The phone alarm goes wild, bang-bang-bang, from loud aggressive drum sounds. Then a gentle young teenage hand came out of the blanket, looking for his phone. By following the rhythm he found it, he started tapping on the blank screen, but alarm kept on screaming. Now irritated, the boy came out of his blanket and rubbed his eyes, checks the phone again and saw the weird riddle:
I'm purple, I grow from the soil and
I'm rich in fragrance but not in fame, now tell my name.
The boy simply types, Violet, and ended the alarm's torment. He checked the time and kept it aside.
"Hmm" boy hummed sleepily, but now fully awake.
He again checked the phone with a sudden energy.
"WHAT?" boy screamed in shock.
He jumped out of his king size bed, throws the phone, blanket still wrapped around his legs, boy struggled to remove it but with fast hand motions he succeeded and throws it to the bed. He quickly unlocked the door and took the towel hanging on it, then he exited the room. He saw his mother at the kitchen just beside his room, she was cooking something.
"Mama why didn't you woke me up?" boy questioned his mother in panic.
She turned and replied calmly " How can I, you locked the door—"
But before she can finish, he started running, his bare feet producing slap-slap sounds on the marble floor, towards the bathroom, far opposite corner of the house from his room. He opened the door and rushed inside and locked it. He turn on the shower and took the brush and toothpaste from the self, first he wet the brush and applied the paste. He started brushing.
"It's already six forty-five only forty-five minutes are left before the school", he thinks to himself.
After five long minutes he came out after a quick shower wearing trouser and under-shirt. He rushed to his room while rubbing his soft black hair with the towel, he was unable to speak anything because panic had covered his face. Mother was still in kitchen, chopping the cucumber.
"Mait, your dress is ready in your room, quickly get ready" she calmly informed him in a loud voice.
Mait didn't replied, instead he reached and shut the door and throws the towel. Then he searched for his phone, which he had earlier thrown away, in rush, he found it, unlocked it with his fingerprint and quickly played his favourite playlist, filled with calm and love songs. His expression had changed from panic to a calm smile, singing the song as he is the singer. Alongside he is quickly wearing his uniform, plain white shirt with black pant and belt, and then the song changed.
He started to find something, he looked under the pillows, under bed, under the bag which was kept open as if thrown away, chain opened and books were able to escape it.
"Where is it?" worriedly he asked to himself.
He blitz opened the door and took the right,
"Mama where is my tie" he asked.
"*Sigh* on the bed, look carefully" she replied while making a sandwich with a little irritation.
"There is nothing" he argued.
Then she stopped, with a sharp crack, she slammed the knife onto the counter beside the stove and tugged her apron. She turned and walking heavily towards his room.
"These people, can't find anything, every time they need everything in hand, first his father, then his sister and now him" she broke her calm and aggressively mumbled to herself.
She entered the room, she lifted the towel and spoke with anger, " Then what is this?"
The tie was their, as if it has spawned out of nowhere. He quickly grabbed and started to wears the black tie, he didn't looked at her because unable to face her anger.
"Ma… Mama can you pack the bag?" he staggered and asked, peacefully.
"No" she declared, " I'm packing your lunch and making your breakfast, pack it by yourself", she left the room.
Mait didn't argued this time, but as time was passing, he started packing it, inserting every single book he found on his bed.
"Only thirty-five minutes left" his mother spoke from the kitchen.
After hearing this, his speed increased tremendously.
"Mama at least give me the key" he asked.
She entered his room again, handling him the keys.
"Take it, I knew you can't take it by yourself" she mocked him.
"Mama the electric one" he said
"That one is taken by your sister" she replied.
With frustration, he pressed his head, then packed the bag and carried it to his back. He stepped outside the room, goes to the kitchen and grabbed the half made sandwich, took a monstrous bite, eating it half already.
"Take the lunch with you, it's near the stove" she said.
Mait rushed straight, while taking the last bite of the sandwich, towards the exit without taking the lunch. Again producing slap-slap sounds by his bare feet on marble floor. He quickly took his shoes from shoe rack. He takes out the socks out from his shoes and quickly wore it and then the shoes, while his mother watching him by leaning over to the door.
"Bye mama" he said softly.
"Bye mait" she replied with care.
Mait quickly rushed to the only vehicle left for him, he started the scooter, engine came to life. Then he adjusted it to the road and ready to leave. Then he pressed the accelerator and left.
"Drive slowly" the mother spoke with the loud caring voice, she didn't know if he had listened or not.
"Kids these days always wanted to drive fast" she continued to herself.
"Miss Ella, good morning" voice of a middle aged woman called her cheerfully.
She turned and with a smile and same enthusiasm she replied "Good morning, miss Dina"
Both the ladies started gossiping.
While mait was already way past his home, he motioned his empty left hand as if checking the time, before realising he forgotten to wear his watch, he quickly grabbed the handle again.
" I hope there is no traffic today" mait prayed to himself as if clinging to his last hope.
He took the right and the hope shattered, few meters ahead bunch of vehicles as gathered creating, traffic.
"It's been a week since the construction has started" he said to himself with anger.
He slowed the speed and stopped behind two white coloured cars, one is Ford another one Hyundai. He waited for few minutes, horns kept ringing around his, even being desperate he started doing the same while glancing at front hoping to get free from here, fast! In desperation he looked left, no one but the trees, then he looked at right, a lady using her phone in boredom.
Mait leaned towards her keeping a safe distance and with a innocent smile he asked " What's the time miss?"
The lady was already irritated, looked at him with anger. Then she replied " Seven oh-two"
Mait got a little confused from this lady's behaviour, he quickly adjusted his posture. But at least now he knows how late he is. Then he waited and waited, a minute feels like a hour to him. In boredom he eavesdrop the conversation happening behind him, two men criticizing the government for poor road system.
In past few minutes he has only made few meters progress, with this pace he will reached the school at night. Anxiety take over mait's body, he started taping fingers around the handle, horns became a loop and no one knows how long will it take.
"Maybe I should rest today" he said, started to believe that he is not going to make it.
But then a miracle happened, suddenly traffic is settling down and maybe he can make it. Then after few hundred meters of progress, he took the left. Now the upcoming route has little to no traffic.
"Thank goddd!" he said with a relief.
Now he was free, so he accelerated, surpassing the 50 kmph speed limit. The rest of the path was filled with no such challenges except for sometime animals crossing the road, he loose a few seconds, but somehow he make it on time, he guess.
He saw the board with a opened book and at centre a violet flower, saying, Violet: Sweet fragrance of academics. Then mait goes at the end, a gate for two wheelers, opened, but at their standing one of the Pt teacher, leaning towards the wall, wearing blue cap along with blue trousers and white T-shirt with the school logo, the teacher was probably around fifty.
"*sigh* You are late, again" questioned by the teacher as if it's a regular thing.
" Ma'am traffic was their, soo I… got late" mait replied with fear.
"It's a regular thing for you mait, right?" teacher said, " I think yesterday also you were around ten minutes late" she checks her watch " and today five"
" That's a good thing ma'am" he replied with a feared-sarcastic tone, " yesterday I was ten minutes late, and today five then tomorrow I'll be on time, so ma'am can I go now?" he continued with some hand gestures.
"SHUT UP!" teacher silent the boy. Mait's smile faded. " You are late for about a week, everyday with the same excuse, because of kids like you I get scolded by the principal" she continued with anger.
"That why are you allowing late comers" she said while mimicking the principal's words.
Silence took place instead of words for mait, he looked down as if he is the one, guilty, he is.
But still he spoke "I..I promise ma'am, tomorrow I'll be on time"
Teacher clapped after mait's reply and said " It's your seventh or eighth promise, I guess"
Mait remained silent, for a while everything was ghost-quite.
"Speak something" teacher demanded.
But mait didn't spoke anything. Then teacher sighed, feeling bad for scolding, then with a half circular hand motioned she allowed mait to go.
" Come on time" she said with a soft voice.
Mait agrees via nodding in yes. Then after seeing the entry gesture he restarted the engine and finally entered the school. He quickly parked his vehicle, the scooter, at his usual spot. Before leaving he locked the handle, done a quick check, after this he put the keys inside of his pocket, then adjusting his uniform while speed walking towards the stairs. He started climbing it , thud-thud-thud. He reached the ground floor which was already half a floor above the ground. Then he started speed walking again, walking at school hallway. After few steps he saw a clock hanging on the wall, he can hear the clock saying that he is late.
"Oh god, not again" he said while Holding his head.
Then he started running, blitzing in the hallway.
"Don't run" a teacher shouted at him.
Then Mait took the right, now again back to speed walking, he started glancing at the each signs outside the rooms and then after few steps he found it, eleventh-C. His class. He peeked from outside praying the class without the teacher and then he saw his class was filled with students but no teacher. He quickly sat on the first row out of the four rows and at first bench. He removed the back and shifted himself towards the wall for support.
He sighed, then put both the hands on the working area. He take a quick look of the class and then put his right palm on his cheeks, resting on it. Then he closes the eyes and smiled.
"I wonder what Hima is doing" he speaker to himself.