After texting her that I would be there within 5minutes, I raced
back to the orientation room having grabbed an Appy Fizz with me to drink. I
had to drink something; my mouth had dried out, out of nervousness. She
had asked me to come, meet her; what would you expect my reaction to be!
With each step of getting close to the room where she was waiting,
my heart beat was increasing monotonically. I was getting anxious, nervous,
happy, excited and what not. While walking the distance between the cafeteria
and the orientation hall, I thought of thousands of possible opening lines
which I were likely to speak when I would confront her for the first time, to
make my impression.
I reached the orientation room and stationed myself just outside the front
door. I could see her sitting at exactly at the same place where she was before
I left the building. I had seen her countless times on facebook, but this was
different. This feeling that had started fomenting inside me was overwhelming.
It was such a feeling that I was ready to die for.
I was still outside the room, trying to find my courage to hop inside and stand
beneath her. To tell you the truth, I was scared! But it was
no time to back down. I checked my configuration; I wanted to look my best.
I was
wearing a Killer’s Denim Shirt that was perfectly ironed, a black half jacket
to avoid the morning chill and my Integriti Jeans. Perfect!
I went in through the back door.
I was closing in on her and now I could spot her easily, 'There she is!' My
heart went on rampage, my brain started bashing inside my head and I was
shaking from head to toe. Yes, I was that nervous.
“You came this far, now there is no way you would want to back
down. Hold yourselves together, this is gonna be the best day of your life.” I
was receiving constant assurance from one end but my body had started giving
in.
“Hi!” I was confused whether I should hug her or just shaking
hands would do. Some quick calculations said the later was good enough. I
didn’t want her to get any sort of wrong ideas, and she mightn’t have liked me
being so forward. So, I settled for a handshake. The touch sent chills down my
spine.
She was excited and very happy to see me there and that somehow
calmed my hysteria.
“Hey, hi! How are you?” she replied.
Like I would have failed to notice! She was wearing a red colored
salwar and black Kameez. She wore a black sweater over her kameez. She had
clipped her hair, and had formed a pony tail out of it. I loved it! She
was looking angelic. With not a hint of make up on her face and a thin lining
of massacre on her eyes, she was a killing machine. Her looks gave me mild
heart attacks at regular intervals.
I was wondering continuously, how something can seem
so perfect! She was perfect and, hell, out of my league. Debashis
could never deserve her, he looks like a dickhead, a moron and he bleeds
arrogance & attitude. You would hate him from his looks itself! I wonder
what Neha saw in him. And, I never said I deserved her any better, but in no way
she would deserve the likes of Debashis; yet, here I’m and there he is.
If I get any chance of bitching about Debashis, I wouldn’t lose
it, but let me not waste space here and certainly get back to the topic.
Yes, she looked like a goddess and I felt lucky enough just to
know her, and felicitous to be one of a close friend to her.
“I’m great.” I can finally see you! So yeah, I’m great! “How
are you?”
“I’m good too.” She said. I couldn’t exactly sit beside her so, I
grabbed a chair and sat behind her, diagonally behind (:P).
“So, what’s the topic?”
“Look over there.” She said pointing towards a paper, pasted on
the wall, had the topic printed on it. Campaign against illiteracy.
“It is a Group Discussion?” I asked hearing a person,
accidentally; speak over the mic on the stage.
“Yeah, it is a group discussion. I didn’t know about, until now.
Damn, I hadn’t prepared for the topic in that regard. I had foreseen it to a
debate topic and I had prepared basically for a debate, but nevertheless, let’s
see how it goes. This will be officially my first group discussion I had
participated in. I’m excited as well as nervous.”
“Hmm… Debate and a group discussion are two completely different
things. But, rightly said, will have to wait a see.” I was starting to be at
ease talking to her now. The nervousness was greatly abated. The awkwardness
was gone. I was comfortable with her. Achievement!
“Yep!”
“By the way, show me your notes that you are holding.”
As soon as I asked for it, she kept it at a distance from me.
“No way will I show them to you. It’s so embarrassing.” She said
holding the paper away from me as I tried to reach it.
“Why not, what’s there to be embarrassed about? C’mon, show me.” I
asked trying to reach for it.
“Nope. My handwriting is so bad and moreover I haven’t prepared
them very well enough.”
“Gosh! I can see it from here. Your handwriting is just fine. Now,
show that to me will you? Please!”
“Fine.” She said handing the sheet over to me.
As if I was going to read it! All the
time, that I had the paper in my hands, I could only read two words – UNESCO,
Illiteracy. I was all busy teasing her about the write up that I couldn’t read
even more than those two words.
I gave it back asking her to revise the points once again; her
turn was coming soon.
“Group B, in the English category, are requested to go the G.D.
room for their group discussion” I could hear the announcement.
“Hey, Best of luck. Give your best and I hope you win.”
“Thank you so much.” She replied with a smile and went for the
G.D. room along with 7 other participants.
And she left the orientation room, leaving me behind in a room
full of strangers. Boredom! I had nothing to do, no one to
talk to, then. I plugged my headphones in my cellphone, hoping listening to
music would make time flow fast and she would be with me again.
Music didn’t do much of its envisioned work. Minutes were
passing like hours, but finally it was over. My thirsty eyes could finally
quench their thirst for beauty. She was back and as you would expect her first
words after the G.D. were, “Don’t ask!”
“Why? What happened? Didn’t it go well?” I asked.
“I did speak well enough in my view inside the room, but the girl
from 4th year, from my college, initiated the inside debate so
that might just give her an edge over me. I’m scared!”
“What’s gone is gone, right? Worrying about it won’t make you feel
any better. Let’s wait for the results.” I tried to calm her nerves.
“Hmm… fine. And, by the way, why are you sitting over there? Come
here.” She said pointing to the chair beside her. Yes!
There wasn’t much to do, except waiting in the room for the
results which seemed to come after group discussion of 3 more groups. We talked
for quite some time, but sitting there was quite boring in itself. I guess she
read my mind there.
“Hey… why don’t we go outside and see my college, you haven’t been
here before, right?” she asked with a smile.
A smile on a girl, more effective if she is that ‘one’, can make
you do anything against your will, though this wasn’t against it.
“Ya, sure.” I replied.
She stood almost as tall as me. Almost! Basketball
sure makes a person grow more!
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go to have a look around, but to be
able to walk with her. While about to leave the orientation room, leaving our seats,
I asked her to lead the way; I didn’t want her to see that I was blushing and
smiling about it.
“Hey, we can have a look around your college later; why don’t we
go to the cafeteria and have something?” I asked her while we were moving
downstairs.
“Fine by me.” She replied.
We went to the cafeteria and I asked the shopkeeper for an appy.
“Hey, take this.” I asked her to take one.
“I said na, I don’t need anything to drink. I already told you, I
don’t usually have anything to eat before any competition.” She said denying
taking it.
“Wasn’t the competition just over and weren’t we just waiting for
the results? What you said back then is no longer applicable.” I said smiling
at her.
She gave up and took one from me. I paid and we moved back to the
orientation room.
“Hey, excuse me. Are the results out yet?” she asked some
participant, as we entered the room.
“Nope.” The other participant replied.
We went back and took our seats. The old man, who did the
anchoring work, not long ago, came on to the stage.
“I think the results are going to be declared.” I said.
“Me too.” She replied.
“There was quite a bit of competition in the English Group
Discussion group. So, we have to do a second round in this group where we are
going to select 5 boys and 5 girls. They will be competing in the second round
on the same topic that was given earlier. And now before reading out the names,
I want to thank each and every participant for taking part in the competition
and I would also like to add that – winning or losing doesn’t
matter. As the judge said, there was a tough competition and everyone did very
well in there. So, I want you to know, everyone’s a winner here. It's just
the beginning . If your name isn’t on the list, you know it’s not the
end.” The old man started selling crap on the mic.
“They say that to everyone. It’s like, they have mugged out the
line.” I whispered to Neha.
“He-he. True.” she chuckled.
“In the girls group of 5 who will be moving to the next round, the
names are as – Rituparna, Apeksha, Aarti, Sarita… Any guesses for the last
name?” he asked the audience.
“Neha…” I prompted.
“I really want to go to the next round. Aarti mam is my fourth
year senior. She got selected, I want to too.” She said.
“It is… Bhavna.” He declared the last name,
and hence all the five names among the girls who would be moving on to the
second round.
Her name wasn’t there. I could see disappointment in her face. I
tried to cheer her up. We waited in the orientation room till the competition
got over just to know who the winner was going to be. She was upset.
“Hey, don’t be so upset. What’s gone is gone, why worry about it
now! You will make it next year. Moreover, because of the stupid net you
couldn’t prepare very well.” I said. She looked at me. I could read what she
was feeling through her eyes.
Looking right into her eyes, made me realize how much I loved her. Why
can’t be mine? Why does she have to with someone else?
Within half an hour the second round was over and the results soon
followed. They selected two girls and two boys as a whole, as winners of the
group discussion competition.
“Let’s go now then.” She asked me.
“Ya, its time.”
My watch clocked 2:30PM and it was well past lunch time. I was
hungry, dying out of it by now but I pretended not to be. I couldn’t lose this
moment, this time, of being with her just because my stomach was so demanding.
“I have my bike parked over in the stands. I guess your hostel is
near too. Let me walk you home.” I asked her.
“Hey, that’s totally fine. I can walk alone. It’s no big deal; you
go on ahead.” She replied.
“No way. I can go after I leave you at your hostel. Just let me
walk you there; it’s not that far. I insist.”
“Ok fine. Let’s go.” She replied with a smile. Ohh! I could give
me life just to see her happy and smiling.
We walked along the side of the road. People, looked at us like we
were some couple. I wish. We weren’t, but I loved it and I guess
she liked it too; me walking her, to her hostel.
We reached her hostel and it was finally the time. I bed her
good-bye. I looked at her as she walked away. After she went in, I turned back
and started walking back to the stands where I had parked my bike. I could
never have been this happy. I jumped in the air and clicked my shoes against
each other; well it’s my way of showing excitement.
I reached home. As I served lunch for myself, my phone beeped. It
was a text message. I opened it to read.
“Reached home?” It was Neha’s text.
“Yes dear, not more than five minutes ago. Pomfreting my lunch.” Pomfret
was her favorite fish and it was my lunch for the day, so I teased her.
“He-he. I envy you ;)” she replied.
“I know ;)
You must be tired with all day work. Get some sleep.”
“Ya, was going to. Take care. Bye.”
I continued having my lunch and in the meantime, I thought – ‘what
was that?’
“That was the best day of your life, you moron.” I got an answer.
It was indeed. It was ‘The best day of my life.’
