Goodbye is a B****
Bye- that's all she said
One fine Tuesday, she sits next to me. The next day, she insists, “Ma’am, come sit here.” “Eat with me.” And I did. She’s cute, far from a brat. So why not? For the next few weeks, at the end of the lunch table, it was Anya and me.
Back then, I was simply hoping for this grueling year to end. And yet, I started looking forward to lunches with her. How unusual. This petty being is bringing me unexpected joy. Ahhhhhh, I like this kid.
She would urge me to read with her. I learnt from her mother that she does not enjoy reading (not one of her strongest suits, you see). Yet she persisted in the classroom. A little nudge and she’d get it.
Then there was the annual function where I put her through hell. Pushed her to the max. Calling her mother over and over just to ask whether she had stage fright and if she had been whining and crying and complaining at home. Nope. She was excited. All the tantrums and tears were a present just for me. She glowed that day. I was satisfied.
And soon came the last day of the term. PTM day. We ended up scheduling hers a day earlier. We discussed her progress and her mother affirmed. “She has grown a lot, ma’am, and she loves school.” “Thank you for encouraging her.” I never did, though. She’s a good kid. She gets it.
“Next year you’ll be in a different grade, with different people, and wellllll, you may not see me around, so don’t miss me too much.”
“You’re leaving, ma’am?” Her mother. Declaring or seeking confirmation, I couldn’t say.
Anya looked at me and then her feet - she understood. I held her hand, trying to mend the little cut I just dug. Three of her fists will fit in mine. This was the quietest I had ever seen her. Her cheeks grew rosy, then a burning maroon. Eyes swelling with tears. She was acting adult, the role I play. But I was close to tears myself. Adults hurt too, y’know.
A tear finally spilled.
I folded myself around her. And a tear here as well. Aahh, fuck. I won’t ever see her again. I’ve grown attached.
“Bye,” she whispered.
My arrogance for detachment has been cremated. I have been tamed by a little child. This little being.
“Bye.”
CYA IN THE NEXT ONE!
Sejal ma'am the best:)