Francesca

F is for Francesca

Fanny straightened her knee length skirt and tucked her blouse and slid her feet into the black sandals. Much as she loved to strut in her pencil-heel shoes, she knew that it was these flat broad strapped sandals that would support her comfortably through the day. She opened the zipper of her sturdy black bag and checked if her wallet, pencil case and keys were in place. This was a routine every morning after had forgotten her keys twice in a row. She could not open her locker and had to manage her class without her copy of grade 4 Maths book.

“Mummy I will see you for lunch.”

 She bent and kissed her mother lying listlessly in bed.

“Ayah will come by 9. Don`t trouble her. And eat your breakfast and fruit Ok?”

 Her mother grunted.

  

"I better rush, its nearly 7:35 a.m."

Fanny walked briskly to school. She was nearly breathless, still she increased her pace as her tiny wristwatch inched to 7:45 a.m. She had to catch hold of the peon before he left with the muster at 7:55 a.m. and placed it in Miss Girty D`souza`s room. How she hated Girty!  Just yesterday she had berated Fanny in a high-pitched voice.

“Ms Benedict. Surely you know that the reporting time is 7.50 a.m. I have told Ganga Prasad to get the muster in my office only at 7:55. I give full 5 minutes of grace period. And still I see you hovering around my office at least once a week.”

“Sorry Miss Girty”, she had apologized in a small voice. “Ayah has not been coming and I have to help Mummy..”

“Miss Benedict, we all have problems.”

“Yes Miss Girty” replied Fanny as she hung her head in shame.

“Good morning Miss,” chirped a little girl.

“Good morning,” Fanny smiled vaguely and continued her hurried pace. Thank God for giving her the wisdom to keep away from her pencil heels. She would have never made it on time she thought as she entered the staff room at 7:51 a.m. breathing heavily. Ganga Prasad was already there waiting to clutch the muster and run to Miss Girty`s room. She gave him a triumphant smile, 

“Ganga Prasad, Good morning.”

“Good morning Missji", he mumbled. He hated it when all teachers reached in time and signed the musters. He would feel as if he had lost a match!

As Fanny walked towards her locker, she noticed the white sticker with her name F. Benedict had started to peel. I will replace it today she made a mental note. She kept her over-stuffed bag and pulled out her plastic tiffin-box and took a big bite of the jam sandwich and gobbled it down hungrily.She had a class in the first period and would get to sip tea only after that. She picked her math book, pencil case and the big wooden ruler as she shut the locker and pulled the key out and kept it safely in her pencil case. She walked out to the ground for the morning assembly.

“Hi Fans. Looking good,” leered Derek his eyes moving appreciatively from her face to her legs. 

She gave him a disgusted look as she continued walking.

“You coming for the mass this Sunday?”

She looked straight ahead and kept walking till she nearly bumped into Mr Britto.

“Hey Francesca, how are you this morning?” he gave her a big smile.

He was the only one who called her Francesca and this was the only time when she felt glamorous. Else she was content being Fanny. She felt her legs go all wobbly and clumsy and her tongue was thick as she tried hard to muster a cool off hand, "Fine."

 Dennis Britto was a charmer and knew the effect he had on the gullible Miss Francesca Benedict. He winked at Derek who scowled back. Derek hated this slimy creature. What the hell was appealing about this snake? Fanny really was daft, he muttered.

 “I will see you in the interval Francesca. Keep one jam sandwich for me, will you?”

Fanny was delirious. How would she plod through the next four periods she wondered? She wanted to kick herself for not wearing her pencil heels. From tomorrow I am going to get up early so I have enough time to walk in my heels to school, she pledged silently.