Chapter 13

Challenges: They only make your life interesting.

You just never give up, no matter how hard the challenges are, and observe this world with a healthy dose of criticism and don't just follow the herd like somebody else might do.
Renny Harlin

Calm and patient Shruti was disappointed!

Shruti was highly disappointed when she returned to the rink.

She had gone for some grocery shopping.

Being extremely busy with her classes and all, this was the best time she could afford and there wasn't much harm as she’d return within half an hour.

But bless the traumatic traffic today and the accident that blocked her way she was late, very late.

She saw Piu and a group of other kids who were intermediate skaters sit in the centre of the rink.

While the professionals or the medal winners stood on the start line ready for a race.

The professionals skated while the intermediate ones including Piu sat audiencing them. They were supposed to clap and cheer for the skaters who were skating.

Shruti thought it to be a new strategy of the so called coach “Amit” whom Sabu sir trusted so much and ignored it.

She was uncomfortable and even disappointed when Piu and others were allowed to move out of the academy without proper cooling down exercises.

Though she was on the thin line between patience and anger she chose the golden silence as she walked off the skating rink.

When the same thing was repeated on third and fourth day with Piu hardly getting any chance for skating.

 Shruti lost her last resolve when she saw Piu's calves being bruised by the pressure of skates as they were sitting Indian style all the while watching pro skaters skate. If she doesn’t ice it today it would surely turn blue by tomorrow.

 Shruti therfore barged into the rink which was unethical but Shruti was a wild beast of a mother whose daughter, her career and health was taken for granted.

Was this another portion of the challenges, life had put in front of Shruti?

Mother Shruti ought to face it equally challengingly

After her narrow escape of being knocked down by one of the senior skaters who skated like a horse on the field Shruti managed to reach Piu. She lifted her from her Indian style sitting position which was crossed leg.

The emboss of skate on her thighs for sitting on a same position for long didn't get unnoticed enraging her badly. She picked Piu’s red and yellow skating bag and thrusted her tumbler inside it angrily.

“Mom what happened? Mom what happened?” Asked Piu scared to see her mom so angry for the first time but Shruti knew better to keep her mouth shut than to express her anger and make a fool out of herself.

She sprinted to her car with Piu still on her skates as she rested in her mother's arms as she won't be able to skate on the uneven staircase between the rink and the carpark.

Sabu sir noticed her leaving with Piu in her arms.

Feeling weird about a very humble parent's behaviour of not greeting him, he decided to greet himself with a “good evening ma'am” but Shruti travelled faster than words and before Sabu sir could register that she chose deliberately to ignore him.

 She pressure pedalled her car with the engine roaring louder than the anger bubbled inside Shruti and soon mother and daughter  were out of the premises.

“You home early? I did not expect you anytime soon” Govind said as he worked on the coffee machine helping himself with the coffee.

A smile etched on shruti’s face before her hands could reach to massage her temples as she felt the knocking of her forthcoming headache.

Govind divided the coffee into two and kissed little Piu before she ran to the living room to watch her favorite series of Madelline, her favorite cartoon which she’d miss often because of her hectic skating schedule.

Soft massaging hands of Govind on Shruti’s shoulders made her realise what she was missing for days in zeal of Piu’s skating career.

'''''''

 "Shruti" Govind cupped her cheeks in his hands resisting the urge to kiss her thick soft pink lips and trying not to focus the continuous stirring below, he tried to focus
Dam his wife is one hot thing! "Sometimes we have to ignore the faults"
Inhaling the musk fragrance that Govind was wearing that always tempted her to drag him to the comforters of their room Shruti nodded denying defiantly both to her inner desires and Govind’s explanation "I tried Govind. I honestly did. It's been more than two weeks. This coach Amit is no good"
"Mom what happened? What did Amit sir say? And why did you get me early from the skating class today?" Piu asked as she barged into the conversation of Shruti and Govind. Her pink furry panda bear resting on her shoulder. She loved to cuddle him to sleep.
"Nothing baby." Shruti tried to civilize. She knew very well not to talk about teachers negatively in front of children.
"Mom sir wants me join his after school class." Shruti informed her mother.
"That must be D Silva. I know he is the one. Always looking for extra income by tutoring off school. If he can explain well in his after class than why not in the school?" Shruti's father commented dejectedly and went back behind the newspaper that Shruti still has no idea whether he reads or studies. He is so fully engrossed in it whenever he is home.
"But daddy"  Shruti mumbled "Chemistry is really not my thing. I do not understand and sir says that those extra classes might help. This year is important and only if I score well then I will get admission in a good college."
"I am sure these are D Silva's words. My friends kids have been victim. They go to classes and he gives liberal marks. Nothing doing. Not going." Her dad declared.
His word was his last verdict and Shruti had to accept it.
"Sir my hall ticket." Shruti asked D silva sir. Without it she won't be able to attend her exams.
She knew he was simply troubling her as she didn't score well in Chemistry.
After continuous crying and begging when he refused to hand it over till her parents came to meet him personally.
With all that she'd heard from her father about the sit she knew convincing her dad to come to school was difficult.
Frustrated she threw her fist in the air grumbling some curse words that even she didn't knew what were.
This infuriated the professor more and soon her mannerisms were the talk of the school. Now even teachers considered her as a loser like her peers.
"Mom what did Amit sir do?" Asked Piu again
Taking king a deep breath Shruti replied "Oh I was discussing with Dada how different is his coaching from Sabu sir"
"Yes daddy he is different. He doesn't make us skate so hard. He makes us sit most of the time and asks Simi, Surabhi, Mihir and Jacky to skate most of the time. He is different from Sabu sir. Also he is always angry and shouting. I feel like putting both my hands on my ears. But mom told that is rude."
She pauses to take a breath. "Daddy I don't like skating with him. I like Sabu sir"
"Awww he is your favorite but after few days you will be friendly with Amit sir and like him too" Shruti tried to impart best of the etiquettes to her daughter.

''''''''''

“I think you are right” seconded Govind when shruti returned after putting Piu to bed “Piu isn’t coping well with the new coach, neither is her mom.” He chuckled.

‘Finally” Shruti huffed triumphantly. It took time and her snapping Piu out of the skating rink and yes most importantly Piu’s innocent words to convince Govind that the academy is no good for Piu at the moment.

“So it's now your responsibility to find out and enquire about other institutes of skating which we can scrutinize and then can take a decision.” Govind told Shruti as he worked changing the channels of the television.

Shruti took the newly assigned task as a challenge and chose to do the job with equal intensity.

-----

"Govind I have short listed or surveyed over all the skating classes." Shruti said as she tried to duck Govind's impeccable kiss', his other hand swiveling over her bosoms looking for her tits to tease her.
The look of lust distracts Shruti for a while before she is back with the same sheet to grab Govind's attention.
She wasn't very happy about what she'd have in her hand.
Sighing as Govind knew Shruti can be really stubborn sometimes especially when she was implied responsibility of a certain thing.
"Okay say now." Govind said pouting and then getting into his responsible father's mode.
He too had a dream to watch Piu compete internationally in skates.

I have sorted these five institutes and here they go…

“Pioneers is Sabu sir's and we already go there” Shruti ticked the name with the black pen.

Then she scrolled to the next one Ace academy, this one is good but very far away from our house so I guess it is not practical in comparison to the time at disposal and time to travel.”

Govind gave his continuous nodding approving Shruti’s  judgement.

“High hills academy is nearby but doesn’t have the right trainees, even the infrastructure is very primitive. Also there hasn’t been any result oriented skaters coming up from the academy since two years.”

Proud at his wife’s intense and calculated research Govind sits erect wondering with only two more left would there be better choice left?

Carla’s academy is good with winners only under 4 category as the rink they have is very small. Most of the players leave the academy to join Sabu sir after they cross under 6 category of age.

Humming and taking at deep breath Shruti reaches the final academy St. Lewis skating school.

Her pen moves around the numerical 5 scribbling showcasing the discomfort, Govind scrunches his eyebrows. He knows his wife enough to understand that there is something fishy in there.

“Say Shruti how bad it could be?” Govind was already disturbed with the choices out of their comfort zone and Shruti was further procrastinating with the last available choice.

Taking a deep breath in Shruti raises her shoulders as she mentions “the academy is perfect, 7 out of 10 skaters who made to the National championships is from the same academy, the rink is enormous; the ones we have in international tournaments, infrastructure is good but… umm..” Shruti pressed the inner of her cheek.

The next part that she’d learnt wasn’t a good news but she had to say to Govind whose eyes are bulged like ’this is it! I have picked this one.’

“But…” shruti started the next phrase.

“But you don’t seem too excited. I think this academy is perfect” Govind said as he reads the map looking for the location of academy, a little at distance but manageable, Shruti is a great driver, he trusts her driving. “You can drive right? Distance doesn’t seem to be a major problem.”

“Govind the coach.. they have only one coach and he has the history of eloping with one of his students who was around 14 years younger to him.” Shruti avoided the eye contact. She could feel the discomfort created by the news as he pressed her palms obviously not happy to hear and that feeling of insecurity surging I him.

“You mean he is a phila….” Govind almost shouted.

“Ssshh… “ Shruti hushed him. Piu was playing in the next room and her anxiety these days to learn new words not only makes Shruti proud but also concerned and careful while using few words in front of her.

‘I.. I can…t take…” Govind muttered as the phone rang taking their full attention on the caller id displaying on the mobile screen.

"The challenges to take Piu to victory are reaching new heights each day" Shruti sighs at the thought.

With a break of coaching for almost a week would Shruti overcome the obstacle and face it challengingly?

Would Piu win??????