I.
“Greetings everybody”
Mr. Khan started his speech with a loud and energetic voice. There were at least twenty people before him. He respected the principal through his aesthetic words. It was a meeting. There were fifteen teachers in that large room. All of them were listening to Mr. Khan very carefully. They were discussing about student’s disciplinary matters.
Mr. Khan was discussing all the matters with them, when suddenly Prof. Curtis came inside the room. Khan paused his speech seeing him.
“You said you shall not come,” Khan asked him.
“What? You are not happy on my arrival?” Curtis asked him and cracked a smile. “No I just asked”
Curtis came and sat on a chair. He was nicely dressed. He wore a brown coat and suit. He had a nicely combed white hair. Yeah, he was old but handsome.
Khan, who had round specs, black thick moustache was dressed like a gentleman. He wore a black coat and suit. He had a black shiny shoes and greyish-black hair which was oiled and combed neatly.
Khan speaked around thirty minutes without a break. Actually, no one listened to him for more than five minutes. His speech was that boring.
“Okay then, thank you. Have a nice day,” Khan concluded his long boring speech. Everyone left the room except Khan and Curtis.
“So, What sudden change occurred in your mind?” Khan came back to his question. “What change?” Curtis was not sure about Khan’s question.
“No. You had said that you will take an off today. Right?”
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“Yeah I said. It's too boring at home. My wife is not in the place and Jim comes home late every single day.”
“I can't believe he is your own son. How disciplined were you at his age.” Curtis grinned.
They reached a classroom. Curtis entered the classroom. Khan went on his way. Everyone stood And wished Curtis. He was a substitute.
Curtis sat on a chair for a few minutes. He stood up, when he noticed a student passing a cigar to a student.
“Kid, what did you just pass to him?” Curtis asked, waiting for a quick reply. Tom and his mate kept silent. Curtis walked towards him and asked him for the cigar. Curtis told him that he saw what they did. After a little argument Curtis found the cigar. “Okay. I understood why you guys come to school. Go and get an approval from the principal. Then I will let you in class. Please get out.”
Tom and his friend got out of the classroom.
“What on earth do he think he is doing?” Tom’s friend whispered in his ears. “Let it be,” Tom replied in a soft voice.
That day went like that. Curtis met Khan outside the campus. Khan offered to drop him at his home. Curtis got into his car. There was a little conversation between them while driving. “So, how was your day?” Khan asked while driving.
“Oh, nothing special. Just like everyday. Headache made by some students. Stupid teachers like you.”
Curtis scoffed him.
“Stupid?Me?I thought you heard the extraordinary speech performed by me.”
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“Please don’t talk about it. I could have slept if you had lowered your voice.” “Curtis, do you know what students say about you?”
“I don't care what they say about me.”
“Then you shouldn't know,” Khan said.
“Lesnar, you know, Today I caught a student with a cigar.”
The conversation went in depth. After a few minutes they reached Curtis’s house. He got out there and wished Lesnar. Curtis walked towards the door. The door was left open. “Who is there inside?Is it Jim,” Curtis screamed after getting inside.
“No. It’s me.”
“Emily, you are early today.”
There was no one other than Curtis and his daughter inside.
“Emily, I think Jim will be late today.”
“Everyday he is late. You know it, Right?” Emily said. “And you know, Jim is thinking about joining a band.”
Curtis smiled and pretended that he knew it. He went to his room and changed his dress. He took a book, sat on his chair and began to read it.
“Dad,” Emily screamed.
“What happened?” Curtis was frightened and came fast, thinking something great had happened. “Look at this. You, you look just like a clown in this,” Emily said taking a break from her laughter.
“Clown?Me?” Curtis had no idea what she was saying about.
Curtis asked her what was the matter. She showed him a picture from her mobile phone. He looked like a clown in the image.
4
“What the hell is this?” Curtis asked, surprised.
“This was posted by a student,” Emily replied.
“What?A student?You guys do not have something called respect.”
Curtis was furious. Emily tried to calm him down but he was still bothered because of the student’s attitude. He went back to his room murmuring something. He phoned Lesnar tonight. “Hello,” It was Joshua, Lesnar’s son on the line.
“Hello. Can you pass it to Mr. Khan.”
“Yes. Of course. Please hold.”
“Hello,” Lesnar was on the line.
“Yeah. Lesnar, it’s Curtis.”
“Oh, Curtis, what’s the matter?”
“Lesnar, I phoned to tell you something. Today one student posted some memes making fun of me.”
Curtis and Lesnar talked for a few minutes. Lesnar told him that a boy called Tom did it. He also said that it was not the first time Tom had been making fun of the teachers creating memes. He was a bully. Curtis was surprised to know that no teacher had performed any action. He decided to teach him a lesson that he will never forget.
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II.
It was a fine morning. Like everyday, Curtis had already woken early in the morning. It was 9:00 am. He was dressed nicely. He was wearing the same coat and suit which he used the last day. Emily was eating breakfast while Jim was still on the bed. Curtis wished Emily and went on his way to school. He drove to school on his two wheeler. Students were present in the campus when he reached there. He got out of his scooter and walked. He smiled when he saw Tom but Tom walked away without minding it. He directly went to a classroom and fetched for Joshua. Joshua was the son of Mr. Khan. Joshua came to him asking what was the matter.
“Hi, Joshua, I want you to do me a favour.”
“What favour?”
“Yeah, I will tell you. You know Tom, Right?Go to him and tell him that one of his friends said to you that he will be waiting near the old storeroom after the classes with something.” “What thing?Will he trust me?” Joshua asked him curiously.
“Yeah, he will trust you. Just go and say it.”
Joshua did what he was asked to do.
It was late in the evening. Everyone had already left the school except Curtis and Joshua. Tom was also there but he didn’t see them. He walked to the old storeroom.
“Kevin, where the hell are you?” Tom screamed after reaching there. There was no one waiting for him.”Kevin, don’t play games with me.”
As he reached next to the door of the storeroom, he saw someone running towards him. It was Curtis but he didn’t see him clearly as he was fast. Curtis pushed Tom inside the storeroom and locked it. It was dark and filthy inside it. Tom was frightened and began to scream. He yerked at the door. Curtis cleared off from the place.
6
After a few minutes Curtis came back.
“Tom, can you hear me?” Curtis asked loudly.
“Is anyone there?”
“Tom, It’s me. Curtis Read. Do you know me?I locked you inside.”
Tom became shocked. He understood his situation.
“Sir, I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, you will not understand. You haven’t been in a situation like this before. Right?” “Sir please. It's too dark and filthy here.”
Tom began to beg for opening the door. He pleaded to Curtis.
“Tom, where is your bravery?You bully students and mock teachers. Right?How many teachers have you made fun of?”
He begged Curtis. He promised that he will never do it again. After a few minutes Curtis opened the door. Tom ran out as the door opened.
“Tom!No more memes. Give respect,” Curtis again reminded Tom. “ This was a lesson for you.” Curtis went out of the campus. Joshua was waiting for him.
“Sir. Do you think he will do it again?” Joshua asked.
“No. We gave him that terrifying lesson. Right?” Curtis said and smiled. “And if he does it again next will be a suspension letter on his hand.”
“Sir, I am not able to understand how he trusted me?” Joshua asked curiously. When Curtis came to school in the morning he saw Kevin smoking behind the building. Curtis clicked a photo without him knowing it. He showed him the image and threatened him. Kevin, who was scared, promised that he will never ever smoke and gave all the cigarettes in his hand to
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Curtis. Seeing a full packet of it, Curtis asked Kevin for whom he brought it. He said that it was for Tom. At that moment, Curtis came up with an idea on how to teach Tom a lesson? Curtis explained all these things to Joshua. Joshua’s curiosity had an end by that. Curtis offered him a drive to home. They left the campus and went back home.