The season has changed. One can see dense dew on the suburbs early in the morning. It can be like a mountain of a task to get out of the bed and go for work. Hot coffee’s and warm toasts have become the customary breakfast. Even the season’s reminded Max of his cold life. Even to this day, every blink of his eyes flashed back the time he was stuck in a deep, dark predicament he faced for years.
Ever since he could walk, he was shouldered with responsibility. The responsibilities were not something one could carry being a child. His parents were below middle class. He wore torn socks and defect ridden zipped school bag. His mates made fun of him but he knew, beyond his age, what his parents couldn’t afford. He didn’t cry around and demand these privileges that his classmates had.
In spite of the shame he felt for being the least privileged student, he kept his head high. The only reason for that was his academic inclination. Max brought exceptional grades everytime. Seeing this, his poverty-struck parents also had hopes for times to come. They would always say, “My son will break the chain of our poverty.” This created fear in his heart, for if he failed to do that, he would fail as a son his parents expected of him.
He would walk for an hour everyday to get to his school. It got particularly difficult in summer. Shoes with holes and torn socks were a bad combination on a rainy day. The students were prohibited from wearing slippers back then. Even if it wasn’t disallowed, he would have had to wear worn out Eva slippers, which would slide and reach up to his thigh while through the wet paths.
He, however, had one aim, to not be a son his parents expected of him but a son they deserved. Rain, hail, or snow, Max couldn’t afford to skip his classes. One time he was severely ill. He had a severe fever and huge bruised ankle, which he suffered during his weekend work at the roadside. Yes, he worked as a labourer on the road side in the weekends to pay for his schooling. Despite the physical ailment, his mental health was far from ill. He still went to school.
To be continued….
The Dragon in Gho 