The pink marble

Friendship is not a big thing. It’s a million little things. Human heart always strives for friendship. And if you are a person who wants to live without friends, you definitely need to adopt an unusual life style to cope up with. We all have our time machines, those which take us back to our past are our memories and those which will take us forward are our dreams.

Going back through the memory lane, the most exciting and colorful time would be childhood days. Little pranks- the adventures you name it, the silly little fights- the quest for justice. There are so many of them you name it and do. Those memories are like the first raindrop on earth’s lap, or a wind tickling through your face, just meant to refresh you.
Well, I had done my schooling in an Italian convent. I bet there is no need to explain how well the convent schools maintain their disciplinary outlook with the kids as their brand ambassadors. No difference in my case too.

The story or incident I want to share here dates back to the start of 90’s when I was in my third standard.

Ours was the most disciplined batch in our school. No wonder why a batch would be the most disciplined if its class teacher is none other than the headmistress of the school. She was a very efficient lady with a good managing skill. She knew each and every kid by their names. So it’s impossible for us to hide from her eyes.

We used to keep our lunch boxes and water bottles in an iron stand which is at the back side of our class room. So before the bell rang post lunch break we all rush to have water as we won’t be allowed to drink in the middle of the classes. More over a break will come only after two periods. Since the urge of thirst is more that time as we all come directly from play ground, all those hurry buries results in spilling water on the floor. A little drop of water is more than enough to make that class room look horrible as we all have loads of dirt in our shoes. So no wonder why one day our class teacher / headmistress put this new rule.

If any girl spills the water, she needs to clean it using her skirt and if it’s a boy then he will be pulling out his shirt for cleaning the floor apart from the regular beatings.

Well, that really created a noticeable trepidation with in us. Not that we are that much bothered to pull off our dress but the fact is that if he/she happened to clean the class with the uniform, news will spread in lightening fast through the entire school and kids will laugh at the very sight of you and your friends wont gave you your share of mango pickle. The thought which I really concerned was that being a class leader I will be getting more beatings and scolding than any other kids. So I keep on telling in mind to be cautious while going to the water bottle stand.

The next day which is the very first day of the new rule, the inevitable happened. The class leader spilled the water. But for my luck there was no eye-witness. Honestly speaking that was not my fault. But I can’t pin point on my best friend who is already in the bad book of the class teacher. So now I have three choices.
Take the chance, tell the truth, and let my friend get all punishments.
The second option, since the spilt water is from my bottle, take the ownership and face the trial. And the last option since none really witnessed the show, just put up the innocent face with an I don’t know who spilt the water look, which is not much my type of dealing. So I was really confused with these three options and it really showed up in my face. Mean while I could hear the sigh of kids noticing the water. I feel like those sighs rhymed something like this “Some body’s bell rang”.

Five minutes to the break. Its after the break, she will be coming to the class for the last period to discuss the class hold stuffs. Now the pendulum of my heart started ticking very fast that any body could listen the lub dup sound. I was visualizing the scene where the class leader pulls out her skirt to clean the dirt prior to the double dhamakha, the stick treats.

Its during the break when the most notorious and tallest guy in our class, Meljo demanded me the reason for my nervousness. I used the word notorious because he used to be in her black list. Never ever answers her questions on previous days portions. Used to come to school after assembly for which he used to get beatings on a daily basis. Though he was a little rude, he was concerned on the shades of tension in my face. The reason being, I used to cut his name from the list of kids who talked during the teacher not available periods for those days when he got so much of beatings for other cases.
That’s the reason why he gave me tips on how to hold my hand so that I don’t feel much pain as I am a new bee to the trials. I listened carefully but for the skirt thing he was clueless as he had never faced any thing like that before.

But instead he took something out of his pocket and showed me. That was a pink colored marble piece. I had never seen a pink one in my life. And he said he got this from an old man whom he helped earlier by giving water and the old man told him to keep that marble piece as it will keep him from all dangers.

I really don’t have a clue that he is going to give me that valuable piece which was supposed to save his entire life. I was really shocked to see the boy keeping that marble piece in my hand and smiled innocently. But still the inherent doubt popped, I asked him,” Is this going to work”. He replied “Definitely this has saved me many a times before”. I was a bit relieved.

Alas….the bell rang. I could see the class teacher coming with her stick through the long corridor. Uneven heart beats danced along with the fingers. Every inch of my body started to shiver. She will notice the spilled water soon.

Well, she started discussing the assignment we are supposed to do next week as though she completely forgot the new rule. All were jotting down the points. I looked Meljo through the corner of my eyes. He gave me a thumps up sign which meant everything till now is fine, this is going to be all right. I tried to smile back.

Tring…the bell rang for prayer which would be followed by National Anthem. Though the prayer we had was a well written one, I chanted the lines with full dedication for saving me from disgrace. After National Anthem all rushed to door to catch their vehicles. No one really cared for the spilled water.

I wanted to thank Meljo. I was cent percent sure that it was his magic marble that saved me. But he was not to be seen anywhere in the class. As always he ran to catch the window seat of the bus.

Next day, I was very eager to meet the boy. I got a chance only during the lunch break and I thanked him for his kind deed. He gave me a cold look and told he got that marble piece from road and kept it out of curiosity. There is no such old man whom he helped and he just wanted to feel me good. That’s why he cooked up that story. But even today I still love to believe that it’s that pink marble piece which saved me.

I am very lucky to have such million little things happened through out my life to fill my life’s diary. I know I can never turn back the pages of life, even though it’s just to relive a happy moment, or a good memory. But for me, it’s those good old memories of friendship are what we ultimately possess in our life. Friendship is just a million little things. It’s not a big thing.