Rohini sat by her father, who was correcting the math answers she'd written.
She watched as Sunil's finger travelled down the sums, stopping whenever he fell into a thought, and proceeding only when he was satisfied. A nervous drip of perspiration ran down her armpit. Rohin was wearing a white tank top, and shorts, as she sat at the dining table. Her brother Raghu was out playing. Oh, how she wished she could play too. Alas, she had a math exam tomorrow. Suddenly, Sunil frowned. Rohini's right armpit dampened with sweat. Another bead rolled down her armpit, dampening the fabric of the tank top. If she got even one sum incorrect, the punishment ranged from three more sums to a slap; depending on the kind of error.
Sunil waited for a full minute. Rohini's heart was beating faster. Was it correct? Should she have revised one more time? Her fingers felt moist.
The room was full of her heady, pungent odour. Sunil turned the notebook to the last page, and proceeded to do the sum on his own. After two minutes, he arrived at an answer. But was it the same as the one she'd arrived at? Rohini couldn't remember! Sunil turned back to her answer, and looked at her, smiling. He then put a tick. Rohini could breathe again. Her armpits felt so wet, she felt as though there'd be a waterfall if she so much as moved them. With her arms clamped to her sides, she sat, her breasts heaving as she breathed. "Question 4," Sunil mumbled. There were 12 questions. Rohini sighed. This was going to be a long day. She dreaded sitting through these gruelling math sessions with Dad. He always made her slog, and punished her if she didn't get sums right. Apart from this, he was always a darling, who spoiled her silly. It was like he transformed into a different person altogether, when he was teaching her. She had barely passed her last exam, and her father had been furious. Rohini was expected to ace this exam.
The fabric of her tank top sported quite apparent wet patches under her arms. Her toned shoulders and beautifully pumped biceps were visible. Through the tank top, the ridges of her abs were visible when she talked or breathed out. Rohini had cut her hair short, into a Bob cut, which made her look cuter.
By the time Sunil had finished marking all 12 questions, Rohini's odour had spread in the entire house. It was that pungent onion-y, and ammoniacal smell of fresh nervous sweat that made one's head reel.
Sunil couldn't take the smell anymore, and regretted not buying her a new set of deos. In any case, their session was drawing to an end. He'd just have Rohini solve three more questions, and then call it a day. As he proceeded to give her the sums, her phone rang. It was Radha. Rohini excused herself, and Sunil decide that since they'd been at it for hours, she might as well take a break. "Thanks Papa," she said, and answered the call.
A frantic voice on the other end said: "Dude, have you completed your file?"
Rohini: "What file?"
Her friend: "The math practical file, dumbass! Geeta Ma'am asked me to tell you that you're screwed."
"Screwed?" Rohini felt sweat break out on her forehead.
"Yes. She said she's gonna take you to the principal tomorrow, which means you don't get to write your test." The friend replied.
"Shit!" Rohini's heart sank. She felt blood rush to her brain. From the corner of her eye, she saw her dad, writing a few more questions for her. The past two weeks had been hell for her. She had worked really really hard on her test, and she didn't want it to be for nothing. She felt beads of sweat collect at her armpit. "Dude, talk to her like ASAP! Ask for an extension. She seems really really pissed!" and her friend hung up.
