I was in eighth then. Writing my math paper. I had in fact finished it, checked the answers and underlined them with pencil when this girl, Sandra, sitting behind me on the last bench whispered my name.
I just turned to see why..a big mistake!....when this tall, stern supervisor, Mr Patwardhan, passing along the corridor, noticed me through the window.
He came in. "You there," he beckoned to me to come to the front. I slowly rose up and moved forward.
"Bring your paper with you," he growled in his deep throated voice.
I went back and with trembling hands showed him my paper.
"Why were you copying," he wanted to know.
"S-s-sir, she was calling me, I only turned," I answered nervously. Sounded real lame, but was true.
He glanced through my answer sheet, flipping the pages.
"I'm going to cut your five marks," he said. But then put it back into my sweaty palms. Maybe my pathetic expression had done him in.
"Don't repeat this again."
He sauntered off arrogantly.
I went back to my seat, terribly upset. I hated Sandra. She put me in a spot and I got caught for no fault of mine.
I made a big decision that morning.
Never to look behind, to my left or to my right or even at the person in the front in an exam.
I would only look into my paper and keep writing.
Sandra did try to get my attention many times in the future. I ignored her totally. She kept calling me for answers till she grew hoarse. I pretended I was stone deaf.
I kept at it in college too. Nobody ever got any answer from me ever in an exam. Nor did I bother anyone. I simply wrote what I knew, got a wrong if I didn't.
I had few friends.
I learned a big lesson that morning.
To never look behind!
