Lost!!!

A recent incident took me to the memory lane when I was in class 3. It was same as any other school day until things went topsy-turvy. I was waiting for the van at the pick-up point with my grandma. The van was late and I was almost in tears assuming I have missed the van. I still remember, it was a light green van. Then came along a green van - except that it was dark green and it stopped beside me. I noticed that there were kids in the van with same uniform as mine but not my usual van mates. My conversation with the driver went like this.

Driver - "Are you from Frank Antony Junior School?"

My mind voice - Students from class 6 and above are called seniors. I am in class 3, so I am a junior. (I had just learnt the difference between senior and junior and hence I was trying to be too smart with the logical thinking)

Me - "Yes uncle, Junior."

Driver - "Get in."

My grandma was observing the whole thing and let me do the speaking. I hopped into the van and was relieved that I won't be late for school. As I was looking out the window, I realized that it was not the usual route to the school.

My mind voice - " Come on, this is a different van and obviously different route to my school"

Eventually, the van entered the school building. SURPRISE ! SURPRISE! Turns out there is another school by same name - my school was Frank Antony Public School and I arrived to Frank Antony Junior School.

Now I literally started to weep. Once the prayer assembly got over, I went to a teacher and began my wailing. She started looking into the school diary for a contact number. Unfortunately, we didn't have a telephone at home or with our neighbors. My dad's office contact was also not there in my emergency details. 

My mind voice - " I am doomed! I am not going to see my parents or friends again!"

Luckily, one of the staff from this school volunteered to drop me at my school. That was my first bike ride ever. When I reached my school, my mom and grandma were there. It looks like my grandma had told mom that the van was different. Mom got her suspicions and both of them had come to school to check if I had reached safely. My mom was trying to make my Anglo Indian teachers understand with her broken English that I am missing. (My teachers could understand only English or Kannada and parents-teachers meet has always been a pain for my mom). Back to the scene. Once she saw me entering the school my mom came running and cried and my grandma carried me all the way to classroom.

   When I think about it now, I feel stupid that I have tried to be smart and ended up myself and my family in a mess. But at least I have a mini-adventure to talk about.