Progress report

eela," called out Mrs. Nair, our class teacher.
"Yes, Madam," answered Neela. She was the class 
monitor.
"Have you given the progress reports to the 
students?"
"Yes, Madam."
"Good. Now, please put these letters on the shelf."
"Yes, Madam."
Mrs. Nair gave her five cyclostyled sheets of paper.
Neela placed them on the shelf and took her seat. 
The letters were meant for the guardians of students
who had not done well in the examination. 
The school bell rang loudly. Students rushed out
of their classrooms for a short recess. 
"Neela, take your lunch packet out. Hurry! I am
veiy hungry," I said to her, opening mine. 

Neela and I were chums. We usually shared our
tiffin. As we ate, Neela spoke, "Raju, I was absent
from class yesterday." 
"Ah!" I smiled and said, "so you admit it? Then,
I wasn't lying when I told your mother so." 
"What did you tell mummy on the phone?"
"Well, nothing in particular "
"Don't be evasive, Raju," she said sternly.

"It was just by the way I told her that you were 
absent from the class. I wanted to ask you about some
doubts I had. So I called you at your house. Your
mother picked up the phone and asked me why I 
hadn't discussed with you in school. I had no answer.
Sol " 
"So you promptly said that I was absent from the
class the whoJe day," interjected Neela angrily, raising
her hand to slap me. I ducked and, grabbing my lunch 
box, ran towards the water cooler.
"I shall teach you a lesson," Neela cried and 
chased me.

The school bell rang again. Recess was over. Neela 
and I ran back to the classroom. We had just settled
down in our seats when Mrs. Nair came in with five
stamped envelopes. 

"Neela, please bring those letters and the results
register," said Mrs. Nair. Neela did so. The teacher
began to enter the details in the letters, while we made 
a pretence of being immersed in our books.
"Children! Don't sit idle. Learn the lesson that I 
taught you yesterday. I'll be giving you a test," said
Mrs. Nair from the podium. 

"Test test!" There was quite a flutter.
"No noise, please. Revise your lesson quietly," 
Mrs. Nair said sternly as she put the letters in envelopes.
Soon her work was over. She handed the five envelopes, 
a blank call sheet and the results register to
Neela and said, "Neela, please drop these envelopes
in the post box on your way home, will you?" 
"Yes, madam," said Neela collecting them and
placing them on the shelf. 

Then Mrs. Nair started asking the class questions
relating to the lesson she had taught the day before. 
When the period was over she left the class room.
Three more periods and the final bell rang. The 
students hurriedly packed their bags and ran out of
the school. 

While Neela was taking the envelopes from the
shelf the blank sheet fell down. She picked it up, folded
it and put it in her pocket along with the envelopes. 
"Raju," she called me, "would you please put my
books in my bag?" As she was busy otherwise, I left
my bag beside her and packed hers. 

"Thank you, Raju," she said, biting her lip to hide
a mischievous smile, and took her bag from me. I
picked up my bag and we left the school, together. On
the way, we parted. I went home, while Neela went to
post the letters. 

The next day our school's junior cricket team had
a match to play at 10 a.m. with another school. We
played an interesting one-day match. Our team won
the match by twelve runs. My score of 53 was the
highest and I took five wickets. "Well done, Captain!"
my teammates congratulated me. I returned home in
the evening, happy and excited. 
"Mummy! We won! !" I cried as I entered the
house. 

"Hurrah, hero!" responded Neela.
'Neela! With her mother!' I wondered. "Good 
evening, Aunty," I said cheerfully to her mother.
"Good evening," she replied somewhat coldly. My 
mother and sister looked serious. I felt something was
wrong. Maybe my father's blood pressure was again
high. 

"What's the matter?" I asked Mummy.
"Don't you know?" she shouted back at me.
"Where's your progress report?" barked my sister, 
Rajni.
I surveyed the angry faces looking at me and ran 
for my bag.

My bag was not to be seen. Then I remembered.

I had left it in school since I had to go for the match. 

"My progress report is in my bag and my bag is in

school," I said. "But what makes you so angry?" 

"Do you expect us to be happy and proud of you

after seeing this," Rajni threw a letter at me. 

At the same time Neela's mother spoke. "Raju,

please tell me the truth. Was Neela really away from

the class the day before yesterday?" 

I looked at the letter that had dropped to the

ground. It was a cyclostyled letter. I glanced at the

smiling face of Neela and the sullen faces of Mother

and Rajni. 

"It's wrong, wrong," I screamed. "I have secured

80% marks and am second in class." 

"Shameless fellow! The other day you lied that

Neela was absent from class and today you are lying

about your marks?" shouted mother. 

"Aunty," said Neela gently, "don't be angry with

him. What he says about his marks is not a lie "

With a big smile, she handed my progress report to

Mother. 

"But why this call letter, then?" asked Rajni.

"I I'm sorry. I played a practical joke. I filled 

it in and posted it. His real progress report is this,"

Neela explained. 

'I told a lie and Neela has given me a dose of the

same medicine', I said to myself. 

Mama and Rajni were pouring over my marks.

Neela's mother looked confused. 

Neela came close to me and said, "I'm sorry,Raju."

"Neela, I'm also sorry I lied about you. Forgive 

me.

"Forgive and forget," smiled Neela warmly shak-

ing my hands.