That Shirt

Do you remember, how we used to buy a size or two larger whenever we went out to buy our school uniform?
The reason?

“Well, we could use the shirt for the next two years”.

In April when we used to go to school, it was always with our shirts bigger than us and our sleeves folded. So many people told us to open up our sleeves. Sometimes in the name of etiquette and sometimes in the name of discipline but we didn’t do it. We did it only when our lives were on the line, during the parent-teacher meeting.

And then, ‘THAT DAY’ came!

The day before farewell, the day before the exams when our friends run behind us with pen, pencil, marker whatever they can find to write those vows, those memories, those school loves and curses. On ‘That Day’ at ‘That Time’ that oversized shirt feels small.
That day, on our own will, in order to wrap up our memories we opened our sleeves. That day, we took out time to read all those memories written on ‘That Shirt’- the shirt we used to throw away right after reaching home, in order to claim our freedom.
That day that shirt became so special that it felt like a sin to even get a wrinkle on it.

Today, as I took out that shirt from my cupboard, I could read all the stories from it. The first compliment, the first failure, the first class punishment, going to the ground while bunking the class… everything! Those food stains, those marks made by badges everything… everything came back together as though it was just yesterday.

My mom came into the room saying she would keep it somewhere safe- away from the dirt. But we keep something away only when we don’t have a use for it anymore. But this shirt, this piece of cloth will come in handy every time we fail in life, reminding us not to give up hope, to keep going on… because we have to complete all the promises we made to all those idiots.

Writer  : Manya Arora

Grade  : 12 (Year 2023)

Place    : Chandigarh, India