LIFE’S A BITCH

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…14

Ganesh came into class 2 hours after school had started. Mr. Sen came in behind Ganesh, it was the Math period. He told Ganesh to stand outside, Ganesh was not wearing the school uniform.

“Sir, I am new” He tried to explain.

“Come when you are old, I teacher teach Math, with only student in uniform” In the week that I had been in this school, I was getting used to Mr. Sen’s peculiar syntax.

The entire Math period Ganesh stood outside the class room. From time to time I saw him through the window, white half sleeved shirt, tight blue half paints, white socks and black shoes. He held on to his red plastic school box with one hand, on his other shoulder he carried a water bottle, the type that came encased in felt.

When Mr. Sen left after his period, Ganesh came in and took the empty seat beside me.

“Hi! I am Ganesh” He put down his red box on the desk and stuck out his hand to shake mine. He decided that we would be benchmates.

“This is my old school uniform, tomorrow I will wear this school’s uniform” He was not at all disturbed by having not been allowed to enter the class. “I will pick it up from Aristo tailors on my way back home”

“When is Tiffin time?” he asked.

We got along famously well together. I introduced him to P.G.Wodehouse he got me into Steinbeck. I gave him Louis L’Amour he lent me my first James Hadley Chase. He came from a business family and got pocket money. He bought books that he read first and I second. I made up the exchange with the books that we had at home.

He was big for his age by Bengali standards, he was not Bengali. He was hairy too and the school uniform that first year was still half pants. He came to school riding a scooter. It was a fawn coloured Lambretta.

“One Telephone at home you have?” Mr.Sen’s first question of the day was directed at Ganesh.

“Yes Sir”

“Stand up speaking to a teacher” Ganesh quickly stood up.

“I have spoken to Head Master, Head Master also say you will make telephone call to your home. Ask father to come and take scooter back”

“Sir?” Ganesh did not understand the context, neither did we.

“School children not allowed scooter, underage driving. Illegally I tell Head Master. You call father, understand now?”

“Yes Sir…No Sir”

“What yes no you are doing, what is the meaning of yes…no?”

“Sir the telephone in the house is not working and father is away on business trip to Haridwar”

They had a hotel in Haridwar. “Green Hotel by the river Ganga” He told me later.

Mr.Sen marched Ganesh to the Head Master’s office. He was always on a short fuse, Mr. Sen not Ganesh.

Ganesh came back after 15 minutes without Mr.Sen. He had explained his situation to the Head master who had agreed that Ganesh would not come to school on a scooter from tomorrow.

“So how will you come to school then? You will take the school bus or private bus?”

He gave me a surprised look “Why on the scooter, like I always do”

Ganesh fixed up a solution with Nani, who lived almost next door to the school. Ganesh would not bring the scooter to school but keep it in Nani’s father’s shop yard. Nani’s father had a coal supply business. When Ganesh went back home everyday the seat of his pants turned black. In return Ganesh promised to write Nani’s English Essay homework. Nani was in a class junior to us.

“You want a Bitch?” Ganesh asked me.

I went home and announced “I want a Bitch” I got a tight slap from Ma. I had used the word Bitch in English. I explained that the Lhasa Apso pair that Ganesh’s family had, had a litter of 3.

“Why a Bitch then?” Dada asked. He too used the B word in English. No one slapped him.

Papa asked “Are all 3 puppies bitches?” I didn’t know the answer to that.

“Are all 3 puppies bitches?” I asked Ganesh during assembly.

“Quiet out there” Mr. Wilson the Games Master has seen me whispering.

“No” Ganesh replied after Assembly as we were climbing the stairs to our class. “2 bitches and one male”

“No talking in the line” Miss Mukherjee the Geography teacher was stationed on the IInd floor landing.

“Then why can’t I have the male pup” I asked as we entered class.

“Because…” He couldn’t finish his sentence because the class teacher Mr. Thomas entered. The first period was English .

“Because my cousin Rajesh has already booked the male pup” Ganesh replied after roll call.

“1 male and 2 bitches” I told the family council. “And the male has been booked. So we can have a bitch.”

“So should we get the bitch?” Dada asked Ma. He used the B word deliberately and still did not get slapped. He was in college he could say bitch.

“We will have to sleep on it, I will discuss with Papa”

And there the matter rested for the night.

…to be continued…