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Charu Vashishtha Gulati

Children Stories Drama

5.0  

Charu Vashishtha Gulati

Children Stories Drama

Did You Say Something: Part 7

Did You Say Something: Part 7

7 mins
391


“What time is it now?”, she asked in a voice as if she is feeling tired. Seeing an opportunity, I  furtively tried to withdraw my hand from hers. This time she pulled my hand with both of hers with a yank and put it back, this time on her lap. I was in much discomfort and repented my folly. Surely, she was working on her instinct without having any regard to my distress.


“It is now 7 o’clock”, I tried best to hide my vexation.

“How long will it take to reach the next stop.”

“Around 20 minutes.”


She put her head on my shoulder in quietude and was no more talking. My annoyance knew no bounds. Why am I paying for the success of her instincts? Certainly, I can’t bear her weight for another 20 minutes. Contrary to the situation, I had never been in such a soothing milieu. My inner was saying to me, you could die a hundred times for such an experience. I quavered with the thought that these 20 minutes would pass very soon. I am nothing to her. I was searching for a sobriquet that is singular to her.


She was not only remarkable, but she was also extraordinary, exceptional, outstanding, unique and what’s not. She was not only beautiful, but she was also, sweet, cute, attractive, dainty, pretty, pleasing, alluring and what’s not. She was not only elegant, but she was also graceful, refined, exquisite, superb, gorgeous, delicate, and what’s not. Any epithet would belittle her. Searching for a moniker, I didn’t know when I slipped into my memories of childhood days. Her name was Mini.


We both belonged to class 2nd in a school that was one kilometer away from my place. How much distance did she travel for school I didn’t remember? I always found her waiting for me at school. She was an intelligent girl, I was not bad either. We two would sit side by side and would share our tiffin. Once after school, she ventured into inviting me to her home. I was reluctant as it would be late to come back home. On her insistence, I agreed. Lest it would be late for me she tried a shortcut which was little unknown to her and that passed through deserted open fields. There were dwellings also in form of hutments. 


As we were crossing those, a burly boy rushed towards me shouting it was me who had broken her earthenware the other day. I was petrified. I was always averse of any kind of argument and it was an impending brawl. I could not utter a single word and was waiting to be hit by that burly. The girl in no time sensed the danger. She shouted asking me to run away. But I was immobilized.


Seeing an easy prey in me, the burly grabbed me by the collar and was preparing to hit hard, suddenly came the girl and sprang like a tigress on the burly. The girl went berserk hitting the burly with both of her hands and at the same time asking me frantically to run away. By this time I came to my senses but could not gather the courage to fight the burly. I reluctantly ran away from the scene. The next day when we met at school, she was staggering a bit. I enquired her wellbeing. She said nothing happened to her. It was simply an ankle sprain. But she was elated in describing yesterday’s fight. How she bit the burly and left him in agonizing pain. I asked her if she was not afraid of the burly. She said ‘never’ since her father departed.


I asked, was her father ill-mannered and used to beat her. She said, no he was the nicest father of all and she missed him very much. She told me that she was not strong enough those days. She used to be frightful, If she was impaired for some reason or accident and she used to cling her father till he found alleviation. She continued. She never forgot that dreadful day when her father passed away leaving behind her and her mother. Her mother told that she was inconsolable and did not eat for many days. She was about to die. One day her mother dreamt that God had agreed to be her father if she left all her tantrums. She was delighted. Leaving tantrums was a small price to get God as her father. Thus I became happy and strong.


I would never forget Mini for one more incident. We had a lady teacher who was a big snob and I would say a bit sadistic as well. I used to be a diligent student and took studies seriously. Once I could not complete my home work in time because of a wedding in my neighborhood. It was a noisy celebration. I knew I would get punished for not completing homework on time. I apprised Mini about the situation. She immediately took out notebooks from her bag and asked me to copy that. I tried my best to do that but could not complete it in time. The bell rang for the next period.


As was expected, the lady teacher asked me to show the home work which I could not. She asked all those students who didn’t complete their assignment to stand up. Then she asked Mini to slap hard each of them. She was reluctant in carrying out such dirty work. But she knew the consequences. Every student was scared of the lady teacher. She complied dictate with some uneasiness. I was the first to be hit. It was not the first time that such a scene was being created in the class, but to get hit by my best friend was to be a sheer embarrassment with untold misery. I was not protesting as it was not Mini’s fault.


Mini approached me but didn’t slap me. Then after she started hitting hard each of the remaining ones as if she was compensating for not hitting me. The teacher was furious for not obeying her and slapped Mini hard at her face. It was brutal but Mini didn’t cry and came back to her seat. At interval time, we didn’t talk to each other. Even we didn’t share our tiffin. After school was over, she came to me and asked me not to worry. She said that it was not mine fault and things would be all right by tomorrow. Then I started crying bitterly. She didn’t’ know how to console me. I was inconsolable. I stopped crying only when she threatened me that she would not talk anymore if I didn’t stop crying immediately.


After a couple of months, my father got transferred to another city and since then I didn’t meet Mini. I wish all success to her. Screeching sound of Bus tyres broke my reverie, the driver might have used the brakes suddenly better known to him only.


As usual, the girl had thrust all her weight on my shoulder. By this time she was in deep sleep. I was visualizing the girl as grown up Mini. I checked the time; it was now ten past seven o’clock. Ten more minutes to go for the next stop. The weight of her body was now becoming unbearable. As I was visualizing her to be grown up Mini, I was more intimate with her now. I decided to do anything for her sake. I shifted just a little to give her better support.


And lo! What did happen? She collapsed with all her weight into my lap. It was too much to bear. I was brought up in a family where at such scenes we were supposed to close our eyes. And so I closed my eyes. She was still holding my hand into hers. Employing all my life time earned skill and with great adroitness, I was able to pull my hands from hers. But it didn’t help much in regaining my composure.


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