Badge

It was shiny , new , and metallic. With Class Monitor written in black. Impressive.

“Now , that here , people, is a badge of honour . ”

She patted the badge after pinning it , poking me twice in the chest , in the process, and smiled genially. I loved Miss Samya.
.
The “people” clapped. Sumit blew a whistle . He was my best friend . My heart swelled with pride. I might have flushed too.

My school always made a big drama of small achievements . My monitor badge , for instance .

“It is just a way to enslave you. Make you run errands and miss classes. ” My father cautioned , changing the news channel , my mom , nodded assent, sipping her coffee.

That’s right. My parents .Never impressed. Ever so grounded. None of my badges , trophies , medals , meant much to them.