Gone By (25 page)

“A sandwich and a glass of milk” I said.

The waiter immediately went to get my order. I sat quietly looking outside the road. Cars ran at high speed splashing the stagnant water laying on the road. My eyes gazed at those unnatural things. The waiter served me the sandwich and a glass of milk. I looked for a clock to know the time. The wall straight to me was hung with a wall clock. I could visibly see the time to be 2:00pm. I paid the exact bill and was heading to walk on. I decided to hire a taxi to reach quick at my home. Within no time I was into my room. I looked out for the school magazine. I had to search all through my room. Finally, I found it at one corner which was kept under the stacks of books. I was searching the pictures of my present class batch. After turning up to twelve pages I could find a blurred photo of our class as group. I scribbled out to clear the photo and was searching for Anannya’s image on it. Yes, She has changed a lot away this year as compared to last year. She looked more beautiful and charming now. I was seated at one corner of my bed with the magazine in my hand. My fingers ran sliding smoothly over her image. And every time I saw her I was thinking blank but she was on my mind. I knew I was deeply in love with her. I couldn’t remove my vision away from her image for minutes. I began to feel the realm of new life that captivated me for the moment. I slowly closed the magazine after hovering for long minutes at her photo, ignoring myself. I felt like I was chasing a dream that could never come true but it satisfied me lingering on such dream.

A dream would be a dream till the time we keep chasing and when it is accomplished turns into reality and the very moment it appears unlike the way we expected when it was a dream. And we begin to realise what we were after. But dreams are the only way  which shapes into reality and I was one of such kind, up above the sky with dreams before my eyes. Her sweet face floated on my eyes. Her every shape of her eyes to chin hovered like an image of beautiful queen. I couldn’t wait no more. I set a stand. It’s legs stretched at some angle apart. I clamp a board with a chart paper fixed on it. The white sheet reflected the rays of sun directly into my eyes. I shifted the whole stand to one corner of my room. I let little light to project on it. The board had a dimension of around 90x60 centimetres which was reasonable enough for a complete portrait. I stood before it
for a while fixing it perfect. From the drawer, I took out collections of various sizes of pencils. I had no idea what was I trying but could watch out those twilight rays penetrating through the ventilation of my room. I closed my eyes and stood for silence before the stand. After some minutes later I opened to look for. I held a HB pencil in my hand and began to move swiftly. My eyes visualised sharp and I could float her image before my eyes being sketched. My hands began to move smooth on the white sheet, within no time I could shade her beautiful face. Her eyes began to shimmer with every touch of my dark shades. The smile she put on her face began to charm out for the first time like she never did ever before. It took some hours to sketch her with no clue of errors. Finally, I was done with the portrait. I stood before it watching very close. I never knew at myself for the skilful hand that I had. I stood with my mouth open in surprise. I never thought I could sketch so well. But, I could do, the real evidence stood before me. I instantly thought of gifting this to Anannya. I kept it safe at one side of my room. So, surprise was I with the smooth shades from my hand. I was excited to  throw a surprise to her. I pondered that night thinking about the other day to break out as quick as possible. I knew she would be surprised by what I have done. Neither she would believe the hidden talent I had. However, I was very much satisfied that I could discover something better within me. And I would credit this to her, maybe it was her touch of love that dribbled me into this, where I could finally make a rediscovery of myself. I thought of calling her with an excitement. But I had no cell phone neither I could use of anyone’s.

I knew for sure Dad would not allow me to make a call at this hour of the time. I had to preserve the rise of excitement for the next day. When the next day broke, I rolled the sketch and put it in my bag. Like every day I walked through the stair case and then passed through the corridor. I couldn’t border the rise of inner excitement nor the streams of joy that flowed on my face. I was rushing hard to catch up Anannya in the class. I saw her she was seated in the second row. She peeked at me as soon as I entered the class. She smiled and gestured through her lips. I couldn’t follow what she meant. But later I realized she was  pointing at my bag where I had the chart with her portrait on it. I thought of gifting it at recess hour. She constantly looked at me. I knew she was anxious to know about the thing I had. After the period she came up to me and inquired. “What’s that chart “.

“It’s something miracle” I said.

“I don’t believe it to be a miracle” she said.

“Just wait till the recess time”.

“Ok... I will and nice miracle” said Anannya with her melodious voice.

When the half day passed the recess hour followed in. I was waiting for Anannya being seated under a shade of tree. I held the chart in my hand. It was rolled cylindrically. She was approaching closer to me, I could see her few steps away.

“So, reveal me you miracle” she said.

Before I could gift her the portrait I wanted to say her something very deep. I swallowed to moistened my dry throat and began to look at her deeply. I stressed my gaze deep into her. She began to feel the charisma evaluating our presence of being together.

“ I never thought I would be standing someday before you. With every day of my life there’s something which happens to me. And I never knew I would turn myself into a humble person someday. There was a reason behind all this. Nothing happened without cause. Everything we felt between us was true and we both know. I know you deserve best but a little thing about you stayed back with me. The call of love holds me into you. I don’t know how should I say you but I want to” said I with concerning tone.

She began to feel the aura of my words. She peeked at me deeply and  inhaled a long breath. I knew she went short of words and couldn’t utter a word. In fact, she was slightly disturbed in her mind. I knew she liked me but she couldn’t link her heart wholly as she had been in a relationship
with her boyfriend. I never geared her to make a decision, all I could just propel my emotions and feelings to her. We were ultimately in love with each other. She stood quiet before me as if she demanded to hear from me. “Are you fine” I asked her. She nodded her head.

“C’mon don’t take it serious for the timing. Look I have got something special for you” I said with a show of excitement.

I opened the roll and spread out the chart before her. She stood with her collapsing voice. Fell on knee before me. Tears began to roll out from her eyes. I conjointly knelt and sat beside her. I didn’t knew was it the tear of happiness or the frozen beats of love. She looked at the chart.

“It’s you. Just for you” I said softly.

She instantly embraced me. I grasped her for minutes with vibes of consolation. I began to wipe out her tears from her moistened eyes.

“I don’t know you love me so much” her voiced shivered out softly.

I just looked at her face. She began to take a look again at her portrait.

“It’s beautiful” she said.

“It’s all because of you, you’re the reason for it” I said. She managed to smile for seconds.

“You got to chill out now” I added.

  Thus, we added our steps together towards school canteen. By now she was completely freshened and filled with the light of charm. She held the portrait in one hand and grasp me with the other.

PART II

Fifteen

...............

The lady beside gasped and peeked at me quick. She closed her magazine and sat ideal for seconds until she turned to talk to me.

“So, where are you going now”. I dropped my pen and closed my diary.

“Perhaps I would be moving ahead of Mumbai” I said.

“ Any specification” she inquired.

“Oh! Yes, I’ll be going to Pune”.

It seemed she was keen in knowing. In fact, after long hours of being seated together anyone would like to inquired about one another.

“So, up to where did you reach your story”.

“It’s almost on the verge of ending” I squinted.

“Wow! I would look forward to read at the time of its launching”.

I smiled for seconds “Hope, so it gets a place for publishing”.

“Definitely, it’s going to work. It has the theme of life” she said with enthusiastic voice.

I nodded and looked at my closed diary for seconds, tapping my hand on it. I totally forgot about Isha for the moment instead I was indulged with the married lady.

“What you do?” she asked.

“Well, I’m studying Engineering and wishing to fulfil my passion of writing”.

“That’s a great idea. One must not walk away from his passion no matter what he becomes” she smiled.

“Yeah!..the art of criticism will be there. People will say me wrong being an Engineer turned into damped Author”.

She passed a sneaky smiled on that comment. “I don’t think. Let people burst their mouth by such comment. That should not have effect on you”.

“Yeah” nodding my head.

“It’s you dream and you’re different from the other. That distinguishes you from the rest”.

I peeked at her and nodded once again. When then I could hear the beep of my mobile. I knew it would be a message from Isha. I slid out of my pocket and looked at it. I began to read in my mind. It was unlike the other messages which I didn’t expect from her, yet then there was nothing wrong that made me feel bad in fact, she expressed her inner feelings through words which she could manage within that small space. She shaped it in the form of poem and I could get her every inner core which she wanted to tell me. Indeed, I was quiet impressed by her.

Not a single day I would go empty without thinking about you

A new zest of life you served on me

I bow before you to put my humble grace

Whom I never knew yet I fell for you

But, now this world is whole up to you and me

I slid in my mobile back to its place. I ignored to reply back. I would be calling her after a while that’s the reason I had to clip messaging her back. I knew for sure Isha would be longing for my reply.

“So, is this story a real one” the lady asked keenly.

“Well, she exist in my dream. I know not is this dream a real or just a dream”.

She smiled and took out a bottle of water. She quenched her thirst and offered me. I drank half of the bottle. I handed her back.

“So, what’s your job” I asked her.

“I work in HDFC bank”.

“You must be very busy then”.

“Yeah! A busy woman” she responded.

We were still running fast. The wheel rotating at its highest speed. By now the day passed more than half. I glanced at my wrist watch. It’s 3:00pm. I knew I would reach around Mumbai at night 11:00 or 12:00, wasn’t sure about it.

“Do you have any son or daughter” I asked her with slight fear.

Maybe that wasn’t a suitable question to ask. However, she didn’t mind for that.

“No...I just got married and it’s only the seventh month after I wore a ring” she smiled.

“He must be lucky a guy” my lips widened to smile out. She patted on my head.

“You seem to be very naughty and yes he’s good husband to me” she added.

“Was it a love marriage or arranged”.

She looked at me for seconds and blinked her eyes.

“We were in love before marriage” she intended to smile out but dropped back again controlling her inner zest.

I acted like I was decent in my behaviour. It has been hours since we were travelling in the bus. We were yet to halt by a roadside inn for couple of refreshment. I could feel the light of the sun slowly diminishing as the day began to get shortened below the horizon. Since, I captured the window seat I could roughly measure the speed of the wind dashing on my face onto which I could figure the approximate velocity of our bus. But, I enjoyed the seat near the window. That could be the best possible side one can ever take while travelling for long hours. The access to every outside field indeed exhilarated the flow of journey. The lady beside me also peeped out from a certain angle of her head. I would move my head slightly away in order to space her to access outside.