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Number Problems
AFTER SCHOOL, Anil gets off the bus with me at Horizon Apartment Flats. His mother has a meeting, so she can’t be home when he gets back from school. His aunty, who lives with them, has gone out of town for a few days.
Anil does not think he needs a grown-up around to keep an eye on him, but his mother disagrees. So here he is, coming home with me where Umma is in charge.
“I have an idea,” I tell Anil.
“What?”
I am all ready to throw our bags down and get a snack and then head out of the flat to carry out my great idea, which is all about being someone and doing something.
Umma insists, homework first. We get to work. We have no choice. Soon there is no sound from us but rustling pages and scratching pencils.
We finish our history homework.
Then Hindi. We finish reading our Hindi pages and then we have to answer questions about them. I decide that I like Hindi, with its lines on top so the letters hang down like rows of election campaign flags. My lines and strokes don’t always come out even, but I like doing them anyway.
Anil is wriggly, but soon he says he’s done, too.
That leaves a page of number problems between us and my plan. Ready? We work on these together. There is no sign between the numbers:
+ - x ÷. We have to fill them in.
“Go,” says Anil.
50 ? 32=18
“Minus,” I say. “Anil, your turn.”
88 ? 22=110
“Times?” Anil says.
“No, pay attention!”
“I am paying attention.” He looks again. “Oh, plus.”
Back and forth we go. Anil gets a few wrong and then a few more. Sometimes he seems to make wild guesses. Maybe he’s just fed up. I know the feeling.
Then, hurray! We get to the end of the number problems.
“Want to go downstairs?” I say.
“Hiya!” says Anil, leaping up in joy.
We tell Umma we’re going out.
“Come back before it gets dark,” she says.
“Okay, Umma,” I say.
“Okay, Aunty,” Anil says.
Umma hugs us both at the door, which makes Anil do a quick block-punch.
“Be careful, Warrior Anil!” says Umma, and he grins.
Anil wants to know what we are going to do.
“Wait,” I tell him. “Just wait.”
“Are you going to call Reeni?” he says.
I nod. “Yes. That’s part of the plan.”