Last Day Love

It was the last day of our school. The teachers took class up to lunch break and we were set free for the rest of the day. Perhaps to roam and look around the school campus one last time as a student. I was having my lunch, when I finished, I found the entire class was outside already. Some in the corridors, some in the garden, some in the playground. I thought let's join them. As I was walking out of my class, I gave a look at those empty benches. I can see those bags and bottles lying alone in the silence. Well, it's their last day on those benches too. Those reminded me about my interesting friends. 

 Sameer the drummer, who left no bench without a touch of his drumming skills. Then we had Ruby the drama queen, who can cry out anytime anywhere, and have managed to avoid so many scolding with those teardrops. Then we had Mandeep who loves to sing, does not matter even if you like to hear it or not. His voice is in no tune with the original song, even time when he forgets the parts of the song, he would make his own lyrics that made no sense. Last but not the least, Alisha. The most show offing creature on earth. Wild, reckless, selfish, loves bothering people for her own interest. Has so much attitude in her as if like a fairy princess. She never got tired talking about her new dress, their price, the brands. Always boasting about her number of likes in a photo, her followers, proposals she got. I was not much on social media, so these things irritated me more. Even if there was no one in the class, I would like to be silent rather than talk with her. I had no personal animosity with her. Rarely I had any conversation with her. But my bitterness for her grew more as I observed those things about her. In one instance she almost made me angry. We were doing a group activity together, I was nominated as the group leader, so I called Alisha, to give some instructions about her concerned portion. It took me five minutes to convey the instructions but then began her talks and talks. She kept on talking and talking and talking about the foolish topics anyone can. She started talking about love. “What is love? How does it feel to be in love? What kind of Prince Charming she wanted, My opinion about this thing called love. Have I been ever in love? ” and such? Seriously! How can the topic of ‘Eutrophication’ be related to love? An entire foolish one hour of conversation, I would say a wasteful conversation. After that I simply avoided her anywhere I found near, just with fear, that I have to tolerate her one-hour lectures on foolish topics.

Anyway, I came down those stairs. Everywhere it was a student of our class. Some girls in the garden, some love birds at those benches and some boys playing in the playground. Some simply moving with the football, some playing at the basketball court, some making teams and playing cricket, as if having a serious tournament. The playground never fascinated me that much. I was not that a sportive person. For me, it was good enough to take a rest in the class or have some cold drinks in the canteen rather than running in that afternoon of summer in that open field. In fact, I was a quiet child, I liked to be in a zone of my own. Only a few friends I would talk to and roam around. Maybe that’s why even on this last day of school, I was not much emotional about it. I was marching towards the playground, our canteen was near to the playground. I thought of having some chit chats with my friends there. Suddenly I saw a girl sitting under a tree at a distance. The face was bent downwards so I could not recognize it. I went near to her and to my surprise, it was Alisha, crying. It sounds strange but yes Alisha was crying. Such kind of a girl can cry? Why is she crying? Anything related to school. She will miss school, that’s why? No, I don’t think so. Perhaps she got fewer likes on her recently uploaded picture. These were the thoughts ringing in my head while I was moving towards her. Also, there was an impulse in my head that was saying to me not to go there. But when you see anyone crying there alone, how can you avoid that. I thought let’s have a little word with her. 

I went and sat beside her. She saw me and stopped her crying. With a mixture of being shy and afraid, I began to talk with her.

“ Hello, What are you doing here? ”

“ Hello. Nothing just sitting ” Alisha replied. 

Never saw her giving any gentler and mild reply like this before. I was curious to get the reason for her crying. So I started inquiring into the fact.

“Just sitting or crying also? ”

“ Oh, you saw that. No nothing “ 

“ So you are sad that you will miss the school “

“ That’s one thing though. “

“ Well, then what’s the other thing? ”I got more inquisitive about the thing. 

“ What will you do at that? ” She gave a sharp look at me. If I was not curious I would have left the conversation. But still, I continued. 

“ Maybe I can help “ 

“ No not You “ 

“ Tell. Sometimes telling out our pain reduce our pain”. Not much sure how did this line struck her but, after this she started telling her reason.

“ If you want to listen, then listen. I love someone in this school. Well, it sounds crazy that people like me would really take love seriously. But his simple- sweet nature, his goodness impressed me. And soon that turned as a love for him. I thought of telling him someday or later but I could not tell him about it. See now, we are on the last day of our school, not much sure I will meet him again or not, and today itself I realized that I could not tell him about my love for him. I will be going to London for my higher studies. Maybe I will not even meet him again. Perhaps my love will be left unexpressed.“ 

I never thought someone like Alisha will have such a sensitive heart and such seriousness towards a philosophy of love. Perhaps it’s the same feeling of that love that made her such a calm and quiet person now. For a moment I thought of washing those tears from her face with my hands. But I didn’t. That’s a strange Alisha I never saw in these years. I felt bad for her and thought of helping her. I proposed to her an idea. 

“ Alisha, it’s not over yet. There is still some time left. You can go and tell him right now. “ 

“ No, I don’t want to. I don’t think he will love me “

“ And why you think so? “

“ He is a good person. A nice human being. Studious, intelligent, Who am I in comparison to him? I am just a spoilt girl who only keeps on talking about myself, wasting hours over the phone and on social media. I am nothing to him .”

It was beyond my thinking that someone like Alisha would talk about her inferior complex. I felt like it’s a dream, I should pinch myself, it cannot be happening. But all my senses were real. I never had any friends or such towards Alisha, still, her words grew sympathy in me for her. I felt like helping her in any way possible. I started suggesting her remedies

“ Alisha You should tell what you feel to him, what can happen the most. Anyway, it’s the last day, either he will accept you and be forever or he may deny it. You guys can go on your own way, there is no problem. You should give it a try, at least you will get an answer. “

“ You are saying so. How can I tell him? I don’t have that courage “ 

“ In that case, you can write it up and then give it to him by someone else’s hand. If you want, I can help”

“ Will you really do? “

“ Yes I will “

Alisha took a paper and pen and started writing something on it. And I was waiting in palpitation. No idea why I was in palpitation. Just had a sudden urge to help Alisha in this situation. She wrote on the paper, but the final bell was struck, it was time for departure. I could see a huge rush of students running along the corridor towards the buses. Giving me the piece of paper Alisha said to me 

“ Here, take it. You can put it in his bag “ 

“ But Whose bag? What is his name? “ I asked.

“ I cannot tell you the name. It’s a blue bag in your class, you can put it in the blue bag “ 

After these words from Alisha, I ran upstairs to my class, took my bag in the back and then started searching for the blue bag. I was also interested to know who is the owner of it. I searched from here and there but could not find any blue bag. Many of my classmates were coming, taking their bag but no one was with a blue bag. Now how to find a blue bag? I was moving through those rush of students, but could not find any blue bag. Like a lost postman, I was moving here and there with Alisha’s love letter. While searching, I came down. I came near my bus. I could not find that blue bag. I thought of going to Alisha and give her the letter and tell her I could not find the bag, but my bus started honking up so I went to the bus. Looking from the window of the bus, a sudden disappointment came over me. I could not send someone’s love to someone. Two people will not be in love because of me. I felt bad at it. I was still holding that folded paper from Alisha. Suddenly Sameer came to me. He started talking 

“ Hey, You look sad. You will miss school. Did you get the invitation to the farewell party? “ 

“ Sameer, who in our class has a blue bag? “ I inquired. 

Sameer gave an unusual look at me. He looked confused at my words. He gave a little thought and replied. 

“ Blue bag, No I don’t think there is any. Why? ”

“ Nothing, just say if anyone has a blue bag ”

Sameer got into more deep thought and then suddenly got something. 

“ You mean blue bag with white stripes on it with a Star logo in the centre ”

“Yeah, who have such a bag ”

Sameer gave a loud laugh and replied laughing 

“ Turn around and look at your own bag. It’s a blue bag. You are searching for whom? Yourself ? ”

With his words, I suddenly realized this thing. Yes, I was in a blue bag. Perhaps only one with a blue bag. But why will she give it to me? Now, this perplexed me more. I should not be reading someone’s letter but I could not resist Alisha’s piece of paper. I opened it up desperately and it read as

“ We met as a stranger,

Suddenly you turned dear. 

You never did much talked, 

You never flirted.

And this quietness,

I found cuteness. 

I will be thankful ;

On this school’s last day,

Because to You,

About my love, I could say. 

From Alisha,

To ...... “

It was my name. She was talking about her feelings to me. She loved me throughout. I searched for her desperately at the farewell party but she was not there. Many said she had already left for London. I tried to call her but she had changed her number. One month has elapsed. I never thought I will meet her. I took up admission to the college. It was the first day of college. I was entering with slow steps. Looking everything around. I saw a couple talking, sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree. It reminded me of Alisha, but nothing can be done about it. It’s better to forget, that there ever existed a conversation between me and her. Better to forget, she said anything about her love. Her name itself created something inside me, maybe it’s love. But I wanted to overcome that and move on. 

I came early to the class, it was still one hour before the class. I took out my new smartphone, made it in Silent mode and was checking the apps there. A voice came to my ear 

“ Nice Phone. Should we take a selfie? ” 

I just turned my head and it was Alisha. A sweet surprise I can ever imagine at that moment. For a moment I lost my words, I can feel my eyes turning moist. That sweet smile on her face captured my heart. I asked in amazement. 

“ What are you doing here? ”

“ Just like you. For studying, Did you got that blue bag? ” She said with a smile. 

Alisha was there. I talked to her about my feelings. It’s ironic. On the last day of school, I fell in love with someone I hated for years in school. So, our love story started on the last day of school. And now it went on. Just the proverb says “ The End is where we begin ”.