"What you are thinking that seriously? Are not you have any sense that I am here and asking questions?" Mrudanga Rao angrily asked her.

"I am sorry sir." Mounika hastily said with a trembling voice.

"Tell me what are the vowels?"

"a,e,i,o,u sir."

"Which article we have to use before the word started with any of these five letters?"

"'an' sir." Mounika a little settled but she was feeling quite uncomfortable as everyone in the class was looking at her.

"An university" is it is a correct expression?" Mrudanga Rao asked her

"Yes sir" Mounika hastily said.

"What? 'An university' is a correct expression in your opinion?" Mrudanga Rao once again became angrier.

Now English teacher also was looking fearfully into the face of Mounika. She knew very well that if the students have not given the correct answers she also has to face the scolding.

"No sir." Mounika once again hastily said.

"Then what article should be used before university?"

"'The' sir." Mounika was completely confused and said.

"This is the standard of your students here in English grammar." Looking angrily at Manorama, Mrudunga Rao said.

Manorama hung her head in shame. Jasmine felt angry on Mrudanga Rao. She did not like her English teacher was feeling sad like that. English teacher has become her favorite teacher from the beginning.

Mrudanga Rao asked some more grammar questions and some of them were answered and some of them were not. In the end of the period Mrudanga Rao left the school with mixed feelings. Manorama went into her chair and sat in that.

"I am sorry teacher"

Mounika slowly went before the teacher and said with a choking voice. She did not feel bad that she was scolded so by Mrudanga Rao. But she did not like Manorama was scolded like that because of her. Not just for Jasmine, Manorma was a favorite teacher for most of the other students also and Mounika was one of them.

"For what dear?" looking intently into the face of Mounika, Manorama asked.

"Because of me you have been scolded by our principal." She said with a small voice. "In fact I know the answer for that. But I just could not....." tears were flowing down on her cheeks.

"Come near to me." With firm voice Manorama said.

Mounika went near to her.

"There is no mistake of you at all in it. I am not feeling sad for whatever happened. I am not that much sensitive to feel sad for simple scolding also. If you feel sorry, I feel sorry. I don't like any of my students feel sad. Forget all this, just go and concentrate on your studies."

Mounika nodded her head and went to her seat.

"One thing I want all of you to understand. Please don't misunderstand our principal. He just wants all of you should be good in your studies."

There was silence among them all then.

"One more important thing. Don't be sensitive and worry yourself for simple scolding and insulting. It is quite usual that we shall be scolded, criticized and insulted sometimes like this. We just have to see whether there is any mistake on our part and if there is, we have to rectify it." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I think that I did a mistake by not showing proper interest in teaching English grammar to all of you. I shall think about that."

Then they heard the bell indicating that the class was over.

***

"That's it." After giving a full account of her school issues to her mother, Jasmine said.

"Your English teacher is your favorite teacher then." Observing her daughter interestingly Malathi said.

"It is so." Jasmine nodded her head. "It is not like that I dislike the other teachers. I like all of them too."

"I am happy that you are feeling good with your school and teachers like this, Jasmine." Malathi said while a small smile decorating her lips.

"But the problem is with that principal. He is not appearing as a good type. I could not have a good account on him from any of the students. You know one thing...." Jasmine paused before saying again "He beats the male students like anything if they do mistakes. He would not spare even his own son who is studying tenth class now."

"This is indeed bad." Malathi nodded her head sadly. She indeed felt sad on hearing that. She never liked that the children would be punished for anything like that. "But you don't develop any anger on him. Generally school principals would be like that. They would be so only to make the children disciplined and study hard." After a pause she said.

"What you both are talking?" Sundar entered into that room and asked them.

Then Malathi told him what she had heard from Jasmine.

"I too don't like the teachers who punish the students in such a way." Sundar said.

"But their intentions are not bad. They do like that only to make the students disciplined and study hard." Looking cautiously into the eyes of Sundar, Malathi said. She did not want her daughter develop negative feelings on the principal.

Sundar understood her intention and smiled. "Most of the teachers were like that while I was studying in my high school. My parents used to say the same thing to me which your mother is saying to you now."

"But I don't like him scolding our English teacher in such a way. She is so good to all of us." Remembrance of that incident once again filled Jasmine's heart with sadness.

"Forget about that. Just remember what your English teacher said at that time. We must not be sensitive to simple and small insults like that." Malathi said.

When her parents went out of the room, Jasmine completely put herself into her homework.

***

It was the lunch hour and Jasmine just finished her lunch. There was half an hour or so to the lunch hour to be finished and next class to start and the next class was mathematics. She took the mathematics text book from the bag and went to the chapter that was going to be taught. Most of the students went outside and there were only one or two of them in it then.

"What you are doing?" Jasmine heard the voice of Mounika, turned her head and looked into her face. There was still a sad expression in it.

"I am just going through the mathematics text book. Our next period is mathematics, is it is not?"

Mounika nodded her head. "I am disturbing you. I go to my seat and you may please carry on." Trying to move away from that place Mounika said.

"Just stop." Clutching her wrist, Jasmine said. "You never can be a disturbance to me. We are friends and I always enjoy the company of my friends. I am going through this text book as there is no one to talk with me."

"Alright" Mounika once again nodded her head and said. "Shall we go into the playground then? There we can talk peacefully and return to the class within time. There is still half an hour to say."

Jasmine understood that Mounika wanted to talk something privately and stood up. "Come" She said.

Then Jasmine and Mounika reached into the playground. The playground bordered with several trees and they both went under the shade of one of those trees.

"You said that you try to solve my problem." Once they settled on the rocks under that tree, Mounika said.

"It is my weakness. I just cannot remain calm if one of my friends worrying for anything. I go into their private and personal issues also to solve their problems and of course it created problems to me in the past."

"So, you solved some of your friends' problems in the past." Looking curiously into the face of Jasmine, Mounika said.

"I must say, yes" a small charming smile embarked onto the lips of Jasmine.

"Are you sort of Nancy Drew then?" Mounika narrowed her eyes.

"No, I am not sort of Nancy Drew. I am not a detective and I cannot solve the type of problems she solved. But I am always eager to keep my friends happy."

Mounika smiled, took Jasmine's right hand into hers and kissed on that. "I don't know why but I am feeling a sort of closeness with you. It is not just because that you solve my problem, but I want to share it with you. I am feeling with you as I am feeling with my close friend Ragini." With a small smile Mounika said still holding Jasmine's right hand in her hands.

"I am feeling very happy that you are feeling like this with me." Jasmine really felt very much happy hearing like that from Mounika. "Then out with your problem. It may be under my capacity to solve." Withdrawing her right hand from hers, Jasmine said.

Mounika hissed out heavily and straightened herself on the rock. "My parents want to take divorce." She said straightly.

"What?" Jasmine could not believe what she has heard. "What you have just said?"

"Yes, you heard it right. My parents want to take divorce. They are going to start legal proceedings for it very soon." Mounika hung her head. Now she could not look into the eyes of Jasmine.

"My god!" Jasmine gasped. Then there was no surprise that this girl was feeling sad all the time. "I did not expect this." she said.

"What you have expected then? This is my exact problem. My parents don't like living together. They want to be separated as fast as possible. They are going to start the necessary legal proceedings soon." Mounika's voice filled with sorrow.

Jasmine did not say anything. She was brooding so deeply on hearing what Mounika said.

"Now you are going to say that it is something not under your capacity and you cannot do anything." Observing Jasmine, Mounika said.

"Never" Jasmine nodded her head in negation. "I said I even go into my friends private and personal issues also to solve their problems. I do so in your case also but wisely and carefully." Jasmine paused for a moment as if to give stress to whatever she was going to say. "I just cannot say with what confidence I am saying this to you, but hear me, that I shall see your parents never be separated and they both shall be with you all the time."

(..........to be continued)

(I hope you enjoyedit so far. Please don't forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapteras early as possible.)