Page 254 - Musings 2021

Mr. Reddy: The bus has been unusually slow, hasn't it?

(All three nod their heads in unison)

Mr. Reddy: You must be cursing yourself for staying this late now (slight laugh, while
looking out of the window)

Jai: (whispering) Boys, I guess we did it. He has gotten over the topic. He isn’t taking us
seriously now.

Akash: I’m more concerned about the sound he made after speaking. Was it one of those
“Yeah, these guys are not escaping me, I’ll show them how I can mess around with them”
kind of signals? We’re screwed if that is true, given the image he has built for himself all over
these years.

Manav: Get out of this bus before you speak anything! Why do you always have to make
things look bad? At least let us live in delusion instead of talking trash. Imagine if Reddy
would have accepted your offer of providing tuition to us. I never thought I would have to
thank his lack of generosity someday.

Jai: (to Akash) why do you have to throw each one of us under the bus? Don’t you get to see
his face enough every day in school? Even during our Physical Education class, he pops up
into our class from nowhere, on the pretext of completing the syllabus (sigh).

Akash: Yes, now hunt down upon me. Now I understand why pragmatic people get the most
abuse from others. I just wanted him to have a positive image of us.

(There is a slight movement on Mr. Reddy’s part, meaning he needed to get down the bus.
The boys let out a huge sigh of relief until Mr. Reddy turns back towards the boys for one
final time)

Mr. Reddy: I think I can help the three of you. Make me talk to your parents tomorrow
regarding private tuition. Since you yourselves eagerly put forward this proposal, I
reconsidered my previous answer to that question. I see it as a win-win situation for everyone
involved here. Ask your parents to call me as soon as possible.

All three: (mumbling) yes sir.

(Mr. Reddy gets up, moves towards the exit door and leaves the bus. There are no words to be
heard from the boys until Jai speaks up)

Jai: I do not know whether I should be happy or sad.

Manav: You think we should be happy after having to bear Reddy for two extra hours after
school from now onwards? We did win, but at what cost?

Jai: All this time we were trying not to get him to talk to our parents. How the tables turned!
So close, yet so far.

Akash: I fear he won't touch upon the topic of today’s meeting with us here. At home, they
still think we are attending the extra revision classes in school after it gets over. We have been
trapped in trouble.

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