My heart skipped beats as Mr Harry, our English teacher entered the class. He came in smiling as usual, oblivious of how he made my heart beat irregularly.
Mr Harry never misses his class. He comes to school early. He enters our class by 7.45 on the dot and begins his lecture by 8am on the dot. He has never missed any of these.
When Mr Harry first got transferred to our school, we used to think he was a machine, a robot or something inhumane. He was accurate with all.
Few weeks after Mr Harry resumed in our school, he stole the heart of all the students.
We voted him as our games teacher and our dance teacher.
Mr Harry became the heart of our school with his appalling ways.
As he entered the class around 7.45am on the dot, he walked to his table. As usual, He placed his head on his locker. During these times, Mr Harry doesn't like to be disturbed.
As he laid on his locker or he slept, we watched him breathe slowly. Excitedly, we watched his shirt form billows because of the air that blew in.
"It's a cold morning" Katty whispered from behind, pulling my shirt roughly.
"Yes" I managed to say, not taking my eyes off Mr Harry.
"You think he is cold?"Katie pestered again.
"It's almost 8. Maybe he would miss his time today" I said.
"He won't" Kyle, the smallest boy in the class who had been eavesdropping replied.
Just then, Mr Harry stood up on the dot of 8.
Unconsciously, I jammed my hands together. Other students followed happily.
As we clapped happily, Mr harry stood in front of us, laughing heartily. His beautiful eyes shone brightly.
As we clapped, Mr Harry began blowing kisses at all. My heart pounded mercilessly.
"We love you, Mr harry"
"And I love you all too" Mr Harry laughed harder, closing his eyes.
"Why are his eyes closed" Katty asked.
"Best things are felt with the eyes closed" I whispered back, thinking what a happy man he was.
When Mr Harry teaches, no one makes noise. Everyone is focused. We also keep quiet to make Mr Harry Happy.
Thirty minutes before the end of the class, I felt Katie's tap. I knew what she wanted to do.
She wanted us to play pranks in Mr. Harry's class by passing papers with naughty messages in them like we did in other teachers classes.
In the end, I had to pass my hand to her since she wont stop disturbing. She forced a little paper into it.
"You love him right?" Was written boldly on the paper.
I wasn't done with the shock from her msg when she sent another.
"He is single. Confess your feelings"
The bell rang and Mr Harry walked out of the class, stopping to bow to us at the door as usual before taking his leave.
The next week which will remain memorable in our hearts, Mr Harry walked into the class angrily.
Kyle burst into tears. We had never seen Mr Harry so angry.
"You all scored below 5 in my test! What happened?"
Then he said he would give us two stroke of cane each. Mr Harry had never beaten us before.
When he got to my turn, my heart raced.
"Your hand, back or bum" He said calmly.
"Hand, sir" I said and stretched.
As the cane landed on my hand, I did not take my eyes off him.
"See me tomorrow in my office" Mr Harry said.
That day, he did not teach. He left the class, bowing to us as usual at the door.
After he left, we wept because we hurt him.
"Let us get him a gift tomorrow to tell him we are sorry"Tom, the class captain suggested.
We all contributed. Katie and I were chosen to get Mr Harry a chessboard game, a dart game and two pair of socks after class.
The next morning, we all arrived early. We placed his gifts on his table. We sat quietly and Waited for him to arrive.
At 7.30am on the dot. We did not hear the horn of his car.
Kyle was the first to run to the door to peep.
"His car isn't out there" He cried out.
We all agreed that his car got faulty.
When the clocked ticked 7.45, there was no Mr Harry on his chair with his head on the desk.
Someone burst into tears, it was Laura, the African girl in our class.
A loud silence plagued the room.
"8.00am" Kyle gasped.
In unison, we rose to our feet, before turning our heads to his gifts on the table.
We waited and waited. When it was 10.30am, Mrs Dorothy walked into our class with the saddest face ever.
"Where is our best friend? Our best teacher?"
We all cried out as if we could read each other's mind.
"Something terrible happened. Mr Harry died of an heart attack last night" Mrs Dorothy said before realizing she shouldn't break such news to a bunch of sad fragile teenagers.
"You are dismissed from class today" Mrs Dorothy busted into tears, before running out of her classroom.
A picture fell off her hands. I dashed towards the picture. I saw two kids that looked just exactly like Mr Harry and a woman who could be no other person than Mr Harry's wife.
"She ran away with the kids. They found the picture on his chest this morning" The assistant dance teacher who came with Mrs Dorothy said.
I was the first to weep uncontrollably. We all wept for our beloved teacher. We had all promised ourselves yesterday to perform well in his next text. How could we have known that he would leave us.
That day, I cried. I held Mr Harry's picture dear to my heart. I wondered why he wanted to see me in his office. It hurt that I would never know. It hurt that all this while he had been a walking day.
How time flies! Today we had our graduation ceremony
I went about my day like it was just every other day that I attended classes. I spoke to just few people, no one got offended if I snubbed them as they learned to adjust to my creepy ways.
Some of my classmates hated me because I wouldn't get over Mr Harry. Some avoided me, because they began to see me as Mr. Harry's ghost. They never knew why I couldn't get over him. Only, Katie knew how much I loved him but Katie moved to Paris, the next week after Mr Harry died. She couldn't stand it.
"So, It's graduation day and I want to deliver flowers to Mr Harry's grave, no one to go with me" I said to Katie over the phone.
"Go with your boyfriend" Katie giggled.
"My boyfriend, Mr Harry is dead! Will call you later" I said and slammed the phone.
That was when I felt someone tapped me. It was Kyle.
"Kyle" I greeted, realizing how big he had grown. I used to be taller than him.
"Let me go with you, Claire" He said and without waiting for my permission, he slipped his hands into mine.
@greenrun told me about his highschool teacher who always keeps to his time. Never late, not too early but just in time. So, I thought about this story.
@camzy's voice, lol)Image Source: Google
