Surpassing Hercules

"Can't you ever do anything right?"1

Her tone was acidic.2

*Smack!* 3

The slap even worse.4

The looks of crowd made my blood boil.5

I vowed then. That I would prove her wrong. 6

My mother was wrong!7

The teacher sat in the staff room, a bit worried, as she held the English answer papers in her hand. 8

"Whats the matter L, looks like this year's batch too, is attempting to make you forget your English, eh?" asked M.9

"Oh, no...its just this lad. V." She answered as M broke her from the state of anxiety.10

"V, Oh heck! Now if I've ever seen a boy like him! All I've got to do is begin the chapter, and he's done every sum pertaining to it from every book in the library! Well, he actually isn't exactly what you'd call a genius! But he even better! I mean, what boy or for that matter what person works that hard! And whats more...I'd have loved to brand him a nerd, but he's in the school foot ball team as well!"11

"Oh you are absolutely right M! The boy really hasn't got half the talent other boy's have in football. But with the amount of effort he puts in, wow! " Chuckled Mr. S, the sports-master.12

"Both of you are right, but...look here. He's written one of the best English papers I've ever seen. And not only that he's even done every non-compulsory question! That at a time when students crib about not being to complete even the essentials! But the strange thing here is that he's left out an essay!" Quipped Miss. L, rather excitedly, though not quite chirpily.13

"It happens dear lady. It happens often. I mean after all, everyday isn't Sunday!" M spoke aloud.14

"No M! Its not like that. I mean, if he had enough time to do all those non-compulsory question, why did he leave out the essay?"15

"Oh c'mon L, sometimes you people give such crooked essay titles, that even the best student gets muddled trying to answer them. And maybe he just finds essays to be a lot boring." S answered this time.16

"No, no, no! What in the name of comets and stars is difficult about writing an essay titled "My Mother" ? And take it from me, that essays are his wrongest point."17

"You don't think its...?" M spoke in.18

I loved it. Every time words like "best", "excellent", "one and the only" were associated with me. Every time those gold medals were slung along my neck, and my name engraved upon those golden trophies. I loved every moment of them.19

I showed it to her, every time I could. As many times as I could manage. I couldn't just do things right, I did them better than anyone.20

I proved her wrong!21