The Prevaricator

Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house, like a lot of houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back...with wonder. 

"Tock..." we all heard a clear sound of a magnificent stroke with which my friend Gaurav hit the ball on his leg-side on our School grounds. I t was quite a sunny day and the sun was too bright just on 31st December. We had to admit that yeah the Global Warming had begun to give its horrific effects. For a moment we couldn't see where was the ball heading towards, but then we heard a shrill noise of glass breaking, we realized what had happened and what we have to face later on. The player's of other team had gathered near us, it was 4 in evening, and we had badly lost to them in a match of 3-0 series. They were happy for they had beaten us also for 3 golden-yellow notes of 500 bucks. My friend took out the money gave to them and said with a wicked smile on his face, "I bet we will spend twice the money you have won on the party tonight" I looked at him inquisitively for what he had said, I didn't understand what he was up to. His father neither had ALLADIN's LAMP or GOLDEN EGG LAYING HEN. Neither could he rob or nor could he commit all those black-market business. It was really unusual for a tenth-grader like him, like us who live in a small town which neither had its own neither mall nor a Multiplex, to have that much money! He might really have dig in for Alibaba's cave or hit some jackpot, because for last month he had been spending money like water. We turned our backs to them and took our cycles for returning home. We really had a sad face, not because we had badly lost, but due to the reason, how were we going to face our parents when we reach homes, since we hadn't informed them that we were staying back at school for the match. Blimey how could we have told them that we were going to play a silly Cricket match at school, when the prelim exams were just 2 days away! Which parent would understand that love of ours toward Cricket?  

4:30, I reached my home. My mother had a stroke quite a month ago, and so she was at home rather than her office waiting eagerly for me. "I TELL NO LIE", that was my policy at home. I told her everything but she just said, "Do I need explanation from my only son, no! Go now have your lunch; you might be hungry and tired!" Well really mothers are always so good at heart, but it was not the thing in everybody's houses. Love of my friend's mother's on their pretty arrogant 16 year old sons was not less but just they were a little bit strict. I came to know about it for almost all my other friends had a beating of cane from their mothers when they had returned home. We had gathered for our meetings at eve, the sun had set and so our faces had, since we were appreciating how we had screwed ourselves at home. "It's 31'st guys; we must have a bang tonight! What do you think?" I tried to make their mood cheerful, but Alas! One of them said, "You filthy lucky bastard! You had a good luck at your home, doesn't mean we could get the same. Just tell me How on the earth are we going to explain that to our parent's that; hey MOM and DAD, sorry for the noon but can we go out for the tonight's party? Man, they didn't trust even for a second when I told them we were studying for extra time in schools!" "SAME HERE!" all of them exclaimed in unison.  

Just then an idea struck in one of my friends mind, and turning to me he said, "You, yeah only you can get all of us for the party. Look only you can lie fearlessly on our parent's dumb faces and they do believe you quite well!" I was shocked for a second for what he had come up with. I replied instantly," What am I? A lamb for slaughter? What if they caught the lie? How the hell I Gonne escape from them then?" My friend's faces were saddened, just then I announced, "Okay I will do it, but first off all you all go to your homes and don't tell them a thing, I will come to each of yours home and we'll try to prevaricate them!" All of them were full of happiness and ran back to their homes, and I went to begin my first mission with Rohan's house. His mother was watering the plants in their small garden. 

I went to her and said, "Hello Aunty, sorry we had forgot to tell you that we were going to wait in school. Actually it was my idea, to impress the new Science teacher by doing extra tests...."