Did he fail his home tuition test? You’re getting someone to come teach you specially at home so you can fail within the comfort of your own four walls?
COVER STORY
Jasir and his friend Awais are not thrilled about being stuck with a tutor who won’t let them get away with any mischief. The two sisters Leena and Inaya are free from studies but waiting for their final exam results. This is the start of summer holidays in the Moin household.
Leena made a knowing expression over the top of the book in her hands in Jasir’s general direction. He was lying across a sofa chair in the living room, kicking the coffee table. “Failed again?” she asked.
“Did he fail his home tuition test? You’re getting someone to come teach you specially at home so you can fail within the comfort of your own four walls?” Inaya spoke up from her seat at the computer table. Jasir picked up a cushion and waved it as if to throw it at her.
“I meant failed as in failed to pull a prank on his tutor,” Leena said, placing her bookmark between the pages she had been reading.
“Since when has Jasir failed to do that to any of his teachers?” Inaya asked.
“Since Leena got this Aqeel guy to come teach me and Awais.” Jasir grabbed the cushion and punched it.
Inaya stopped in the middle of whatever she was doing on the computer. She turned to face Jasir. “Has he outsmarted every trick in your book?” she asked with interest. Jasir groaned. Inaya looked thoughtful. “How about the one where you leave a piece of gum in the-”
“Been there, done that,” Jasir said.
Inaya drummed her fingers on the table. “Then there’s that one with the pin!”
“Did he fail his home tuition test? You’re getting someone to come teach you specially at home so you can fail within the comfort of your own four walls?”
Jasir held up a hand for silence, then began counting on his fingers. “Safety pin, thumb tack, sewing pin, paper clip - I’ve tried them all and more, and he sees them out of the back of his head. It’s no use.”
“Oh, come on,” Inaya said. “Something has to work. He can’t have thought of everything.”
“Inaya!” Leena frowned in her direction. “You seem more interested in this than you should be, being his elder sister.”
“I’m nobody’s elder sister,” Inaya replied. “I’m just the middle child. You do the elder sister thing enough for the both of us.”
Leena made an irritated noise. Inaya and Jasir burst out laughing. “You two have had too much fun between yourselves, being the younger kids. Anyway, Inaya, don’t encourage Jasir in his mischief.”
“It doesn’t matter because whatever I do, it doesn’t work.” Jasir finally threw the cushion away from him. “Even having Awais stuck in home tutoring with me doesn’t help.”
“At least you two can be miserable together.” Inaya returned her attention to the computer screen. “What’s the use of having a friend if he doesn’t suffer with you, right?”
Leena had not returned to reading her book. She leaned forward and said, “You can, you know, try the absolutely new and unheard of idea ... that is actually learning from him. Instead of keeping on trying to sabotage him.”
“What will I get out of that?” Jasir said.
“You’ll get rid of him quicker,” Leena said. “The faster you do your work the faster the session is over and he will be out the door and you can go back to the TV and your games.”
“He isn’t getting paid per hour?” Jasir asked.
Leena stared at him. “He’s successful enough in teaching school kids that he produces results based on effort, not just time put in. His reputation precedes him,” she said.
“I don’t get it. If he’s so successful, why is he wasting his time doing this? He should be using his talents somewhere else instead of going into people’s homes and making them study.”
“If his reputation arrives before he does then can his reputation come and teach us and he can stay home?” Jasir made a wacky face at Leena.
She sighed. “You know what I mean. He’s successful.”
“I don’t get it.” Jasir sat up and looked Leena in the eye. “If he’s so successful, why is he wasting his time doing this? He should be using his talents somewhere else instead of going into people’s homes and making them study.”
“Jasir.” Leena picked up her book again. “You can ask Aqeel himself if you’re so curious.” She flipped through the pages of her book and suddenly jumped up. “Inaya!” she said excitedly.
“What?” Inaya said without interrupting her scrolling at the computer mouse.
“Look what I have here.” Leena held out a piece of folded up paper as if it were a trophy.
“Describe it to me, I don’t know what that is,” Inaya said.
Leena walked right up to her and stuck the piece of paper in her face. Inaya took it from her and half unfolded it before making a disgusted sound and passing it back. “What are you showing me this for and why do you even have it in your book? Don’t tell me. Just throw it away.”
“You’re forgetting what we do with these,” Leena said, unfolding the paper. A slow look of realisation dawned on Inaya’s face. “Oh!” she said, jumping up and grabbing the piece of paper from Leena’s hands. “Where’s yours?”
“I don’t have it on paper, it’s in the computer,” Leena said.
“Then how are we going to do this?” Inaya asked.
“Do what?” Jasir asked.
“The datesheet tearing ceremony,” Inaya answered.
“The what-ing what ceremony?” Jasir paused to process what this meant. “You’re just going to tear it all up?”
“And scatter it to the winds,” Inaya said, spreading her arms out dreamily and tossing her datesheet into the air.
“Look at you trying to be poetic,” Leena said. She had slipped into the computer chair and was busy opening her datesheet file on the desktop. “We’ll just have to pick up the pieces of paper after we’re done, but...” She paused and looked as dreamy as Inaya had when she had tossed her datesheet. “That feeling of tearing up your datesheet after being done with exams is special.”
“You’ve checked that paper for so long and been bound to it for weeks,” Inaya added. “Then when you can just get rid of it, it’s such a freeing feeling.”
Jasir laughed. “I never know where my datesheet is, I never use it. I’m free of it from the beginning.”
“Just you wait until you get some major exams in your life,” Inaya said.
“I get my thrills from better sources, thank you,” Jasir replied.
“Yet you’re following our datesheet tearing ceremony very closely,” Leena said.
“I just happen to be here in the room,” Jasir said.
The two sisters readied their datesheets. Inaya held her paper sheet in her hands and Leena raised a finger over the delete button for the datesheet file.
“Now!” Leena said. Inaya tore her datesheet into strips, then tore the strips into shreds. Leena deleted the file. Inaya ran across the room and dumped the shreds of paper into the dustbin.
“I thought you were going to throw them in the air,” Jasir said.
“I don’t feel like picking them up after doing that,” Inaya said.
Jasir turned to Leena. “You should delete it from the recycle bin. Then it will really be deleted.”
Leena smiled. She clicked her way to the folder where deleted files went and removed the file from there, so that it was finally gone. “You’re showing a lot of interest for someone who just happens to be in the room,” she said.
“I’m just observing,” he said. “I’m not in any hurry to participate.”
“Your time will come soon enough,” Inaya said.
“I’ll see what I can do about that,” Jasir said.
The next time he met Awais, he immediately said, “We have to do something about this situation we’re in.”
“Yeah, it’s boring being stuck learning without any distractions,” Awais said.
“So what do we do?” Jasir asked.
“I have an idea,” Awais said.
What will the two friends think up to make home tutoring during summer holidays more bearable? Find out in the next episode of Hackschool Project.
