Saturday, September 03, 2005

Schoolbus

"I'll come over to your place tomorrow. We'll play something"

"Have you done your homework?"

"I am scared of her. She is so strict!"

"Ye! Tomorrow's a holiday!"

"Open the window - let the droplets come inside na!"

"Did you notice Driver uncle's new shoes? It's Nike he says."

"My mom is stronger than yours. Want to bet?"

"I have brought some extra chalks today ;)"

"Shall I take out the ball? We'll play here itself"

"See my new pencil box? Better than yours!"

My day starts like this. Everybody is speaking one thing or the other to somebody.

Mom wakes me up so early you know. And before I have come to my senses, I have already taken bath, had some breakfast and have said "bye-bye" to Papa. I am already in the school bus!

I like the bright blue coloured bus. The longer it takes to reach our school better I like it. It is brand new. Our school purchased two brand new buses last year. I was lucky to get this one. It does make some frightening sounds when it starts, but our Driver Uncle takes good care of it.

Our Driver Uncle is cool. He is quite a driver. I am sure he is not getting any opportunities to drive real fast around the streets here. But in my dreams I always see him driving FAST. I am so thrilled you know. And then he is always so kind. he gives me tips : what a brake means, and what a power steering could do and so on. He is a genius. He wears a ferrari cap :) He makes us laugh. He is my hero! Real Hero.

My buddies in the bus are always chattering. Shouting, muttering, chatting (my English teacher could tell you all the right verbs), and is a cheerful crowd. You would not believe when I'll tell you that we play football in the bus! And sometimes golf also. We have our own rival teams (the players keep switching sides however). The girls also take part in a game someday and sometimes win also. But mostly they try to complete the homework or try to teach a chapter or two to a dumbo like me. I never do my homework in the bus. I either do it at home or don't do at all. They can catch my bad handwriting if I do it in the bus. Bus is not for doing homework. It's for fun. And what fun we have always had! I wish there was a bus ride even on holiday. This would make it even more enjoyable - we would just return from the school : no classes that day.

Some days I don't want to be a part of the bus. I just want to keep quiet and watch the crowd on the street or the endless chaos inside the bus. Sometimes I just observe Driver Uncle in his seat, trying to find a way out of this crazy traffic. Papa says it is even worse in some other parts of the city. He is a man of patience. He would never show aggression nor frustration. You won't believe he has just driven for half an hour on a road : if you'll subtract the traffic, you will find that it will take five minutes for that drive.

Simple maths. Our maths teacher is very nice. I want to do some real maths like she does in her mind when she solves the problems on the board. I want to build a castle in our small garden. Oh and those small beetles : they need some attention once I go back home. Mom is going to teach me how to arrange flowers in a great fashion. Today I'll get her do that. Or shall I just sleep for the entire afternoon?

I think about so many things such as these.

I observe the traffic on the road, which is not at all moving. Not that I mind the delay to school, I feel bad for the people traveling like this. I see the corporate buses. Brilliant people : my mom says I must study hard to become a big person. Not that I want to become a real big person, but that would sound simply good. One day I'll be traveling in such buses!

I pity them. They just seem to be so serious and boring. No fun. I think school bus is the best ride I'll ever get : it's so energetic and cheerful. We are kings of the seats around here. And look at them : all brilliant and what, they don't even seem to be speaking with one another, let alone have fun. Can they beat us in a school-bus football match? No way. I sometimes think I am more brilliant than them. Can they tell all the spellings of the words teacher taught us yesterday? Or can they make a paperboat? I don't think so. I know how to make a paperboat. I know more than one ways to be more precise. I can climb on a tree. I can throw a stone farther than anyone else in our class, I'll show when you'll come with me to the lake. If growing up means turning into people like this I don't want to grow up. No I don't want to go through all this. Surely, this is not my cup of tea. (I don't drink tea anyway, my mom won't let me till I grow up!)


" :):):) see what I pasted on back of his shirt :):) hahahaha"

" Uncle Uncle, faster faster!"

"Oh no. MOMMY! by tiffin box got opened up in my bag"

"How do you dare take my pencil"

"This diwali vacation we are going to sea, you know"

"How much you got in the maths test?"

"GOAL! GOAL!! 2-1 now"


I return to the collective chaos and feel better.

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