known as the High School Holmes( showcasing Surya with her hands as though he were a mannequin) is at your service."

Animesh da smiled uncomfortably at this introduction. Surya smirked in indifference.