The Leaves of November | Complete✔

Chapter 5

The principal's office was spacious and decorated with all sorts of trophies and awards, and it was only fitting for the reputation of the school. They had always wanted the best for Pihu, and had obviously done a lot of research before enrolling her into one of the best preparatory school in Brooklyn.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Chatterjee." Mrs. Montgomery was somewhere in her late fifties and was very active in school. They would often see her at PTA meetings and programs, talking in support of the fellow teachers and students.

"It's fine, I just came a while ago. And, you can call me Shayan. Is Pihu okay?"

"Oh yes, don't worry about that. She's fine." She took a seat in front of him and folded her hands on the table. "I've heard about your wife. Very sorry for your loss."

"No she's not....she's in a comatose condition. Not deceased."

"Oh, sorry about that. Must've misheard then. In that case, I wish her a speedy recovery." She gave an apologetic smile.

"Thank you. I'm not sure why I'm here today exactly? They told me it's about Pihu."

"It is." Her voice deepened as she went ahead into the conversation. "Mr. Shayan, Pihu has always been an amazing student, one of the brightest in her class and definitely talented. But lately her teachers have been noticing some distressing changes in her behavior. She doesn't talk much anymore, gets upset at the smallest of things and her class performance has also fallen significantly."

"I'm- I'm sorry, has she misbehaved with anyone? If that's the case then I apolo-"

"No, no. That's not the case, and you certainly do not need to apologize. It's just that her approach towards her studies and class activities are quite underwhelming. Now I might imagine what that child must go through with her mother not around. It would be hard on anybody, she is still just an eight-year-old. Has she ever spoken to you, about school? Or anything that might've happen that's causing problems for her?"

"Not really, except sometimes she overhears things from people around her, distressing things that she should probably not hear."

"I see."

Mrs. Montgomery leaned back on her chair and put her hands under her chin. The expression on her face was slightly worrying. She took a while before she could begin to speak again, as if she was unsure of what she was about to put forth.

"Mr. Shayan, have you ever considered a counselor?"

"I'm sorry?" If he wasn't surprised till now, this question had definitely taken him aback.

"Tragedies in the family can affect children in a way we can't even begin to fathom. Especially when it happens to someone they're close with. Pihu's teachers have spoken to me regarding this and all of us agree that this change has happened quite recently and I think we all know what might've caused it."

Shayan took a deep breath. His mind was in a state of blur. It would take time to process this.

"Look, Shayan, as a parent I can understand your situation righty now. Our school has a counselor for children. Maybe if she could talk to Pihu for a few days, she might be able to cope better. As her father, it's completely your choice whether you want to or not, but as a well-wisher for the both of you this is a suggestion I'd urge you to think about."