Mrs. Nirosha, a dignified woman with warm eyes, stands among the staff, her daughter Rashmi peeking from the student rows. Mrs. Kumuduni, with sharp features and a quick smile, catches the anxious glance of her own daughter, Thilini. The air is thick with anticipation as the prefect, a tall senior girl, calls out names to step forward for discipline.
Prefect Nadeesha raises the cane and brings it down, gently but firmly, on each outstretched hand. Mrs. Nirosha flinches but stands tall, her daughter Rashmi biting her lip in the crowd. Mrs. Kumuduni tries to hide her wince, while Thilini can barely suppress a giggle.
"Well, that was an experience I never thought I’d share with my own daughter," Mrs. Nirosha chuckles, rubbing her sore palm.
Mrs. Kumuduni holds up her hand, displaying a faint red line. "If you think this hurts now, wait until the staff room hears about it!"
Rashmi[/@ch_3] and Thilini, press close, giggling as they compare their own hands with their mothers’. Sunlight dapples through the leaves, illuminating the pink welts and the laughter on their faces.]
"Mum, yours is so much redder than mine! Did you cry inside?"
"I think Mrs. Kumuduni was braver than all of us," Thilini teases, and the group bursts into laughter.
"Maybe next time, we’ll have to teach you both how to hide your hands better," Rashmi grins.
"Or maybe you girls will have to teach us how to behave!" Mrs. Kumuduni retorts, earning another round of giggles.
Mrs. Nirosha squeezes Rashmi’s hand, smiling. "Some lessons are better learned together, aren’t they?"
"Especially when we can all laugh about them after," Thilini chimes in, as the bell rings and they head off together, their spirits light.