Greentext · 3 minMatinee

>be me, class 8

>new chiranjeevi film came to our town

>came on friday

>by sunday the tent was full for every show

>the tent is behind the bus stand

>bamboo poles, blue tarpaulin, benches

>front benches two rupees

>back benches four rupees

>chairs are seven but nobody from school sits there

>by tuesday my friends had seen it

>they were doing the dialogues in the class

>i had not seen it

>sunday amma took me to the temple instead

>i could not wait till next sunday

>so on wednesday i took the four rupees

>from the dabba where amma keeps the milk money

>went to school in the morning

>left at the lunch bell

>told my friend "tell sir i went home with fever"

>the matinee is at twelve thirty

>in the tent it is dark even at noon

>that is the whole point of the tarpaulin

>i went in after the lights were off

>sat on the back bench

>end of the bench, near the pole

>so i can run if needed

>the film started

>first song

>whistles from the front

>i also whistled a little

>then somebody came and sat next to me

>in the dark

>big man

>the bench went down on his side

>smell of coconut oil and bidi

>i did not look

>he did not look

>the fight scene came

>everybody shouted

>he did not shout

>i did not shout

>i was sitting very straight

>something in my stomach was telling me something

>but i did not want to know

>then the interval came

>and the lights came on

>and i looked

>and it was srinivasa rao sir

>the pt master

>white shirt, white pant, the whistle still around his neck

>he was looking straight ahead

>at the screen

>where there was nothing

>just the cloth

>i was also looking at the cloth

>a boy came selling boiled peanuts

>sir bought two packets

>gave one to me

>without looking at me

>i took it

>without looking at him

>we ate peanuts

>lights went off

>the second half started

>we watched the whole film like that

>at the climax he said "good fight"

>to nobody

>i said "yes sir"

>to nobody

>when it ended everybody got up

>he got up

>walked out

>i waited two minutes and walked out

>he was outside, near the cycle stand

>taking his cycle

>he looked at me once

>"tomorrow pt period" he said

>"four rounds"

>"yes sir"

>that was all

>next day pt period came

>he blew the whistle

>"everybody two rounds"

>then he looked at me

>"you, four"

>the boys asked why

>"he knows" sir said

>i ran four rounds

>he stood in the middle with the whistle

>when i finished he gave me a small nod

>he never told the headmaster

>he never told nanna

>and nanna was his friend from the same street

>for years i thought he did me a favour

>then at his retirement function i was home

>i went

>he was telling old stories to the teachers

>he said "in those days i would check the matinee"

>"half the school was in that tent"

>"i would just sit next to one of them"

>"and he would tell the rest himself"

>then he looked at me across the hall

>"four rounds" he said

>everybody laughed

>i laughed

>on the way home i realised

>i had told my friends the next day

>"do not go to the matinee, pt sir sits there"

>for four years after that nobody from our school went

>he never had to go again

>one packet of peanuts