Born in Heaven

Mrs. Krishna Chaudhuri Mukhopadhyay

Description

A collection of short stories that explores experiences and thoughts of young people as they bravely navigate the joys and difficulties of life.
Selena Gonzalez is a short, thin tenth grader with physical disabilities and a reluctance to interact with her peers. When tragedy strikes, her teacher finds a gift from Selena that prompts her to question everything.
Within seven short tales, Krishna Chaudhuri Mukhopadhyay explores the beautiful minds of children through diverse characters facing a variety of challenges in life. In a gymnasium where teachers are handing out report cards to students and their parents, one of the teachers notices a parent and girl sitting by themselves. When the girl and her mother approach the teacher’s desk at the end of the night, she soon learns that it may be up to her to rescue a former student from an unthinkable fate. As two families reside next to each other in a neighborhood, their children happily play together without any idea that a chain of events is about to unfold that will make them realize that true friendships can endure even the most tragic of circumstances.
Born in Heaven is a collection of short stories that explores experiences and thoughts of young people as they bravely navigate the joys and difficulties of life.

Sujets

• Idioma bengalí
• Short Stories
• India
• Fiction
• Bengali

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 19 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665714976
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

BORN in HEAVEN
MRS. KRISHNA CHAUDHURI MUKHOPADHYAY


Copyright © 2021 Mrs. Krishna Chaudhuri Mukhopadhyay.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-1498-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-1499-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-1497-6 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021922866
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/15/2021
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
1.Selena’s Box
2.Mrs. DaSilva
3.Incarcerated
4.Heart to Heart
5.Eternal Friendship
6.Esmeralda
7.Charlie Brown
About the Author

This book is dedicated to my late parents, Mr. Pankajananda Mukhopadhyay and Mrs. Nilima Mukhopadhyay, who taught me how to read, write, solve math problems, memorize long poems, and quote from memory at an early age; my children, Shubha, Soumya, and Shankha Chaudhuri, who gave me encouragement throughout; and, last but not least, my dear readers who take the time to turn the pages of this book to find the wonderful minds of young adults who, beyond all economic and social pressure, have the power to offer the best to the world.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am deeply indebted to my husband and lifelong friend, Mr. Debabrata Chaudhuri, for his continuous support and encouragement in the writing of this book.
SELENA’S BOX

A few years ago, when school started after Labor Day, I found from my schedule that my first period was geometry class. I looked at the roster and saw that the list of the names of the students was long. Most of the students were tenth graders, a few were ninth graders, three were eleventh graders, and one was a senior. I was not surprised, because sometimes seniors happened to be with the younger students.
It was customary for me to have my students stand up at the back of the classroom when they entered for the first time, because I made the seating arrangement alphabetically by their last names. The system worked well for me; that way, I could take roll easily, and after I checked their work, I could put their grades in the grade book easily as well. The system worked well for many school activities. If there was an assembly or fire drill, students left the room in single file and sat in the auditorium or stood outside the school building alphabetically, so I could take roll without much hazard. Many teachers found the procedure effective and used it in their classrooms.
After my students sat in their seats, I gave them forms to fill out. Even if their names, addresses, and other important information were listed in the school’s directory, I liked to have my own directory. I created a form listing their names, addresses, and other pertinent information so I could call their parents as necessary without going to the guidance office or the main office. It was important to keep open communication with the parents. I also had students list their whereabouts every period. It was my way of keeping the students’ records. Every teacher had his or her way of keeping records, and that was my way. Everyone had to fill out a card; otherwise, I couldn’t start the class. On the first day, the whole hour went by with filling out the forms and getting books.
After a few days passed, one student, named Selena Gonzalez, gave me a note that said I needed to give her an extra book to keep in the classroom, because she couldn’t carry heavy books, and also, she had to sit near the board and the overhead projector. The note came from the nurse, Mrs. Majo.
I realized Mrs. Majo probably had gotten instructions from the doctor about her, and it was illegal to ignore a doctor’s order, so I made a small change in the seating arrangement. I arranged for Selena to sit in the first seat by the door, near the board and the overhead projector, and got her an extra book from the book room.
Selena was short and thin. She stooped forward when she walked, probably because she had pain in her back. She bent down when walking and wore high-powered eyeglasses. I realized she couldn’t see the board from the back of the classroom and probably had scoliosis, which was most likely the reason the nurse made the requests.
I always kept a few extra geometry and trigonometry books on my desk because some students had problems in carrying books, so when they came into the classroom, they just picked up their books from my desk and used them in class. Before they left the classroom, they put them back in the right place without my reminding them every day.
Selena got accustomed to following the class rules, but one day I found out that a book was missing, and I saw Selena take a geometry book out of her book bag. I was surprised.
“Selena, where is this book coming from?” I asked.
“It was with me,” she said.
“How come? I know you can’t carry the heavy books, so I gave you one to keep at home, and in class, you are supposed to use one of the books I keep here on my desk.”
She was quiet for a few moments. Then she said apologetically, “I took the book from your desk by mistake and forgot to return it.”
“Oh, I see. So you took the book home with you?” I asked.
“No, I left it here in the classroom. Jasmine found it next period and kept it in her locker. She gave it to me today to return to you.”
I didn’t say anything to her, but I was a little annoyed. I had to keep a count of all the books. By the end of the year, some books inevitably got lost, and I had to charge students for the books, which they got for free otherwise.
I was not a person who made mountains out of molehills, so we ended the discussion then and there, but she realized I didn’t like the whole thing. After that, I became a little more cautious about her, and making sure she returned the books she took from my desk before she left the classroom became my primary duty out of my one million and one jobs.
Two days later, we had to go to the auditorium during first period because a renowned public speaker was coming to give an informative speech to the students. Usually, in the beginning of the year, every teacher was assigned two or three rows in the auditorium, and his or her students sat only in those rows. In the beginning of the year, the teachers checked their seats in the auditorium to make sure no other teachers’ students were occupying those seats. Exceptions happened; sometimes a teacher came in late and found that another teacher’s students had taken those seats, which caused confusion. But those incidents were rare.
On that day, when the first-period bell rang, I had my students line up in the hallway, and we walked toward the stairwell to go to the auditorium. Selena sat in the first row, but she took the most time to get out of the classroom and stand in the line. By the time she made it to the hallway, the other students were getting restless, but I was helpless because I couldn’t leave anyone alone in the empty classroom. Selena didn’t have anything in her book bag, yet she was walking slowly. I asked everyone to keep pace with her. I walked next to her.
“Do you have pain in your legs?” I asked.
“No, I have asthma,” she said.
“Do you take any medicine?”
“Yes, I do.” She took an inhaler out of her pocket and showed it to me. It looked like the one my son used. He was her age and had asthma, but he never stopped running around or playing with his friends.
“Do you have any wheezing now?”
“No, I am fine now.”
“Is it possible for you to walk a bit faster?”
“I will try.”
I asked another student to carry her book bag. By the time we entered the auditorium, it was almost full, and students from other teachers occupied my assigned seats. Other teachers helped my students to find seats. I sat with Selena at the back of the auditorium.
The bell for the second period rang in the middle of the program. Selena was not my responsibility anymore, and another teacher would come get her. But I stayed there with her anyway. A few minutes before the program ended, the assistant of the school nurse came and took Selena away.
My time passed by as usual between housework and homework from school. September and October passed, and then came November 1. Marking period was ending, and it was time to give grades, so I was busy finishing up the schoolwork. Grades had to be submitted before Thanksgiving break.
Although I was busy with a whole lot of household chores, thoughts of Selena never went away from my mind. Her character was a bit peculiar. She loved to stay on her own and did not like to associate with other students at all.
“Selena, if you can’t solve the problem, why don’t you ask Ami or Kate, the two girls sitting next to you?” I said to her one day.
“No, I don’t want to ask them.