WHO MOVED MY LUNCH BOX? – (Memoir series – Story 24)

New Place, New Friends, New Thrills

Daddy says he’s planning to start a shop to sell lunch boxes. And I will be his biggest customer.

You see, my Daddy‘s got a heart of gold.

He doesn’t punish me or give me a good whack like some dads do. Instead, he prefers to hit me with sarcasm when I lose yet another lunch box.

Nowadays I’m in a hurry to get back home from school. I’ve made lots of friends in the neighbourhood.

And in the evenings, we transform a neglected patch of land next to an office building into a football battlefield.

So, when that final school bell rings, I’m on a mission to bolt out of there faster than P. K. Banerjee taking a penalty shot for the Indian football team.

But in my mad dash to pack up my books, I keep leaving my lunch box behind. It’s only when I get home and peek into the kitchen that it hits me like a football smashing on my face: “I forgot my lunch box… again.”

Mummy likes to threaten me, warning me that I will have to go to school the next day without lunch. I can’t argue, though, because it’s my fault for being so forgetful.

The next morning when I pack my school bag, I spend anxious moments. Will I get lunch today?  A school bag without a lunch box is so meaningless.

But just when I’m about to accept my fate as the poor hungry boy without lunch, Mummy swoops in with a smile and hands me a new lunch box. It’s way smaller than my usual jumbo stainless steel one, but hey, at least it’s something, right?

Daddy keeps buying me more lunch boxes, but this time he’s got me an aluminium one. The aluminium lunch box looks unpleasant when compared to the smart stainless steel ones.

And to make matters worse, he warns me that if I lose this one, I’ll get an even smaller and shabbier replacement.

Some of my classmates bring aluminium lunch boxes, but they’re all rectangular and perfect for sandwiches. Me? I’m all about the big round stainless steel ones. I need lots of space for my rice and curry, after all.

Opening my lunch box during lunchtime is always thrilling. There’s almost always a big, glorious piece of fish fry in there. That’s why, when it’s lunchtime, I don’t want to chat with anyone or show off what’s in my lunch box. Sharing? Nah, not my style.

Whether I remember to bring back my lunch box or not, when it’s time to play, a kid needs to play.

So off I go to our playground.

I’m the goalie, the fearless protector of my stone goalposts.

We don’t have fancy real goalposts, so our goalposts are made up of stones. And I dive from one stone to another like my hero, Goalie Thangaraj.

Daddy took me to a real football match once in Maharajas College Ground, and that’s when I saw the legend himself, Goalie Thangaraj, in action. And I am sure that he can stop a bullet if it were kicked at him.

Today, it’s an exciting game, and neither team has scored. Then, out of nowhere, the ball rockets towards me. I make a Thangaraj-style leap and make a spectacular save.

My team and the boys watching the game go wild! I toss the ball and strike it with all my might, just like Goalie Thangaraj.

And, the ball swishes through the air like magic. Everyone’s cheering, clapping, and then…BOOM!

An office window shatters into a hundred pieces. And the wooden window frame slams against the wall with a heavy thud.

After the glass bits finish their dance on the concrete, it’s suddenly quieter than a library, except for the frightened Pomeranian pup next door.

My heart is doing a rhythmic pounding in my ears. And my eyes dart around trying to avoid blame. What will happen now?

Suddenly, two guys storm out from the office and yell at us like they just discovered their lunch got stolen. They grab our ball and tell us to go away.

Yet, I am secretly relieved that they didn’t ask us for the money to repair the broken window.

So here we are, with no more football, and nothing interesting to do.

The next day, Mummy can’t believe her eyes. I’m sitting at home instead of running wild with my gang. Usually, she’s all about convincing me to stay inside, but today she’s like, “Why aren’t you outside?”

I was expecting that. I don’t know why Mummy has to ask so many questions like these.

Anyway, I explain about the office guys telling us not to play there any more. I’m sure it’s better not to talk about the broken window. 

Me being at home drives Mummy nuts because I usually bother her when she’s tuned in to her fancy PHILIPS transistor radio with an antenna that looks like it’s ready to launch into space. And she protects it like a dragon guarding a big treasure.

You’ve got to position it just right to catch the signals. Sometimes it gets all cranky, and Mummy has to give it a little tap.

So now, I’m the official tapper. But she thinks I’ll break her precious radio. But hey, a kid’s got to have some fun, right?

Now anyway the rainy season is starting, and I’ll have to spend my evenings at home.

I have now started taking an umbrella to school.

And Daddy says he is already planning to start an umbrella shop next to the lunch box shop.

Funny Daddy!