This took place during our final term of our eleventh standard in India. The year would be around March 2005. The final exams were just around the corner and all were quite engrossed in books and stuff. But not us three – Fathima, Anis and myself. We were the three inseparable stooges of our class. No, not just the class, but the school.
Anis and myself wanted to go to Fathima’s home since long. She had a lunch to give us, which was long overdue. And Fathima being a good friend of ours decided to invite us to her house (after waiting for almost half the year). Her mom is preacher and takes classes frequently outside her home. And then the expected day arrived
We had our final exams going on at the time of this unforgettable experience. And the next day the exam was chemistry. Oh what with all the organic chemistry to learn who would go into learning chemistry. Fath’s mom left for her classes in the afternoon to some distant place. Fath seizing the opportunity invited us over to her home. She lived with just her mom and her maid. The rest of her family was in Saudi Arabia. She was the only one studying in India. At first she struck a deal with her maid Zeenath as to allowing us to get into the house with her mom knowing nothing about it. Fath had to allow Zeenath to watch T.V., that’s all. And so the deal was finalized. Zeenath even prepare fried rice for us.
Us, anis and myself were scared to our very inner beings at the prospect of going to a girl’s home without either of her parents knowing. But we accepted the challenge and left for Fath’s home by1 in the afternoon. Anis came to pick me up on his Honda bike and we bought some refreshments and headed unto Fath’s home.
Fath quickly ushered us in as Zeenath hurried to take in our shoes (no clues should be left behind). So we entered Fath’s home at last. We had lunch (mmmm…the fried rice did taste real good), played monopoly, watched movies and had a lot of fun. We didn’t know how the time went by us. Suddenly the time was 4. it had been three hours since we had arrived here. The topic of our talk shifted from fun to our chemistry exam. As soon as I heard chemistry, I immediately went to Fath’s room and took her chemistry text and started reading from it. The other two did not join in. They started discussing about as to how they could bunk the exam next day. They kept giving suggestions, like Fath went – ‘ How about putting your head in the water and then standing under the fan?’, I told them the fact about cold and that one can’t catch a cold like that. Then Anis said that it was enough that one sprained their arm to keep them stay back at home for at least a day. I was still looking into the chemistry book while these two plotted their own disappearance tomorrow. Fath decided to sprain her arm. But she couldn’t do it on her own. She asked Anis to do it for her. And when he was about to twist her hand, we heard the horn – Fath’s mom! She was back. Aaagghhhh!!! We started to panic. But Zeenath had it all under control. She asked us to move to the backdoor, and wait for her signal. Fathima quickly went and opened the gate for her mother, while we went to the backdoor and hid behind the well. Our shoes were already kept there. As soon as Fath’s mom entered the house Zeenath gave us the signal and we quickly took on to the front of the house while Fath kept her mom busy. After that we left the place and headed back to our respective homes.
After some time all of us were again online on the phone, in conference. Each had their own mobile. Fath and Anis kept talking about how to bunk classes. I just kept giving my comments on each plan. Finally the decision was taken. I was sent to the pharmacy by these two people to enquire as to whether anything would happen if someone takes in a little dose of washing powder. I enquired and they said that it’s quite a trip to the toilet. So Anis and Fath decided to get upset stomachs to bunk the exams the next day. So at 9 that night, we were again on conference. After the plan I had sat down to study, whilst these two were having a ball by just thinking about the plan. We spoke to each other as the two dank two tablespoons of washing powder with water. Fath vomited the first time, but then she took courage and drank again. That was the night. We had to wait until the next morning to see if something would go wrong with each others stomachs.
You must be thinking that they must be going to the bathroom now and then. That was not the case. Nothing happened to both of them. They had no sorts of effects with the intake of washing powder. I was getting tensed out here about what I had learned and not, while they were now acting sick with their parents, telling them all sorts of ‘I-just made-that-up’ type of pains. As has to be with concerned parents, they were asked not to go to the school in that condition. I was the only one among us three who went to write the exam. But to my relief the headmistress called the two at their respective homes and said that they have to write the exams and go. So Anis came 2 hours later, wrote 1 or 2 questions out of 15 and left. Fath came an hour later and wrote anything she knew (which was limited).
So the exams were all over. Anis and Fath’s ‘bunk-the-exam’ plan had failed. I wrote the exams as much as they wrote, but didn’t try to act my way out of the exams. But the irony of it all comes out in the end – d-day – the results. When the results came out, guess who had to take a retest in that subject? Me! While the other two – Anis and Fath passed out without any trouble. Looks like mischief making can get you somewhere. Unfortunately I decided against it that day. And they enjoyed their holidays while I had to learn for my retest in chemistry. Oh, the irony!
