After I am dressed, I grab my wallet and mobile and stuff them in my right and left trouser pocket. I then dash down the stairs at exactly eight fifty four. I rifle through the books in my rucksack which I have left downstairs in front of the stairs ensuring I have all the books and materials for the challenge that lies ahead of me.
When this task has been completed I walk into the kitchen. Here I find my mother has already prepared my vitamins and other tablets I must take. After I have consumed all these tablets I grab a box of ‘Coco Pops.’ I pour a generous amount of ‘Coco Pops’ into my clean, pure and white bowl. After I have poured the amount of cereal that I feel is needed I add my full fat milk and walk into the living room. Here I slump myself on the sofa and switch on the television.
Many people watch the news in the morning but I find this doesn’t feel right to me, it feels as if the school day has started if anything informative is watched in the morning. So instead I flick to the golf channel, here I watch ‘Golf Central’ a golf news programme, this show lets me stay in my comfort zone. At eight twelve I have finished my cereal, while walking to the kitchen I slurp up all the milk that is left behind. I leave the bowl in the sink for my mother to clean once she returns home from dropping of my sister to school. I return to the living room to switch the television off and sort out the cushions into an orderly fashion. At exactly eight fifteen the doorbell will ring, I trudge out of the living room and in to the hallway. I pick up my rucksack and fling it on one shoulder and shout “bye father,” as I leave shutting the door behind me.
I arrive at school at eight thirty if there is no traffic, but in this day and age when, where is there not traffic? I enter the Lyon Building and take the first left to reach my form room, I do not enter, however. Instead I choose to go to my locker and place my scarf and gloves in there. As I close my locker the tall, smartly dressed figure of Mr.Singleton pleasantly says “Alright Aman,” I reply “Yes sir.” By this time though he has entered the form room. Entering the form room is a total change of atmosphere from the hallway. It is peaceful and calm here whereas in the form room it is nothing less than a jungle full of people commuting and doing homework until Mr.Singleton shouts, “OK boys.” There is an immediate silence. However few of the more disruptive boys carry on talking. After the register is taken the form is sent of to our classes, everybody walks wearily towards the door in a very disorderly fashion. Mr.Parker also walks down the hallway at this time and tells a handful of boys including myself to tuck our shirts in and look smart. These words have been recited so many time by so many teachers it has lost its effect on us pupils. As I and a group of my peers drag ourselves off to lessons we see and commute with boys from other forms. We sometimes become so engrossed in each others conversation that we lose track of time and find ourselves late for classes.
After three classes each lasting forty minutes we are rewarded with a break time of twenty minutes, that is if we are not detained, which seems to be a regular occurrence for myself. Missing break time is nothing new as each teacher finds a measly excuse to detain you for ten minutes. It infuriates me that I seem to always be caught when committing one of these acts that are considered not fit for school, however if any other boys do the same thing the teachers attention seems to be somewhere else.
For the ten remaining minutes of break I run as fast as I can to ‘Cloisters’ where I grab a slice of pizza for fifty pence and devour it as if I have not eaten in days. The bell rings, reminding me of the bell that awakes me in the morning. I whisk myself off to another three lessons; however these lessons are followed by a fuller, useful break. Lunchtime. I immediately rush to the canteen and evaluate the queue not that it makes a difference to me. I skip the line if it is long, or short for that matter. I have been caught on several occasions but the thrill of getting away with such a petty action, yet it excites me.
Lunchtime is followed by another three lessons, except for Friday where it is only followed by two. After these lessons have finished the school day is officially over, however on Thursday’s I choose to attend a badminton club which runs for an hour. After this I phone my mum and ask her to pick me up.
After reaching home I immediately rush upstairs and finish all the homework that I have been set. After finishing what seems like an everlasting mountain of work I simply surf the net. That is until I hear my stomach rumbling, I then go downstairs and grab a quick bite and return to the computer. The internet seems to fascinate me, an endless source of everything and anything. When I am called for dinner I rush down the stairs and eat dinner with the whole family each of us discussing how our days were. After dinner all my energy is sapped and I withdraw to my bedroom where I flick through a magazine and eventually drift off into calm, quite and tranquil sleep.
Amanbir Singh Sawhney
