‘That will happen with time. Also, children have to work hard if they want to. Not because of parental pressure.’ Anu was now feeling uncomfortable with the belligerence the woman was showing.

Disha stood up and walked out and Anu followed her murmuring a bye to the woman. As soon as they were out of the hotel, Disha blurted. ‘Anu! One of them is a parent at the school. You went on saying so much!’

Anu blushed in anxiety. What had she done? How damaging were her statements? Disha assured her that nothing was too bad and Anu decided to go with it.

Vicky was playing with the other teachers’ kids in the play area, with an Ayah watching over them. Anu peeked in to make sure he was doing all right. He was rolling in the sandpit like a cute puppy. The thing with Vicky was, he was an influencer. Even as Anu watched, two other kids joined him in the roll-in-the-mud game. Anu shrugged and moved towards the meeting room.

‘Anu,’ she heard Kavitha’s voice call her name. The principal had insisted on sending out an email to all the parents to join in. Luckily, there were only about twenty of them.

‘Hey Kavitha, why are you here?’ Anu waved and stopped.

‘Just came. We can go back together, no? We can have a Masala Dosa and coffee on the way home?’ Kavitha was like the boyfriend one never had. She was so eager to be with Anu at any given opportunity!

‘Okay! See you at the meeting.’ Anu agreed. Who can say no to Dose and coffee?

By the time she entered, the parents were seated and the teachers had gathered on the podium next to the principal.

‘Why are there only four teachers?’ Anu asked the principal in a low voice all the while scanning for the parent she was supposed to have met. They weren’t there!

‘After school hours. They all must have gone home.’ The principal answered a bit dejectedly. Anu couldn’t believe the teachers. This was a time to show their support and they went home?

Anu excused herself to go into the school office. Luckily, four staffers were still at work and Anu dragged them to the meeting room, instructing them to simply stand confidently and nod in vehement agreement at everything the principal said.

Sumitra aunty’s eyes lit up when Anu came back with the office staff but Anu’s heart sank. The two women from the coffee shop were seated right in the front.

The meeting began with the principal welcoming everyone. Then she opened up the floor for questions.

‘What is the future of our kids if we continue here?’ The questions started hard and rude.

‘The same as any child studying in any school! Here children are learning to gain knowledge, not to ace exams.’ Anu admired Sumitra aunty’s soft yet confident voice.