FINGERS CROSSED:
Tomorrow is the day of my 12th result. I am little concerned, not about the marks because I knew I have done my exams well. I am worried that she may not come there, and I may not see her. However, I pinned my hopes on my instincts, which always murmured to me.
“Go to the school, she will come there surely."
I am bored thinking this continuously for three months, right from the day I finished writing my last exam. Nevertheless, I couldn’t do without thinking of this. Lying in the bed I thought about the same for another time. And I doubted that, today’s night may also end as another sleepless night like most of my past 90 nights.
” Let me check how my instinct works. I said to myself and closed my eyes." That is the last thing I remember.
“Wake up Krishna, it is too late today. Time is getting near 8’o clock”
My mother shouted. I realised that I have slept in the previous night, because I am waking up now. After a humongous yawn, I saw the clock, the time is exactly 8’o clock. I got up from the bed, and went to wash my face.
My mum after arranging the bed went to fetch my morning coffee. For these seventeen years, I drink the morning coffee before brushing my teeth. This may be the reason,
“Why my mom’s coffee tasted good only in the morning?”
I said the coffee tastes too good to my mother (first lie even in the very morning, who knows how the result might turn out)
My father came to the kitchen, saw me sipping coffee with a meditative look on my face, and asked.
“Will you get above 80%, I know you will, but I just asked you."
I am little irritated with this because it may be the 100th time he is asking me the same question since from the day I finished my exams.
“Who knows? I wrote the exam well, but I don’t how many marks they are going to afford me... Wait for another three hours up to that don’t pester me pa…” I said with a touch of asperity.
I know why my father is asking me like this, because he has a doubt that I may disappoint him like I did with my tenth result. Huffily I got up and conducted my daily morning business. Before I am ready, my father got ready, and he is waiting for me eagerly.
Then my mother combed my hair neatly and caked my face in talcum. Even so, it is really the kiss given by her in my cheeks, which made my face pretty, as it blushed with bliss when it got its kiss.
Though I am seventeen years old, I am still a kid to them. I am a pampered kid even now as always. I am being a one and only son to them. They brought me up with much affection. They never have raised their hands to hit me even once in their life, though we have quarrelled many times.
As my house is small, the distances between our hearts are also smaller. Other than the three of us there lived another member who never paid his rent for staying with us. He is none other than the “happiness."
I and my father reached the internet centre at 10’o clock. The results are said to be published exactly at 10’o clock but in our country, it means that the results will be available at 10:30. So we have to wait for another half an hour. I saw my father sitting with full of eagerness and tension as if he has written the exam. I know there will be thousands of thoughts running in his mind. However, he is reticent because he knew very well that in this tension, I will get angry if he asserts something to me.
After half an hour, my 12th result flashed on the screen. I turned towards the left to see my father where he was sitting before. He is not there so I turned right he is standing there beside of me. He shouted my marks loudly in my ears, hugged me and once again,
He exclaimed “95%, I never thought of this! I not at any time expected that my son is going to get these many marks"
He is very much happy in this moment. His happiness seemed that, he will even reject a life in heaven to live these seconds on earth.
Later, he immediately took one rupee coin from his pocket and went to ring my mother in order to share his happiness with her, like he did every time. This is the kind of love my father really possesses towards my mother.
” I am going to school to check out my friends marks” I said to my father, and I headed towards my school.
I reached my school gate at 11’o clock. On reaching my school, my heart started to beat as twice faster than before. I went towards the board that is kept on the side of our school ground, in which the results have been displayed. As I started moving I saw her at a short distance. She is busy in seeing the results. As soon as my eyes saw her my legs started to walk in a great speed towards her.
My whole body perspired. I am fully tensed than even during my result. I went near her. She saw me and smiled. I too returned a smile.
I am very much happy that my instinct has at last worked out. Since I have another instinct whispering in my heart, it is.
“I am the one who is going to marry her."
I then asked her how much percentage she has earned. As I wished, it is a little lesser than mine. She asked my percentage, and I said that to her.
“Which college have you planned to join?” I asked her suddenly.
Little surprised by my question,
“Not yet decided, I will decide it in the counselling” she responded to it.
Then I saw her, seeing all her friend’s marks. I too put my fingers on the board to check out the marks my friends have scored. I first went to Syed and then went for the others.
After that I wished to get away from that place while she is still standing there. I don’t know why I wished like so. Might because I don’t wish to talk with her when her father is standing there with her? But I normally don’t care about these things, then.
“Why do I wish to get out of the place while she is still standing there?” I swear I really don’t know why I wished like so?
“When one is in love, he will behave crazily at times." I have heard this many times, but I experienced this for the first time.
Then I went out from my school and saw it from the outside. To me, it appeared as if I am seeing my school for the last time. At the second, I saw my school, I realised I am missing my paradise. Because,
“School is not only a place, which is filled with buildings and trees
But also it is a relation to which half of our soul stays with.
When we come away from them,
Making us remember the places:
Where we once attended classes,
The place where we once sat and had fun,
The place where we once shared our food,
The place where we once bunked our classes and roamed,
The place where we have been there once
And spent the happiest moments of our life …”
I am really as much worried as missing my girl for missing my school. If the places where angels live are called as the heaven, then my school is the real heaven for me because I had my angel near to me only there.
As I am walking in the road, the thing, which everyone says to be happening only in the films, is happening to me at this time. She is going in front of my eyes with sitting in her father’s scooter. I saw her face. She smiled and shook her head with a flourish. I reciprocated the same to her.
I realised this moment is going to be one of the most beautiful moments in my life because this moment is mixed with pain and happiness. The happiness for I have got this moment in my life, which I yearned for. This moment is little cinematic. So it is hard for me to forget; in other words, it will be easy for me to remember, and I will ever cherish this as long as I live. And pain despite the fact that this moment might end up as the last moment, in which I have her near me.
And I knew; it is with the remembrance of this moment I am going to survive, until I get her another moment to be shared with mine.
In the following night, my mother and father slept complacently with pride. Though I am the reason behind this, I am restless in the night. I begin to think about the things happened during my result. In retrospect, I started to regret for failing to ask her about the course she wishes to join.
I am as blank as a last bench student’s exam paper, about the course she will join. If I have asked her, then I will also have chosen the same course in the Engineering counselling. In the counselling students can choose the college and the course in that college based on the % of marks they have got in their 12th public exam. There is merely a little difference between hers and mine marks. Similarly, there is only a little chance for me to meet her on the counselling, which is going to be held in the next month.
So once again, I started to regret for missing the golden chances of speaking with her.
After I have fallen in love with her, I regret more than rejoicing. If I haven’t loved her, then I will have nothing to worry about. I will rejoice in every single second of my life but now.
“Why should I brood over the minutes, I miss her?”
“Why should I yearn for her now to come into my life?”
“Why am I in love, as never before?”
To me how she happened? Thinking of this always makes me feel great and wonder….
HOW I MET HER:
There are two kinds of lovers in this world. The first kind falls in love at their first sight. While the other feels after: sometime, some days, some weeks, some months, or some years that they have actually fallen in love at their first sight itself. I belong to the second kind, but I didn’t remember when I had actually fallen in love with her, when she happened to me four years before…
My father being a government employee he got transferred for every three years. So, was our family that we every time shifted to a new house, which will be in proximity to our father’s office. That time we shifted to a big town, and my mother as usual established a strong relationship with the neighbours’ house families.
I had no other option than leaving my old school because I didn’t wish to stay in the hostel. Then I joined that new school which was suggested to me by one of my father’s friends whose son was already studying in that school.
After spending my eighth standard holidays I entered as a fresh student to that new school for my ninth standard.
When I entered the class, I was really surprised because my father’s friend’s son turned out to be studying in the same section of class I entered. His name was Syed. We hardly knew each other. One time we played cricket together in the ground near our house. Hence, we knew each other’s name and nothing more than that.
Then I went to the last bench and sat there as it was the only seat available for me. Few students inquired about me, and I started responding to them. Few become friends with me even in our first meeting in the class…
In my first period, my class teacher asked the new students to introduce themselves. I stood up, as I stood up I saw only me standing. I understood that I was the only new student to their school. I introduced myself by saying my name and the reason for which I had left my old school
When I started answering, I saw everyone turning back to look at me, as I was standing on the last bench.
I didn’t remember every face that looked back at me, but I still remember a face which was in my mind as a rain spattered and impressionistic picture looking back at me. I didn’t remember my first meeting with most of the people but hers. My brain was cunning enough to remember my first meeting with her yet it never revealed this for a few years. It hid this from me, because it was afraid that I might not go with its wish to love her during that innocent age. When you fall in love, you would realise the mischievous things done by your brain even without your knowledge.
That was the first time I saw her. After years, it was really complicated for me to find out, which was the first time I saw her? One day when I was peaceful, I thought about this for the whole day. And after analysing all my available memories at last I concluded this as one in which I saw her for the first time.
I still remember the first day she spoke to me and the first time in my life, she was very close to me. Whenever I think about these moments, my heart starts to blossom together with thousands of roses. It was when our physics teacher asked me to go and study with her and the other group members of her.
She was the leader of the group then I fathomed that she would be one of the toppers in that class. Because in our education system, only toppers of the class were given the group leader post: by allotting them a group of some average and below average students to be guided by them.
Mostly, the students holding the group leader post boasted themselves of holding a Prime Minister post. Nevertheless, she was different; she behaved only as if she was holding a Chief Minister post. She ordered me to open my physics book. Then she began explaining us the structure of an atom as explained by Ruther Ford.
I still wonder why I was so naïve during the time she spoke to me. I should not at any time have listened to her. If I had done just that, I wouldn't have yearned for her or would have never fallen for her now. All the other lovers, who don’t have their sweethearts with them, would also wish the same should have happened, during the time they met their sweethearts for the first time in their life.
Actually, during that time she had been just a stranger (a little beautiful stranger) to me, and my behaviour with her was as usual as ours’ behaviour with someone who was introduced to us for the first time. At that time, I never overwhelmed her beauty. She was just like other girls, and I think by then I didn’t know what beauty really meant. I understood what beauty meant only after I met her. Was she that much beautiful?
Yes, she was much beautiful. Her complexion appeared as if it was made by squeezing the rose petals, which were dropped in white milk for a few days. I doubted whether her shadow would also be pale red in colour. Her ordinary black hair with its mysterious shining and her exquisite eyes with its innocence like new born baby's eyes just added the essence to her elegant appearance. But the assets that really made her pretty were different; they were not merely the physical attributes. She was ignorant of how much beautiful she was? Her every action authenticating this made her the beautiful angel.
I wish not to appraise much about her beauty. Because if do, then I was afraid that, other girls who are beautiful, may envy and the other girls who are beautiful only by their heart may feel sad. Her beauty that projected the Cupid’s arrow in most of the boys’ heart shouldn’t be a reason for the both.
However, to tell the truth it was my eyes, which saw her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. It is always the love that causes beauty, and it is not the beauty which will induce the love.
A BOND:
The relation between me and Syed first begun as the neighbour house acquaintances, then fate twisted us to study in the same school. In the school as the places were new to me, I found hard to return to the same place, whenever I went to some other places. Moreover, our school contained many floors with all the corridors of them appearing alike. And every class in them looked similar to each other that I was really confused every time. As a result, I entered the wrong classes, sometimes in the same floor and often in a different floor.
Hence to avoid confusions, I always adhered to Syed in the school, and I simply went to the places where he went. I even went to the toilet only if he went. And this was the first reason why we became friends.
Since my house was near to him, I borrowed books and notes from him after I was aware that he was one of the brightest students in our class. This added the familiarity fuel and ignited our friendship fire. Sometimes we played cricket together near our house. I liked very much into playing wi
th him, though mostly he hit the ball, and I chased it.
And sometimes we met each other at the bus stop. In the mornings, he usually got ready to school as early as possible. And I had been just opposite to him but when either of our timings missed we met each other at the bus stop. In the evening, both of us would leave the school jointly, else would wait for each other at the bus stop if both one of us were late. And we would be coming home together. These were the different colours that painted our friendship portrait.
Thus within in two weeks a lustier friendship bond developed between us. And as time proceeded our bond became stronger even than the covalent bond that existed between two carbon-carbon atoms in our chemistry book.
ONE, TWO AND THREE:
Three weeks later, during recess Syed asked me to accompany him to the staff room. He wanted to meet the Physics teacher to clear his doubt. For the students other than toppers such as Syed, entering the staff room was as dreadful as to a sheep entering a butcher’s place of business.
“I would rather go to the graveyard at midnight than to enter the staff room”
I said to Syed and stayed in the class. Most of the students had gone to the toilet or canteen. I saw that a few still remained in the class. Three boys sitting on a bench called me. I squeezed myself uncomfortably in the same bench.
One of them asked, “How do you find the school?”
Before I could reply “great” I saw from the corner of my eye the other two exchanging meaningful looks (I mildly heard them say one two and three). Before my suspected brain could warn, I was already in for their game. Those chaps with the combined force jerked sideways suddenly and shoved me out. I remember only in snatches what happened after that.
I fell down some feet away with my hands hitting a girl’s leg. Usually in our schools the girls sat in three or four rows of benches in one column-wise order. And boys sat in separate rows of benches in another column-wise order, separated by a small space in between the girls’ rows.
It would have been better if I have accompanied Syed, I comprehended at that moment.
But now I realise that they have done a wonderful thing to me on that day, as they gave me a chance of touching my girl’s leg. During that time as soon as my hands hit her leg, she took her leg and gave an “ssshhh” sound; while I completed saying, “great” word from my mouth.
While others laughed at me, I got up from the place without uttering a word. I was little angry at them but hid my irritation.
After that we all became friends when they later explained to me that they had the habit of doing this to the new students and asked sorry for that.
THE PLAY (GAMES AND DRAMA):
We had a games hour that day. Every student was chuffed with that, a chirpy smile resembled in everyone’s face except mine. Because I knew that my rotund body was not decent at games. Like the Pythagoras theorem, the vice versa was also true i.e. my fat physique might be resulted because I wasn’t good at games.
In the games period, we all assembled on the ground. Then our physical education teacher gave us the balls and other playing equipments to us and left the place. ” Playing” was left optional for the students. Most of the girls sought the advantage of this option. And they just gossiped and watched the other boys playing their games.
The boys of my class took the volleyball and went to the volleyball court to play the game. There were 19 boys in our class, and two boys were absent on that day. So with available boys they divided themselves into two groups. Since everyone was old students they went along with their old team members, and all took their position. Six boys stood inside the court and two boys stood outside the court. The two boys standing outside the court were allowed only to serve the ball, while six boys standing inside the court played the game.
I being a new one I was standing there just like an idol and my best friend Syed requested them to give a chance for me to play. With their consent, I went inside the court as a substitute player for another one. The game started, and the opposing team started serving the ball. When the ball came to me for the first time I messed it and cost my team a point.
“Don’t do like this, she is watching you”
I said to myself. I was confident to tackle the ball for the second time and save the point for my team. But when the ball came to me, once again I collapsed and so another point lost for my team.
The opposing team marked me as their target and served the ball only towards me, ignoring the other five members.
“The ball is coming near Krishna the baby’s butterfingers will slip it this time too,"
One of my team mates yelled when the ball came near me. And as scornfully predicted I cost my team another point.
“I would have tackled the ball had you kept your wide mouth shut” I shouted back but that didn’t work out.
My team members got irritated with me and started shouting at me. Few began to yell.
“Who dragged him in? If he continues to remain in our team, then we are 100% to lose our game”
After that they asked me to quit the game.
“Being a basketball player for years, it is really tedious for me to play volleyball; both are just the contrast” I said in a jaunty tone and stalked off the court.
I called myself a “basketball player” because in my school, it was the only court which was not seen anywhere and so saying that would be always safe for me.
But from the inside of my heart, I felt humiliated and embarrassed. I was about to cry. And the worst was that she had been watching the drama unfolding and whispering some comments to her friends (a smile playing on her pretty face all the while). The same thing had been happening to me in the old school, which I studied before, but I had never been bothered. But that night I remained fretful worrying myself sick over the shameful events of that day. I was wide awake that night.
I felt that those were the most painful thing that should not have happened to me. Because I wished, I should always be her hero but on that day all I played was a role of a joker.
THE BIRIYANI CONSEQUENCE:
After seeing the movie until midnight on Sunday, my body felt leaden next morning. My mother brought my morning coffee to me and shook me awake. I rose; during which my mother had kept the coffee and went. I drank the coffee and went back to sleep.
Then a few minutes later my mother came with another cup of coffee and tried to wake me up. I was astir so my mother gave the coffee and went. Keeping the coffee aside I went to sleep once again. After some time, I heard something disturbing my sleep it was my father saying to my mother.
“I think he is going to bunk the class today."
After that I stood up from the bed and saw the time. I was shocked because the time got near to 7.30. I drank the second coffee of that day, which had gone cold during that time.
I thought for a while to bunk my class, but in the following Wednesday, our friends had planned to go to a movie. So if I bunked my class, afterwards it would be difficult for me to go to the movie as I had only one day remaining in my allowable leave of that month. If I didn’t watch myself, subsequently I’d have to weather a parent’s meeting. So I hurried about the business of toilet and ablutions. Then I took my school bag and lunch bag, and I was about to go,
My mother asked, “Aren’t you having your breakfast?”
” It is already getting late. I am a new student. If I go late, then I will be punished as the rules in this school are so strict, my friends said to me” I retorted to my mother.
My mom listened to me and expressed her disappointment,
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“Today I have prepared vegetable biriyani, your favourite dish,"
I thought for a while that any way I wouldn’t be getting anything to eat that afternoon. I could trust it to my friends to empty my lunch, as soon as I open it, before I could even set my eyes on its contents. So I kept my school bag down and went to take the plate.
Although two glasses of coffee were doing the rounds in my stomach already, my mum’s words whet my appetite. My mother questioned,
“Just now you said that if you go late, then you will be punished but what happened now? You have suddenly changed your decision?”
“I am a new student to their school then how will they punish their fresh students? Because they knew that, most probably I won’t be familiar with the rules and regulations of their school. Even if they do, they won’t kill your son” I replied to my mother nonchalantly with Biriyani in my mouth.
Though I feared of getting punished, I thought that my mother’s Biriyani was worthy enough even to get punished because it was that much tasty indeed. My father would even die for it. After eating it, I immediately ran to the bus stop to take the bus to my school.
I was lucky enough that day because I boarded the bus in the nick of time Thanks to the Indian Road Transports because the bus which I took routinely was also late on that day just like me. I was happy that I had reached the school only with a fifteen-minute delay. I prayed to God that the principal should be ‘on leave’ that day.
No sooner had I finished my prayer; the principal stood there to welcome me with a club in his hand.
“Won’t his mother or wife will never make his favourite dish?” I reasoned for he always came to the school at the correct time.
As unexpectedly there was an oasis in my journey. To my surprise, I saw her standing there, as another late came student. I was happy for two things: one was that there was a chance for me to talk to her, and the other was that I escaped from the beatings of the Principal.
She, being a topper in the class, she would be more familiar with the principal. So he wouldn’t be willing to punish her and so he wouldn’t be beating me too because I might claim against him for discriminating me, if he beats me
A few minutes later the principal grinned and asked why we were late on that day?
I provided the valuable reason.
I said, “Sir, My grandfather got an unexpected heart attack in the morning,"
I was familiar with this kind of situations whenever I was late to the school, I would be saying something like this. If I had been absent the before day then I would have said that my grandfather died the previous day.
She said she was late because her father’s scooter got punctured in the middle of their way to the school.
With those reasons, the principal gave us a last siren and warned us, not to repeat the same for another time.
Then we headed towards our class. I called her and said thanks to her,
She asked me “for what?”
I explained my great escape from the Principal because of her presence in the scene.
She nodded her head with a gentle smile and then asked.
“Is your grandpa all right now?”
I told her “I haven’t even seen him, as he was dead before I was born”
This time, all of a sudden she burst out laughing.
Then we entered in our class. I went and sat in my place.
I looked at my palms. And I thought if she had come late in the previous Monday, my palms would have escaped of being smacked by the principal’s stick. I was running late during that day also, because my mother prepared ‘pepper roast’ which was another favourite of me.
In the evening, I went to the home and angrily asserted to my mother.
“I was late because you delayed my breakfast,"
“Liar, you woke at 7.30, and you delayed yourself. And at last I was the one to deserve all your faults” my mother chided.
A short quarrel arose between me and my mother,
And my mother at last told, “See, tomorrow I am going to wake you early at 5’o clock."
Hearing this was jaded to me. During the evening time, when I quarrel, she would say this to me. In the night when half of her anger had gone, she would make me sleep early, thinking to wake me up in good time in the morning. But in the morning when she sees me sleeping, her one heart wouldn’t be sufficient to disturb my peaceful sleep.
THE EPIDEMIC:
One month later everyone asked about my grades I had got in my previous school.
I said to them “I always remained in the toppers list."
Which is indeed the truth, but only a few believed. And even those who believed asserted that,
“Even if it is true then he would be only on the average students list, because his old school is comparatively a low standard school to us.”
I decided that I should study well and get good marks to prove myself. In our first monthly test, my rank was on the average while she and my Syed were in the top five ranks.
Three months went, then that was the time for the brightest students to crown themselves by eclipsing the brighter students while that was the time for the rest to stock up on aspirins and fever injections. It was the time of the beginning of our quarterly examinations.
The exams began opposing our wish. According to our teachers, we were allotted places in such a way that it would be tough for us to copy others’ papers. One boy and one girl shared a bench, and they were asked to sit on the edge of a bench on either side.
The teachers had been teaching us for these years, but still they were foolish enough to forget the universal truth that.
“Always opposite poles attract each other."
Even the U.N.O member election wouldn’t have contained these many strict rules which our school imposed. They warned us,
“Those who are caught copying would be immediately chucked out of their exam halls and severely punished. Moreover, their action would be bruited to everyone including their parents."
They thought, for us getting caught for cribbing someone’s paper was a matter of disgrace. But for us, it was something like adding feathers to our school’s outstanding performances.
I really owe a bunch of thanks to those who framed that kind of layout as luckily she was sitting on my bench. But what to do there was no use in it. Whenever I looked at her, as if thinking an answer, I saw a spark of fire in the invigilator’s eyes, which could even make a volcano eruption to shut.
It was my friend Ram, who asked me an answer for a question when I said, “I don’t know” he compelled me to ask the answer with her.
So I called out her name for three times she didn’t respond to anything. I called out for another time. And when the teacher went out I fluttered my hands in the air in a gesture (like a forlorn ship wrecked soldier asking for “SOS” on seeing some helicopter flying around him). She then looked at me casually and continued writing job by putting her head down, ignoring me.
At that time, I hated her and thought why she was so much presumptuous? Because in my old school compared to boys, girls helped me the most in the exams.
Then for the remaining exams I never turned over to see her. During those times I owned self-respect, which I always governed the most perhaps, her gaze shattered those as the years went.
A few weeks later after we had finished the exam our teachers started to distribute the papers. After that they assessed our marks and gave us the progress cards. I got 10th rank while she and Syed were in the top five ranks, but I was joyous that I proved myself. Other friends accepted that I might have been a topper in my old school
Few students, especially those, who got their ranks after mine, were angry with me because they would have got one rank ahead if I haven’t joined in their school.
I wished I should surpass her rank at least once, to t
each a lesson to her arrogance. So I started studying hard that in the every exam, I got an increased progress in my report card.
JOKES AND TEARS:
That day, our class was just like a market place everyone was shouting and playing inside the class. Suddenly, the principal came. He was angry as the rules and regulations of the school were greatly spoiled. He called the class monitor. She stood up. He scolded her for maintaining the class like that.
He saw our last bench students laughing silently by putting our heads down. Though a part of our minds advised us to stop laughing and give a serious blue face, the essence of the joke still remained made us laugh uncontrollably. The secretion of the laughing hormones doubled on seeing his comical serious face, when he called us. All my friends repressed their smiles but I could not. It was considered as an offense. Some things in the school were always different. They would beat us if we laugh, and if he couldn’t (For He is always on logger heads with his wife, he gets beatings from his wife’s broomstick, which he dare to repay her; so later, he repays it to us. My friends told me to console my pain during the previous time we caught for laughing). The principal called each one of us and smashed our palms. We were sure that if we had told the same joke to the Principal, then he would have rolled on the floor and laughed.
After he went, we again laughed because for us, those kinds of things were not the first time. We mocked each other and boasted ourselves, of how we over reacted and escaped from the further beatings.
Then we poured all our vulgar words, which were always an important constituent of our education in different standards, towards the Principal. I was decent that I hadn’t dragged his family importantly his wife into this like my friends. We frolicked repeatedly.
We heard a loud sobbing sound, we wondered who was the black sheep among us and checked each other’s face. Then we caught the sound had been coming from the girls’ side.
Yes!!! She sobbed after a few moments. We all were mouth shut after seeing that. We had got the beatings, and we were enjoying, but she just got scolded and crying for that even. By crying for this silly reason she not only made us to abash but also dumped the whole students' respect and will into the drainage.
CHOCOLATE WRAPPERS AND THE DETECTIVE:
Soon after some days being spent in my school many became accustomed to me. By the means of colloquial talks, I gathered some information about her as much as possible. I came to know that she was a Tailor’s daughter.
After some time, I asked with some other friends the place where she hailed from. However, as my friends began to doubt about me, I changed my topic and showed myself as if having less interest towards those matters. It then became a hard task to know about the details of her.
As few days went, I befriended Vasanth. He was a nice and innocent guy, but that was not the mere reason why I befriended him. In our class, it seemed that he was the one, who knew more details about her, and moreover he was a loose talker both were some kind of an advantage.
Then I started to treat him with the chocolates in the canteen because while eating my chocolates, he would also be puking some rare details about her and her family simultaneously.
I came to know that she actually lives in a street next to the Vasanth’s street, and her father used to drop her and pick her in the school daily.
Vasanth in the middle when the chocolate I bought for him ends, he would immediately question me.
” Why are you asking this? Now”
To shut his mouth, I always carried an extra chocolate shoved in my pocket.
After that one day, I followed her to our school gate, which was a coincidence and not a planned incident. I saw her father waiting for her with his scooter. I was happy that some of the chocolates I bought for Vasanth were worthy of it. So I went home with a little satisfaction.
On that day, my mother counted the money she had put in the savings' box from which me and my father usually took the money for the bus fare. She at last found out that some money was going out somewhere in the holes, which were present other than in the savings' box. When she asked about that, first I tried to manage it with my father, but I could not. She knew that my father was taking money from that box for the past 15 years and there had never been that much shortage in my mother’s treasury, until my new magical hands were introduced to it.
My mother was one of the best detectors in the world. I found out on that day. With the chocolate wrappers found in my bag, she correctly deduced that it was my hands, which were doing that magic. I had a habit of saving the chocolate wrappers, which I used to buy, in my bag. In the end, this habit contributed the evidence in my case.
Then she questioned me what I was really doing with the money. As soon as she asked me, I gave her a charming look and said.
” I am buying chocolates to one of my friends to know the details of a girl. In order to make her as your daughter in law”
My mother laughed and told me that.
“If it’s so from tomorrow ask your mother in law for your expenses. And never drop your hand in this coin box."
I said to my mother the truth but all she thought was that I was just kidding with her. Some innocent women like my mother were precisely like this. They might be the best investigators, but sometimes they believe the lies and ignore the truth. So it was always an easy go.
“Just tell the truth and escape rather to lie and being caught.” I used that chance and said.
“I have to buy some notebooks so, give the money tomorrow. After my engagement, you can subtract this money (with the interest) from the dowry which my mother in law is going to afford to you”
I always used to tell the truth but only when I am assured that nothing is going to affect me after I said. And during the other times I wouldn’t lie, but I would flannel and say something irrelevant to truth.
With my chivalrous words, I got an extra thirty rupees, and I saved it into my pocket. And one day I sacrificed that thirty rupees and extracted the details that she was good in literature, and she had a mania for the literature. As soon I heard that; that mania transferred to me. I too started to love the literature. For all those days I hated that most, mainly because of the grammar which was stressed to us for good English. Even English men wouldn’t care much about that.
After some days, I left treating him with the chocolates because he started lying to me. I found it because I could conjecture rightly whether a person was lying to me or not. That may be because “one liar knows another liar." I think this axiom exists in the list of proverbs if not, and then it is worthy enough to be included in the proverb’s lists.
IN THE JOURNEY:
Then one day I went to the canteen with my friend Ram. I actually accompanied him. He bought some puffs and asked me.
“Do you want anything?”
Most would just ask for a formality, especially at the times when our pockets were empty, but he wasn’t like that he compelled me to eat. But to remain as a gentleman, I replied no to his offer, as we were not that much familiar yet. But what to do friendship never tires in breaking those barricades. By the time he once again compelled me, half of the puffs had already gone inside of my tummy.
Hope God! He didn't think.
“I should have asked him, at least shouldn’t have compelled him…”
Since, he had only a quarter of what he had bought left out to eat.
As I turned I saw her approaching to the canteen with her friends. She came near us; but ignoring us. She and her friends bought one chocolate each, after looking at all
those six flavours. Most were very talented like that. They would choose the best only after looking at all the available options. But then after sometimes they regret and incur themselves with the bewilderment that.
“Have I missed the best?”
I had been buying the chocolates for six weeks. But that was the first day I actually noticed those flavours because most of them were bought not to be eaten by me. Yet I could take the pride that at least I hadn’t troubled the shop keeper.
I understood that she was the one looking for the best among the available ones. So I decided to do my best in order to impress her and be her best.
Sometimes when we missed our bus which we routinely took for our home, I and Syed would go to a small Pani Puri barrow. And we would eat something for our stomach and the remaining of the money that we had left after spending. I and Syed spent the money for the both in alternative days, but mostly he paid me a lot, because some days, I would have spent all my money in the canteen itself. Sometimes we purposely came late from the school such that we missed our bus, and we didn’t miss our Pani Puri. In a similar kind of day when we were standing near the barrow, she came to the bus stop. I was shocked because it was tangibly she who came over that place, as she was a rich queen, who always came only by her father’s luxurious scooter.
I understood that either her father or his scooter must be under repair. Then she took the bus that went to the other place, in the opposite of the road where our bus stopped. Our bus headed from North to South while the bus she took went in the opposite direction.
During that time I was standing there still, waiting for my bus, oblivious of other things. If that happened now then I will also have taken the same bus she took and I will have travelled with her irrespective of the distance the bus covers and the place it destines.