The scooter superboy

Samay's daily sprint to school leads to him becoming the best athlete in his school and winning the Inter-School Sports tournament.

With every kick his father gave that failed to start the old scooter, Samay’s grin grew wider. But he was careful not to let Papa notice. Inside his chest, Samay’s heart danced. Finally, when Papa gave up and handed him a five-rupee coin to take a rickshaw to school, Samay broke out into a happy dance in his head.

He would be saved the embarrassment of arriving at school on a ramshackle scooter while most of his classmates came in their fancy cars, or by the air-conditioned school bus. He could also buy himself a small treat to perk up the unappealing roti-sabzi his mother packed every day, another embarrassment according to him.

But to get the treat, Samay had to dash down the street, urging his aching legs to cooperate, lest he be late. The last thing he wanted was a complaint in his diary or a call to his parents.

As days went by, the old scooter grew older and it gave more trouble. Samay, on the other hand, grew quicker and his legs no longer ached when he sprinted off to school. When Papa sought the family’s opinion on whether he should sell the old vehicle, Samay was the first to nod ‘yes’.

Things appeared to be in control until, one evening, Papa returned home and called from the gate, “Samay, I have a surprise. Hurry up and look out of the window.” To Samay’s horror he saw Papa perched proudly on a new, bright yellow scooter, waving at him. Tears filled his eyes. Though he passed them off as tears of joy, his heart ached. Now there was no escaping his classmates’ jeers and hoots.

The next morning, Samay woke up and complained of stomach ache to escape going to school. But the following day was sports selection. He had been hoping to make it to the athletics team to represent his school in the upcoming inter-school tournament. That was the only way to make his presence felt among a bunch of rich kids who ignored him.

The following morning, Samay’s heart felt as if it would explode, as Papa braked his new scooter right in front of the school gate. Samay glanced around furtively but, despite efforts to cover his face with his school bag, a few classmates spotted him and chuckled. Samay’s ears grew hot and red. He ran to his seat at the last bench and sat down, and tried hard to calm his racing heartbeat. He was relieved that sports selection was scheduled in the very first period. Little did Samay know that his life was going to change forever.