I was studying for my exams, when I received a call from my friends asking me to join them in the beach. I told them that I would not be able to make it since my parents will not allow me to go. Their persistence continued and I also felt a pang of excitement crawling into my heart. I also wanted to go to the beach and have fun. I informed them that I would call them back in another five minutes. I stealthily kept the receiver back, waited for a second, took a deep breath, opened my room door and walked straight past my father to the kitchen. My mother was cooking busily and looked at me as if to ask what I was doing in the kitchen.

I looked at my father again. He was looking disgusted to see his favorite batsman getting out. I did not say anything. I went to the balcony. My body was filled with excitement of going to the beach and the anxiety of asking permission from my father. I was biting my nails as if I had been hungry for the past few days. The phone rang again. It was my friends. I had not realized that five minutes passed so fast. I begged them for five more minutes.

I waited for a commercial break and slowly called my father. He looked grimly at me. That look already made me want to pee. Gathering all the courage that is possible I asked him whether I could go to my friends' house to take down some important notes. He looked very irritated at me and scolded me for keeping these important things for the last moment. How ever realizing the importance of my notes he gave me 2 hours permission.

My friends called me again to remind me that I need to take the volley ball along. Now how would I tell my father that I might require a volley ball to take down notes? I also had to take a pair of clothes to change in the beach. Note books to takedown notes. I threw the ball out of the window, inside the compound wall. I stuffed my school bag with books and clothes. I left my house, took my cycle and left for the beach. I completely forgot what I went through to get out of my house. All I could visualize was the fun.

My friends were anxiously waiting for me; actually they were waiting for the ball. It didn't matter to me. Hurriedly I removed my shirt, threw it into the bag and all the fun started. By the time we finished it was already two and a half hours since I left home. I was already feeling as if I were miles away from my house. A kind of a sensation hit my heart.

There was mud all over my body. I borrowed a towel from my friend and wiped my self thoroughly. Removed my shirt so that I could change and looked for my bag. It was not there. A sense of fear hit me. I looked around properly, I could not find it. The bag was gone. All my friends had to rush home. They wished me luck and bid good bye.

I did not know what to do. I checked the lock and sat near the cycle, I do not know for how long. I knew my parents would be waiting for me and that they would have by then called all those friends whose numbers they knew. I sat around for fifteen minutes more thinking what I would do. I was too scared to go to my house. I was feeling completely exhausted.

I decided to walk home. I again checked the lock of my cycle. I could bring a duplicate key and take the cycle back. It took me about half an hour to walk back. As I approached nearer and nearer my house I saw a crowd standing outside my building. All the faces were familiar. I felt as if I wanted to faint. There was not an inch of my body that was not filled with fear. My mother rushed to me. She bugged me. First time I saw my dad in tears.

My parents were very relieved to see me again. They did not say anything. They took me home, asked me to take my bath, have food and go to sleep.

I couldn't sleep that night. I was thinking... if every thing had gone as smoothly as I had planned, I would have probably related this incident as heroic someday to my children.. So what I did was right or wrong? I also thought what if they had not allowed me to go to the beach. What would have I done? I would have felt disappointed. I would just pretend to study. I felt very thirsty. I opened my door to find that my parents were still awake. I stood by the door to hear what they were speaking.

My father was consoling my mother that in every child's life these things happen and such an incident is definitely not the indication that the child is going on the wrong way.

I also hoped not.I was too exasperated to think anything more on the subject. I went back to sleep taking a resolution. I got up the next morning,went along with my father walking all the way to the beach took the cycle and came back home. That loving, gentle smile on my fathers face said it all.

Roshini M.Tondlikar