Hot Summer Exam Night

Rohini sat by her father, who was correcting the math answers she'd written.

She watched as Sunil's finger travelled down the sums, stopping whenever he fell into a thought, and proceeding only when he was satisfied. A nervous drip of perspiration ran down her armpit. Rohin was wearing a white tank top, and shorts, as she sat at the dining table. Her brother Raghu was out playing. Oh, how she wished she could play too. Alas, she had a math exam tomorrow. Suddenly, Sunil frowned. Rohini's right armpit dampened with sweat. Another bead rolled down her armpit, dampening the fabric of the tank top. If she got even one sum incorrect, the punishment ranged from three more sums to a slap; depending on the kind of error.

Sunil waited for a full minute. Rohini's heart was beating faster. Was it correct? Should she have revised one more time? Her fingers felt moist.

The room was full of her heady, pungent odour. Sunil turned the notebook to the last page, and proceeded to do the sum on his own. After two minutes, he arrived at an answer. But was it the same as the one she'd arrived at? Rohini couldn't remember! Sunil turned back to her answer, and looked at her, smiling. He then put a tick. Rohini could breathe again. Her armpits felt so wet, she felt as though there'd be a waterfall if she so much as moved them. With her arms clamped to her sides, she sat, her breasts heaving as she breathed. "Question 4," Sunil mumbled. There were 12 questions. Rohini sighed. This was going to be a long day. She dreaded sitting through these gruelling math sessions with Dad. He always made her slog, and punished her if she didn't get sums right. Apart from this, he was always a darling, who spoiled her silly. It was like he transformed into a different person altogether, when he was teaching her. She had barely passed her last exam, and her father had been furious. Rohini was expected to ace this exam.

The fabric of her tank top sported quite apparent wet patches under her arms. Her toned shoulders and beautifully pumped biceps were visible. Through the tank top, the ridges of her abs were visible when she talked or breathed out. Rohini had cut her hair short, into a Bob cut, which made her look cuter.

By the time Sunil had finished marking all 12 questions, Rohini's odour had spread in the entire house. It was that pungent onion-y, and ammoniacal smell of fresh nervous sweat that made one's head reel.

Sunil couldn't take the smell anymore, and regretted not buying her a new set of deos. In any case, their session was drawing to an end. He'd just have Rohini solve three more questions, and then call it a day. As he proceeded to give her the sums, her phone rang. It was Radha. Rohini excused herself, and Sunil decide that since they'd been at it for hours, she might as well take a break. "Thanks Papa," she said, and answered the call.

A frantic voice on the other end said: "Dude, have you completed your file?"

Rohini: "What file?"

Her friend: "The math practical file, dumbass! Geeta Ma'am asked me to tell you that you're screwed."

"Screwed?" Rohini felt sweat break out on her forehead.

"Yes. She said she's gonna take you to the principal tomorrow, which means you don't get to write your test." The friend replied.

"Shit!" Rohini's heart sank. She felt blood rush to her brain. From the corner of her eye, she saw her dad, writing a few more questions for her. The past two weeks had been hell for her. She had worked really really hard on her test, and she didn't want it to be for nothing. She felt beads of sweat collect at her armpit. "Dude, talk to her like ASAP! Ask for an extension. She seems really really pissed!" and her friend hung up.

Rohini called Geeta ma'am, immediately. All the while, her heart pounding with tension, when her teacher finally picked up.

Rohini: "hello, Geeta Ma'am? This is Rohini."

Geeta: "Who?"

Rohini: "Rohini Seth."

"What do you want?" Geeta snarled on the phone. She hated this girl, as much as she was hated by this girl. Geeta gleefully flunked her on her bad tests, and always had nasty remakrs about her during the PTM.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry about my file," Rohini said, feeling sweat run down both her arms.

"I believe you," Geeta laughed. "But tomorrow, I am taking you to the principal. Don't bother studying for the test, you are anyway getting a zero."

"Please Ma'am," Rohini begged, "give me an extension? I worked really hard for this test," she said, trying to keep her volume down, so her dad wouldn't hear. Sweat dripped off her left armpit, down her elbow, onto the floor. She took the phone to the kitchen, and shut the door so she could be alone, and no one could overhear her phone.

Geeta: "Why? Why should I care, Rohini? You had all summer vacation to do it. You had the entire Dussehra break to do it. Why should I give you an extension?"

Rohini: "Please, ma'am. I'll stay back tomorrow, and finish it off. I promise. Please let me write the test." After two more minutes of begging, Rohini felt the sweat soak her tank top.

"I want it tomorrow, I'm sending the report cards for term 2 day after." Geeta barked.

"But ma'am, I need at least a day." Rohini said.

"Fine. Come to my house. You can finish it there, and then submit." Geeta said.

"I...okay. Thank you, ma'am," Rohini said. By the time she hung up and looked at the phone; a bead of sweat dripped off her chin, and onto the screen. She wiped it with her fingers, realizing she was soaked with sweat.

She heaved a sigh of relief. Now she could relax. At that moment, there was a powercut. The ceiling fans stopped. Her dad barged into the kitchen.

"Who were you on the phone with?" He frowned, looking at the copious amount of sweat Rohini was exuding.

Rohini; "It was Radha. She had a doubt in Inverse Trigo, so I was..."

Dad: "Okay, Okay. There are three sums waiting for you. Do them, and then you can come down for dinner. They're easy ones,"

Her father winked, which meant they were not.

Sweat ran down her shoulder blades, chest and as she did the sums. sweat was practically dripping onto the paper, blotting the ink. They were NOT easy. And it was ruddy hot in the room. "I can't bear this heat," she could hear Shweta exclaim.

"Neither can I." Rohini said.

By the time she was done, it was past 9. And the power was still not back on.

"How am I to cook dinner?" Shweta asked. Rohini's stomach rumbled. She usually had her dinner by 9.

"Should we order in food?" Raghu suggested.

"No, I can't eat fast food, or butter-y food," Rohini said, reminding them of her gymnast fitness diet.

"Well, then go hungry!" Shweta shrugged.

Rohini sighed. Guess there would be no dinner tonight for her.