To that someone special

Anuroop Kashyap was a typical software engineer.

He had a belly and lower back pain
He believed most of the forwards he got.
He never carried a pen. Always took notes in his laptop.
He could express his feelings better in a chat window than in words.
He could be reached more quickly on his instant messenger than on his phone.
He usually said "Shutdown the windows" instead of "Close the windows"

et al

He spent his weekdays staring at his laptop screen and his weekends resting. He rarely had time for her. But he did not want the same to happen that day. He wanted to make her feel special. So he made sure that he finished all his work before time just to spend time with her.

He took her to a theme park. He felt happy seeing her go back to her childhood days while she was on the merry go round. He then bought her a pack of spicy mirchi bajji which, he knew, was her favorite snack. After the fun they had there he took her to a nice restaurant for dinner. During the course of the dinner she told Anuroop that she had not had such a nice time in a long while. He then took her hand in his and apologized for not spending quality time with her. He then said

“Whatever I am today, it is all because of you. If not for you I wouldn’t have reached the stage I am in. I remember everything that you did to see me lead a good life. But what did I give you in return? Solitude and seclusion? All this just to earn those few extra bucks? It is not till recently that I realized what I was doing wrong.”

He finally said

“Thank you mom. Thank you for everything. Happy Mother’s Day “

P.S. Amma you are the best. This post is dedicated to my mom.

Adieu

“C’mon , its your last exam. Don’t screw it up.” said his mind

“Screw the exam. U will never get a chance to see or talk to her again.” said his heart.

Only rarely did Arun’s heart and mind agree on something. In all such battles his heart always triumphed. That day was no different. “Screw the exam“ he thought as he closed his book and went in search of her.

He hustled through the busy college corridors. There was not a single classroom that he did not run into in order to find her. That day lady luck did not accompany him. As a last resort he ran to the college play ground to see if she was in any of the college buses parked there. He stood in the middle of the ground, in the scorching heat, thinking of all that he wanted to say to her when he would meet her for the last time in his life. The fact that he was still not able to locate her and that there was not much time left for the start of the exam robbed him of his hope. In that moment of despair the only thing he could possibly think of was to get back to his book and run his thumbs through it to ensure that he did not flunk the last exam of his college life.

Finally he entered the examination hall only to be shocked by her presence. He then went and sat in his chair 2 seats to her right. The examination hall was buzzing with the voices of the other students. Some praying, some trying desperately to remember that all-important formula, some busy checking their stationery, some still flipping the pages of their books. Amidst all this he was silent. He sat in his chair oriented towards his left so that he could get a clear view of her. He just sat there admiring her. He liked everything about her, every word she said, every move she made. Every time she smiled, he felt a tickle in his heart, which was smug from its recent triumph over his mind.

Just when he was busy in his own world he noticed her walk towards him. He quickly turned and started to pretend to be checking his stationery. He felt neglected when she just walked past him to meet the guy sitting next to him. She handed over her slam book to that guy, as that was the last day of college. She asked that guy to pass it around so that the others could fill it up. The slam book exchanged hands and toured all around him but never came to him. Just then the bell rang to mark the start of the exam. He felt happy that he had his exam to worry about than to sit and brood over the recent incident. Throughout the duration of the exam he stole some time to glance at her.

He finished his exam well before the stipulated time. He had to go to a far off city because he secured a job there while he was in his final semester. Despite the fact that he had a bus to catch he waited for her to finish the exam so that he could talk to her for one last time and tell her how he felt about her. As was her habit she did not cease to scribble on her answer book until the invigilator snatched it away. But it was already late. He had to leave.

Arun Bhattacharya, with tears in his eyes, left. On the last day of college he did not get a chance to say “ I LOVE YOU” to the girl he not just loved but worshiped.

P.S. May 4th 2004 was the last day of our college. This post is in remembrance of that day.