Monster and me!!

  Wednesday is the worst day of the week for me. That is the day when Mr. Chaudhary comes to teach maths to us fourth graders. I hate maths and he hates me. I am always the target in his class. He purposely gives me the toughest problems to solve on the blackboard .
   After another gruelling Wednesday at school, I was returning home. Monster would be at home today. Monster is my elder brother who is in first year of engineering. His name is Arav but I call him MONSTER privately because he behaves like one. He bosses me and wouldn't ever get up to pick up a pen he dropped. He was the topper of our school and going by his athletic record no one would believe if I describe how lazy he is at home. Chaudhary might have been his favourite teacher at school since their hobbies are so similar. Both love to bully me.
   I rang the doorbell one more time but Monster is probably too busy with his computer to open the door. I wish Mom didn't go to work and leave me with this Monster. I have begged her so many times to let me stay with Granny but she keeps putting it off by saying Granny is too old to look after me. Can't she see I am too young to look after Monster?
  He finally opened the door, rolled his eyes and went inside. What was he expecting? Angelina Jolie??  I wanted to go to my room ( which I shared with Monster) and sleep. Before I could even go inside, he had entered the room and shut the bedroom door on my face. The room was ,for all practical purposes, only his. I was allowed to enter only at night. I had to put with him for 3 more years before I could have a room all for myself.
   I picked up my Math notebook and started to try out some problems when he opened the door and called out,"Hey motu , come here". I hated it when he called me that but that was a way of life now. I was irritated with him now.
 "what is it?" I asked him.
 "Neha isn't picking up my call. Go and call her. Tell her I am asking her to come to our house"
I walked out in anger. I knew it was useless refusing him as he would keep on asking me to do it till I finally did agree to go.

I reluctantly walked upstairs to the flat of his girlfriend Neha. I hated her. It was quite an obvious pattern that I hated everything Monster did but Neha had never made it to my list of favourite people even prior to her becoming Monster's girl.
 She was slender and fair and was an inch shorter than Monster. She was the most famous girl in his class but for all the wrong reasons. She spoke with a weird accent. She had a string of admirers in school. She was Monster's girlfriend for 6 months now which was commendable for her. She always gave a fake smile to me and then behaved as if I didn't exist whenever she came to our home.
   I stood in front of her door which was half open. I rang the bell but it wasn't working. I was in two minds  whether to go inside uninvited or to head back home. I did the former and I really wished I had done the latter.
   The scene inside stupified me.



(to be continued)