Tempest

Tuesday, 20 February 2007

Pop a 'T'

Its amazing how this happens only on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Its amazing how this never happens on any other day of the week. I have classes only on these two 'T' days. At about 2 pm for some inexplicable reason I feel immensely and inexorably sleepy. In fact, I literally sleep walk to class. I yawn my way into class and plonk myself on a chair which I strategically place behind the tallest guy in class and settle down in a comfortable position to sleep for the next 3 hours. Eyes half closed I look around at my classmates all in various states of lethargy ranging from sitting and staring ahead with a vacant, blank expression, doodling on the desk, yawning behind a book, yawning openly and loudly looking directly at the professor, leaning forward drowsily almost ready to fall off the chair, sleeping silently with the head on the desk and sleeping while snoring loudly ensconcing the class in a dull, comforting background hum. Everyday I notice just before I fall asleep that the only person bright awake and alert is Zane. She keeps tossing her pretty blonde head this way and that and smiles at our rather shy and abashed professor with an intensity that could hypnotise him into being her puppy right there in class. I don’t think she does it with any ulterior motive but being as pretty and rich as she is (a German media magnate’s one and only daughter), she probably learnt how to do that before she said the words ‘papa’ for the first time. I think or at least I used to think she was ill or had a health problem because routinely she would come to class and have a medicine before our very own ‘Professor Binns’ began with his monotonous rhetoric about leadership and why none of us would ever make good leaders (can’t blame us for feeling sleepy now can you?).

So, as usual today as I settled to plonk myself behind M for the next three hours a very low, sexy husky voice asked me if I was alright. (Hell forget a guy I think I was ready to swoon at her feet to hear the low drawl again!)
Me: I’m fine.
Zane: But you look terribly sleepy.
Me: Yeah I know…just nudge me if he says anything important.
Zane: It doesn’t matter what he says…you have to look alert to be in his good books.
Me: Yes, I know it’s impolite to him. Your right I’ll try to keep my eyes open. Sigh just poke me if he says anything important anyway.
(I hear the crackle of plastic)
Zane: Here pop a ‘T’
Me: A ‘T’?
Zane: ha ha feel more awake
Me: (with a smile) no no I don’t need any pills. Am not sick, just sleepy that’s all.
Zane: (continued charming laughter) exactly you’ll ‘feel more awake’
This time she said the phrase with subtle emphasis and a meaningfull glance at me, whose meaning was obviously lost on me.
Me: ha ha you mean the pills will keep me awake huh? (harmless joke on my part)
Zane: Haven’t you heard of the ‘T’?? Pro Plus tablets? Gosh! Ofcourse they’ll help you stay awake! (stated condescendingly)
Me: Naah think I’ll manage (now am totally awake baby!!)
So, ummm what do the pills contain?
Zane: Tablets not pills. The ‘T’ d’huh. Nothing just 50 mg caffeine.
Me: But you just had coffee.
Zane: Yeah but this is concentrated, more effective.
Me: Hey the work load just sounds crazy…don’t worry you’ll manage it. Why take the tablets?
Zane: Gosh babe! It isn’t drugs! I don’t take it because of the workload. Humph…I don’t even have to perform if I don’t want to.
Me: Why then?
Zane: Well I can’t just afford to look like a sleepy disinterested person!! It adds to the beauty…makes me look fresh and forever bright ha ha (the laugh was getting on my nerves now and so was the voice). And I just hate getting up in the morning. How the hell do you think I manage to get to class, leave alone sit through it?

At this point ‘Professor Binns’ began talking and blend into the background music made by R’s snoring. I spent the rest of the afternoon in a kind of shock. Shock isn’t the correct word. I felt strangely thrown off, flabbergasted and confused and disgusted and amazed by what she’d told me. Its not like I haven’t had friends who got into drugs. And it wasn’t like I had not heard of students taking pills to do well. But those were medical students or students studying law or another such daunting subject which would require constant hard work and dedicated slavery. She was in no way hard pressed for money. She lived life in style and luxury and did not have to worry about how to live it. She did not have to worry about the nitty gritties of grocery shopping, of cooking, of paying bills no such domestic burdens. She was not a creature over worked and starved for rest and time. But, she believed in the concept of a ‘T’ being her motivator, her alarm clock, her beautician and her popularity agent. It was as simple as that for her. It was as if she just needed to spend her money on something. She drinks regularly and she doesn’t use anti depressants or any other drugs because the ‘T’ wouldn’t work otherwise. She does not consider the ‘T’ a drug. It’s as normal and mundanely a part of her life as brushing her teeth and eating papaya in the morning is. She is neither a highly stressed student who needed to stay awake in order to do or die, nor is she a kid who was drunk 24/7 and needed the tablet to stay alive during class. She is just another rich mans daughter who needs a ‘T’ to get through a normal day.

I am still in a kind of shock. No its isn't shock. It is disgust and pity at the way the meaning of life has changed for kids today. They don't need to make an effort to live it, taste the freshness of it. They just need to pop a 'T' and that will keep them fresh all day. This happens every 'T' day. I now stay awake in class no matter how drearily dragging 'Professor Binns' becomes. I feel sorry for Zane every 'T' day.

Posted by Pavitra :: 12:40 :: 15 comments