Sapphirism

i can't pinpoint the time when 95% became the bare minimum. like those maths questions where you assume an unknown value to be x, my parents assume that i'm smart. they think it's linear, they can put x in any equation, push me to participate in every competition and expect me to do well because i'm smart . what they don't understand is that smartness is not set in stone, it is more like a dynamic equilibrium, like homeostasis, and i need to smoke this textbook jargon on a daily basis if i want to be remotely good.   funnily, it's always unspoken. the pregnant pause when i come back home on results day. their expectant half-smile. how the numbers flood their eyes like a slot machine and how there's always a 9 in the tens place if the hundreds place is empty. the question is tossed with feigned nonchalance over the dining table, how much did you score ? if it is satisfactory, then dinner goes on without any hiccups. if not, then the numbers are wielded agains