Tell me a tall tale

"Our shyam," explained Nitin, "tells tall tales!"
Missing Shyam?” Nitin asked Pankaj.
“Or Shyam’s stories?” Rakesh asked.
“What do they mean?” wondered Pankaj. “And why are they talking to me?” They’d ignored him from his first day at school. Only Shyam had befriended him and was now Pankaj’s best friend. “What stories?” he asked.
“Our Shyam,” Nitin explained, kindly. “Tells tall tales!”
“You’re lying!” Pankaj shouted, furious.
“Remember,” Nitin said, “We’ve known Shyam for years!”
“He tells tales about his uncles, their private jets, cousins who know famous film makers…” Rakesh stopped. Pankaj looked stunned and they walked away, satisfied.
Were Shyam’s stories only tall tales Pankaj wondered. And the story of Shyam’s family leaving for the U.S.? Was that a story too?
When Shyam came to school the next day, Pankaj was ready. He knew Nitin and Rakesh were waiting to see what he would do, “What happened yesterday? Did a director want to meet you?” Shyam looked puzzled. “No,” he said, “I wasn’t well and…”
“Some terrible illness that needed famous doctors?”
Caught out
Shyam looked hurt and Pankaj felt mean. “You missed a Math test yesterday!” he said, to make up.
“Math!” Shyam said, “I am good at Math! I am sure I’ll do well in Math even in an American school!”
“When are you going to America?” Pankaj asked, furious that Shyam was telling stories again.
“Next year,” Shyam said.
“And visas?” Admission into a school? A house?”
Shyam looked surprised but said, “My father…will do all that!”
Pankaj continued asking Shyam probing, uncomfortable questions. Shyam grew more and more puzzled, lapsing into silence by the end of the day. He only spoke to Pankaj when it was absolutely necessary.
Pankaj should have been happy but he wasn’t. He missed Shyam and those stories about his family. And the day Shyam was absent, Pankaj was very lonely because no one talked to him, not even Nitin and Rakesh. And sitting alone, Pankaj realised what a fool he had been. He had shown Shyam that all his stories were tall tales. But that had left him alone, with not a single friend.
A week ago, Pankaj had seen only Shyam’s faults. Now, he recalled his laughter and friendship. He remembered how Shyam had befriended him. And finally, Pankaj knew what he had to do.
“Shyam,” Pankaj teased the next day. “Where were you yesterday? I was afraid you’d moved to America!”
The other boys stared in amazement at Pankaj. Shyam looked surprised too but a grin spread across his face, “Not now!” he said, “my uncle will send his private jet and we’ll go in that! And…”