The tooth

****She that swallows a tooth will drink oil to sooth.****

Ah, the wonders of teething, losing your milk teeth to leave place for the permanent teeth to grow. It's an important process in each child's life as it marks one of the steps leading to growth and maturity. It can also be the cause of great tragedies.

I remember when I was 7 years old, a bright little pest who was fond of skipping around and talking without thinking. Not much has changed even now when I'm in my thirties, to be honest. I still skip, not the rope, but breakfast. And I still talk a lot. While before only my fist would fit my foot, now I put in my entire foot.

So, yes, my bright younger self was busy shedding teeth. But, as goes the saying, she that sheds teeth must not talk bad of the teeth shed by others. You didn't understand, no problem. This is what proverbs are for, to confuse you so much that you end up finding an answer by yourself. As I had said, I loved talking. The serial 'Gossip girls' hadn't been launched in the 1990s, yet I could be one of its brand ambassadors. I simply loved gossiping, not because it gave me pleasure to hurt people through my words, but simply because it allowed me to talk and provided better stories.

I had a friend named Stephanie and I had heard that she had kissed a boy named Steven, on the mouth. In those days it was very dramatic news as we studied in a Catholic institution run by nuns and if it was learnt that one-germ filled mouth had been in contact with an unwashed one, it would be a calamity. What I regretted was that I didn't get to witness it, I missed the thrill and excitement that such an infraction could bring. To wallow in my deception, I turned to my bottle of water and drank a few sips of the liquid which promptly went to my head. It was enough for me to get drunk on this chlorinated fluid and I lost control of my words.

The elders have rightly said, don't talk and drink. I wish I had followed these words. Had I, then maybe I wouldn't have had to suffer in the coming days.

As soon as the news came to me then, and after losing my senses, I went to Stephanie and laughing at her, I squealed,

'Ah, you are a kisser. I will tell our Miss'uh. She will be pissed.'

Well kiss or not, Stephanie didn't miss. She swung her fists which connected with the teetering tooth hanging by a piece of gum in my mouth and off it disappeared. I gaped at her, speechless for once. But it lasted only a few seconds.

'My tooth! Where is my tooth?' I remember crying out loud. I glanced at the floor, just a few leaves from the nearby mango tree, a sheet of paper from a student's exercise book, a used tissue paper, some sweets' wrappers, half a loaf of bread, a few ants, an old coin. Nothing much. But where was my tooth? It was nowhere to be found, which meant, holy god, that I had swallowed it. Little me had started shaking in fear as I glared at Stephanie who also started to shiver with fright.

Posing as a serious competition to Usain Bolt, I rushed to the office where I knocked at the door so loudly that the sleeping nun woke up. Stephanie had followed me and she looked so breathless. Steven took away your breath Stephanie, I remembered thinking.

'Mrs Blackburn. Mrs Blackburn. She punched me and made me swallow my tooth,' I said, pressing my eyes tightly so that at least one tear could come out. I had drank some chlorinated fluid earlier, at least onedrop could come out. But no! It was like the Sahara desert. I took both index fingers and rubbed furiously at the corner of my eyes to make them look red.

'Oh, poor Sweetie, let's go and check if we can find your tooth,' she said, leading me to the crime scene. But all evidence had been erased and tampered with. My tooth wasn't found.

'Tell your mother that you swallowed your tooth, she will know what to do,' she then told me. She then punished Stephanie by taking her to the office where she would have to stay during the entire recess. I've avenged you my tooth.

Back home, I brought a saddened face to Mum and made a short expose about the premature loss of my milk teeth. She comforted me and told me not to worry.

'A tooth tree won't grow in your belly honey.' Oh, it wouldn't? That was quite sad, I could have made a lot of money by selling the teeth which would grow to people who needed dentures.

'I'll give you some oil to drink. It will just make the tooth slide from your stomach to your poop. Okay?' Oh, a magical slide for little teeth. Yes, I needed that tooth to come out, otherwise how would I give to to the little fairy to earn some additional pocket money.

'Slurp,' went the oil-filled spoon in my mouth and 'Beurk' came out. The taste was so awful, not even the punch had tasted so bad. Actually I hadn't felt any pain at all from the punch as I was right now with this oily oil.

This is when I learned a very important lesson in life, when you gossip, always do it anonymously, then at least no one will learn about it and make you swallow your words back. Because believe me, once you vomit hateful words out, it's not very tasty if you have to scrape it up and eat it.

Another important lesson that could be derived from this story, is that the truth hurts. If it's not the punch, then it's the aftermath that will bring pain.