Fever

My brother was ill.  I went to his school - St. Paul's School - and gave his teacher the leave letter.  He was an old, old looking man.  He had all his bones fused at the joints.  He could move his eyes - just about.  He had no fused bones there. And he made good use of them.  He opened them wide and looked at me.  I looked back at his dark eyes hidden by the bushy eye brows that formed a permanent deep frown.

"What is this letter?", he asked.

"This is a leave letter for my brother", I replied.

"Why can't he come?" he asked.

"He cannot come and that is why I got the letter".

And then he lifted the eye brows.  I understood.

"He has fever", I said.

"How come he plays carrom board at home" He questioned.

That stumped me.  I still wonder how he found out I was playing  with my brother.

"Well. He is inside the house", I said.

His eyes dilated, the gauntlet of his eye brows lifted and he bared his large front teeth, and said if he can play carrom, he can attend school.  No wonder God fused his bones.  I think He made a mistake by not fusing his teeth, and perhaps his mouth too.

"He has taken leave so that other students don't catch his fever", I retorted. I thought it was a smart reply.  And added, "he doesn't run around. He just sits and moves his fingers."

The eye brows came down casting develish shadows on the school compound.

He said. "ok".  I took it as the end of the conversation and ran back home and continued the game with my brother.

My brother was 6 and I was 13 then.  He is now dead for 23 years.