Reema hesitation and fear that she would be tagged as characterless if we knew about the whole thing barred her from approaching me and sharing her issue, even in a sugar-coated manner like earlier. She was not ready to tell me the reason behind her decision, and I did not try to dig up the truth from her with the fear that it could escalate her stress. And I felt like I was also accountable for her extreme anxiety. Like other Indian mothers, I was not ready to accept that my daughter could also fall in love. My gut feeling was telling me that this time the matter included some guy. The primary reason behind her hesitation was that I had not broached that topic before her.
How could I ignore it? I should have discussed it with her when she was in her twenties, but my hesitancy got in the way and messed everything up. After that episode, I was just left with repentance. I could not educate my daughter in the right manner and prime her for the future. I delayed long enough to make my daughter understand that it was a natural phenomenon that you would be attracted to someone, especially the opposite sex. It is called infatuation, nothing else, but it does not mean at all that, under the influence of fixation, you spoil everything. That day, I felt that I could not be different from other mothers.
I felt like I was wasting my time. Finally, I discovered the entire matter independently rather than depending on her to speak to me about everything. Even after knowing the truth, I did not discuss it with her, but yes, I got a great shock. How could she have sunk so low? The first time, I thought she was after her father. He had fun with me, impregnated me, and one day fled. But the other day, I soothed myself by saying that she also belonged to me. She would never repeat that fashion mistake and breach my trust.
I was aware that I had made a big mistake. I should not have taken that drastic step and made her school change despite her protests. There was no question about it that I goofed up things. I just supported my daughter in being an escapist rather than being a fighter. And it was only my impulsive and short-term measure to avoid the present problem. I did not teach her how to deal with that problem that had been created by her alone. I could not make her understand that evading was not the solution to any situation. Reema wasn't getting it at all; what on earth was happening to her suddenly?
There was certainly no bound to Reema's delight when she was given the news that she had gotten admission into the other school eventually, according to her wish and, more than that, her demand. As a mother, I was no doubt over the moon to find my daughter's smile returned to her face after such a long time; I literally felt as if I had retreated some valuable treasure. She was my only child, after all. I was no doubt finding it hard on myself to see her shedding tears all along. Secondly, she had just confined herself to the room for a few days and had hardly spoken or mingled with anyone. Otherwise, I knew my daughter was a people person. A complete silence prevailed in the entire house in those days.
Being a mother, I felt pity for her. However, Ravi was quite normal. According to Ravi,
"I should let her suffer the consequences of her wrongdoing so that she gets some sense and does not make the same mistake in the future."
I knew, there was no point in looking toward Ravi to help me come out of this prevailing situation. He would rather make things more complicated for me and my chances would get bleaker too. But yes, I was wrathful with him ,
"How can a father be so brutal to his own daughter, after all? And that too, with his only child. "
But it was an easy task for me to get her admission to some other school, and when the session was almost at its end, and Ravi was very candid to that point, I did not look toward him for any sort of help. Therefore, there was no one else toward whom I could look for any help regarding it. In-person, I would have visited over 15 schools in the span of one week, but those visits were of no benefit. Somehow, by God's grace, I managed to get into one of the schools that was getting ready to take Reema admissions at the end of the session. Yes, the school was very far from home, and the school timing was a bit longer than usual. It was actually a day boarding school, and it would almost take her an hour to commute from home to school in a personal vehicle. Plus, they were charging me the fee for the entire year as well. Thankfully, Ravi did not create chaos during payment. I thought right now I would shift her there next year, I would enroll her in some excellent school nearby.
I understood that Ravi got the wrong impression about me and that I did not address the problem again maturely and sensibly. Rather than realizing with Reema the adverse effect of frequent school changes, I bent to her irrational demand and messed up the whole thing. He also warned me that I would have to pay heavily for that rash decision before long. And my gut feelings warned me of the same. I was on the board with him. I did the work from the heart. And most of the time, I had to repent later on for my decisions. To bring a fake smile on my daughter's face for a moment, I did the job of playing with her future knowingly, which should not have happened. In either case, he was adamant that the wrongdoer be punished. Exemption only encourages the person to make more mistakes in the future in the hope of escaping the next time. And like this, it becomes his or her habit. Next, frequently changing schools hurts the academic performance of students. And last but not least, in every new place, a person has had to put some extra effort into establishing and settling down by themselves.
And so, I could see and sense that he was not pleased at all with my decision to shift to the other school on her insistence. He perceived that Reema was guiding and manipulating me, and accordingly, I was behaving in a bizarre manner. Despite that, he did not protest my decision in the open. I understood being a good mother. My first duty should be to make my daughter realize her mistakes. Still, I acted as a feeble mother who bent before her daughter's absurd demands every time to put a fake smile on her face for the time being. On the contrary, he wanted Reema to face her act's repercussions, became watchful, and did not dare make such nasty mistakes again. And he had a notion of making her school change, I helped my daughter be an escapist. Nothing else.
I had a feeling that Reema had suffered enough for her misdeed, and she would not make such a bad mistake in the future after that episode. That was the other thing my daughter proved me completely wrong. But that time, like another feeble mother, I thought it would be insane on our side if we tagged her. Reema was undoubtedly too excited about going to her new school on another day. She had set her bag carefully according to the timetable at night and went to bed a bit earlier. However, Ravi did not stay behind to make her aware that we were aware of her whole misadventure, which she had created in the previous school. He cautioned her, too, that previous mistakes should not be repeated in school. He spoilt her with all the mood and excitement as well while having dinner. He said, in a serious tone.
"Reema, It is high time. For your kind information, we are both well aware of what a mess you have created in your previous school from the very beginning. I wanted you to come forward and confess all the offenses, but you kept trying all the time to hide things from us. If you think you will not let your parents know about your offenses, you are at fault. Now I can no longer count on you just like this. You have lost my trust, but be careful if you remain like this. You will lose your mother's trust one day, whom you have taken for granted all along. I do not want you to commit any such nuisance in your new school and tarnish the image of all of us. Always register in your mind that you are representing your parents and family outside this home. "
Yes, I also had some concerns about what might happen if she committed the same mistake there too. I had no intention of tagging my daughter. After all, she was my daughter, and I adored her immensely. But she did not know that she would have to work out there more to settle down there and prove herself. She could not show her the same tantrum there and her mother could not approach the school and pressurize her teacher for anything either. And it would not be as simple as she was thinking. It was essential for her to understand that her mother could not make her school change every time she insisted, one after the other.
Nevertheless, she also had some limitations. She was helpless to change the environment and situation in her own way. And in every new place, people have had to adjust to settle down; otherwise, they would remain alone forever.
She was trying her best to find out about her new school more and more. When my response did not satisfy her, she took Google's help to collect more information about her new school. She found out from there. A beauty pageant show is organized there, and for a picnic and tour, kids are taken abroad as well. The school was no doubt expensive enough, and children from creamy families were entertained there. Students did not need to carry a lunch box along with them. Besides, the school charged for the water they drank. In the name of co-curricular activities, the school charged exorbitantly. And co-cular activities included drama, Belle's dance, playing musical instruments, modelling, etcetera.