Chapter 3:
That entire day Nina kept wondering what gift Grandfather could have brought for her that needed mummy’s opinion before it could be given to her. She almost lost the gloom that had been hanging around her since she had been worried about her weird chameleon-like-behaviour of the past few days.
Beryl was glad to see her looking happier than she had for quite some time now. When she had sneaked a glance at her friend as she rushed in late to the Biology lab. It had been weird to have a Nina around who was constantly under stress. Also she had some good news, or was it bad news, she wasn’t sure. But it was news nevertheless. She waved at Nina to signal that she had saved her a seat beside herself. Nina came over and sat down beside her friend. She looked quizzically at Beryl to ask what she was looking so excited about. Then she muttered ‘I’ve got some news.’
Beryl said out of a corner of her mouth, ‘So have I. But wait till the class is over.’
She signalled to her other side where a bespectacled boy with a sharp, intelligent face was sitting.
Nina understood that Beryl had to say something about her weird chameleon-like-behaviour of the past few days and couldn’t say it in front of Oliver.
Oliver was their other best friend. He was extremely computer savvy and quite as good as Nina in math. In fact it was in a Math camp that the two of them had become friends. Beryl, strangely, had known both of them since before then, Oliver being her neighbour and Nina her friend at school.
Oliver looked enquiringly at the two girls. ‘What’s up?’
‘Er…welcome back, Oliver.’ Nina whispered as she smiled at him.
Just then Mrs.Watts gave the three of them an extremely cold stare. They all immediately turned to their respective copies and started copying down all that was written on the blackboard.
‘So, what?’ Oliver demanded as they exited the Bio lab after two gruelling periods, on their way to the grounds. They had a free period before Math. ‘What’s been going on? I haven’t been gone two weeks and you two seem to have…I dunno been doing what. Will you tell me what’s been going on?’
‘It’s nothing, really. Ok, Beryl you tell him. I need to save up my expressions of sorrow for when I tell mom.’ Nina said, shrugging her shoulders her face losing the colour it had gained this morning.
She listened listlessly as Beryl narrated the entire incident adding a word or two here and there. She observed Oliver’s face change colour to a pale white, when he heard Beryl and Nina’s suspicion about the true nature of the peppermint-tasting tablets. Then watched with surprise when he started laughing and the end of the narrative.
‘Thanks, people, for cheering me up after that awesome Bio class. Changing shapes “only in my head, not visible to anyone except me” indeed! Did you actually think that I would go in for it? You know I think you two’ve had an overdose of Harry Potter lately. Classy story, though. I could write a book upon it. I still might, to come to think of it. Next time think of a better practical joke, or try this on the KG babies, OK?’
Beryl ignored him and turned to Nina instead ‘I asked Baron. He said he’s not changing into other people, exactly.’
‘What do you mean, ‘exactly’?’ Nina asked quickly.
Beryl smiled, ‘He said he was still wondering how he had turned from being so ugly as a baby to as good-looking as he was now.’
Nina rolled her eyes, ‘It is obviously the most defining question of his life, specially since that photograph of that idiot in Kindergarten has gone round the school.’
‘Yes, yaa, how can he be so thick as to not realize that it isn’t his pix at all, but a baby baboon’s!’ Beryl continued as the other two laughed loudly.
Oliver glanced at his watch, ‘I guess we should get back to class. Math starts in ten minutes.’
‘Actually, seven.’ Beryl corrected him.
‘Who cares?!’ Nina interrupted, ‘Grandpa’s at home! And he said he’s got me a gift!’
And the rest of the way back the threesome made the wildest guesses about the gift.
Beryl and Oliver knew that Nina really loved her grandfather, and when they met him the first time, they, without really realizing how, realized that they liked him as much as Nina. He just inspired their confidence.They decided to go to Nina’s place that evening after school so that they could meet Grandfather and see Nina’s gift