After the school was over, I waited for everybody to clear out and then rushed to the library. I had to talk to my fellow scientist, the janitor, to figure out the knotty problem of the chemical energy. He was on the library computer, looking at some videos of magnets on YouTube.
"I just wanted to see how a powerful magnet pulls nails off weaker magnets," the janitor said. "But this video is even better. Take a look."
'Should I see some fun video or do some serious research,' I thought for a moment. Then I scolded myself for even thinking like that. I told the janitor in a firm voice, "show me the video."
It was a cool video. Somebody had made a big rhomboid by attaching lot of small magnetic balls. Then he brought a very powerful magnet near this magnetic balls. The magnetic balls broke up violently and attached to the powerful magnet.
"Did you see how violently the magnetic balls snapped to the powerful magnet?" The janitor asked. "Did you hear the sound they made when they snapped?"
"Yes!" I said. "Those magnetic balls darted like a bullet."
Then, in the video, the person started peeling the magnetic balls off the powerful magnet.
"Boy! That magnet is very powerful, isn't it?" The janitor asked. "Look, how much effort he is putting to pull those magnetic balls away!"
"Yeah!" I said mesmerized.
I knew I was wasting my time. I had to find about chemical energy. But I asked the janitor," Hey! Did you see that viral cat video?"
We wasted an hour on videos before one of us came to our senses. It was the janitor.
"We better stop it. I have something important to discuss. I need your help," the janitor said,
"What a coincidence! Even I needed your help. But you go first."
"I heard that a vacancy has come up in the physics lab. The current lab attendant has retired. So I thought I would apply for that job," the janitor said.
'You! For the lab attendant job. Do you even have the qualification?' I wanted to ask. But one can't be so rude to someone, especially after watching cat videos for an hour with him.
"Good!" I said. "Why do you need my help?"
"I thought you can put in a good word for me with your class teacher. Seeing how I helped you with understanding all this work and energy."
"Woah! You helped me!" I asked surprised. "I helped YOU!"
"All right, All right! No problem," the janitor said. "You helped me a bit. I helped you a bit. But the question is can you recommend me for the job to your class teacher. I heard he is the one who is recruiting."
I looked at him confused. Did he have any idea how strange his request his? What did he want me to do? Go to my class teacher and tell him that I am learning Science from janitor! And then ask him whether he could appoint him as lab attendant.
"Look! You wanted to write the greatest book, didn't you?" I asked. "That's why you took this job!"
"I don't have it in me, man! It has been four years and I haven't even written one chapter," the janitor shook his head ruefully. "But our discussions about work and energy have opened my eyes! Now I know what I really want to be! I don't want to become the greatest writer. I want to be the greatest scientist. That's why I need your help.I need the job in a science lab to realize my dream."
That's when something in me snapped.
"Will you wake up?" I shouted. "Forget becoming greatest writer or scientist. You are not even going to become world's greatest janitor."
But the moment I said it, I knew I made a mistake. I saw in his eyes how much I had hurt him. I shouldn't have said that. He was my friend! I mean, I watched cat videos with him!
I turned around and left the library without saying a word.
"So, this is what you do in the library," a voice said from behind me. I was just outside the school walking towards my home.
I turned and saw Bhumika.
"Oh, you!" I sighed. She was the last person I wanted to witness my showdown with janitor. "Why are you following me?"
"Because I wanted to find out who is helping you to takeover my spot in inter school science quiz team," she said.
"What!" I asked confused.
"Oh! Don't pretend like you don't know. Mark Madhavan, the last bencher, the good for nothing student suddenly gets interested in science! And that too just two days before the team for inter school quiz is going to be announced," she said.
"Oh! You are so wrong!" I said once I realized what she was saying.
The city schools organized a science quiz every year. Each school sends one student as participant and one hundred students as forced audience to the quiz. Last year I was selected to be the forced audience. That is why I even know about the quiz. It was an eye opener for me. In the contest they asked questions like, 'Who invented the safety lamp?' and nobody, I mean nobody asked, "What is safety lamp?" They didn't even say, 'who cares!' Instead, they correctly answered, "Laurel and hardy". Or something like that.
"I wouldn't participate in it even if they chain me and make me go," I said.
"Don't think you can fool me for a second," Bhumika said. "I have won it for the last two years. And I will be selected this year also and win it."
For a moment, I wished I would be selected instead of her just to spite her. But then I remembered questions like, 'I discovered the gas methamphitamiinphosphinoSTOPIT! Who am I?' and I shuddered.
"If you spoil my plans somehow, you know what will happen, right?" She asked menacingly. "I will tell the class teacher that you learnt all that stuff about work and energy from janitor."
"That's not true!" I said.
"It doesn't matter," she said. "Do you think the class teacher will want to find out the truth?"
She was right. "Look! You don't need to worry about me. I am not interested in that quiz," I said and started walking towards home.
"Hey! One last thing. Can you send me the link to that viral cat video?" She asked from behind.
She had some nerve. I am not going to send her the link for at least thirty minutes. Let her suffer!
I started walking fast towards home. It was already late and I was afraid my parents would be worried, especially if there is nothing to watch on TV.
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