“Mast yaar. aajkal kahan hai wo?”
“Kyon naam lega to badnaam ho jayegi ?”
“Yeah,” I smiled.
“She is in ballia yaar.” I was happy to hear that.
“How can we see her?”
He said from the roof of the Amit’s house. Amit is our mutual friend. We reached Amit’s house. Unfortunately, he was not home. He had gone to the market nearby. His mom though allowed us to wait for him on the roof top. We reached the roof top. Though, we could not see clearly.
“Yaar yaha se chehra nahi dikhega sahi se” I said.
“Haan yaar chalo kal ayenge.”
“Kal dikhne lagega?”
“Abe telescope layenge.”
But I wanted to see her right then.
We went to the coaching center. No one was there. There was a newly opened shop. Just in front of me was her home. Suddenly, she stepped out of her home to buy something from the shop.
She looked at me like she knew I used to follow her. She said hello to Sunny, because he is the cousin of her best friend Tani.
I was burning with jealousy. Before entering her home, she turned around and gave me a gentle smile. I was shocked. Had she noticed me before? I can’t explain how it felt. I kept thinking about her smile. It became a greater mystery than Mona Lisa.
My genius friend Sunny said, “It seems that she knew about your feelings.”,
“How?”
“Tani.”
“Oh!”
I had a positive response. I decided to propose to her.
Next day in the morning, I went to the bus-stand. I was waiting for her.
After some time, I saw Vanishka coming towards me riding a bicycle.
“Vanshika, please stop”, I shouted.
She saw me yelling, applied brakes too, but, suddenly, changed her decision and rode away. She didn’t stop. She parked her bicycle in the stands and stepped inside. I returned.
It was her day off the other day from coaching classes due to Diwali. And I had to return to Kanpur day after tomorrow. Obviously, I did not have time to see her again. But I promised myself to return on Holi to propose to her.
Next day, I had almost left for Kanpur when suddenly the speeding bus, after hardly 100 meters, came to a sudden halt. The angry passengers shouted at the bus driver, who, in his defense, said, “Bus steering is failed.”
I called up my mom immediately and explained what had happened.
“Abhi fail hua to baad me bhi ho sakta hai jab bus ki speed bahut jyada ho” she was scared. I de-boarded the bus. My friends, who were still at the bus station, looked happy after seeing me de-boarding the bus, and sang the most famous slogan of Bagi Ballia —Bole-bole bhrigu baba ki jay!
We returned home that day, thinking it was planned by God. Was there any reason behind what had happened today? Was it all a circle of life?
So it was her day off next day. And my father made a reservation for me its next day at 8 am, but her coaching schedule was from 6 to 9.
Next day, I had a last chance to propose to her. I was again at the bus stand. I saw her coming towards me again riding the bicycle.
“Vanshika please stop,” I shouted.
She didn’t stop. I kicked my bike and followed her, slowed down bike’s speed to ride at her speed.
“Bhoot hoon main tumhe kha jaunga? Why don’t you stop yaar?” I asked.
She just smiled.
“Abhi to main jar ha hoon but I will come again in Holi, ” I said and accelerated away.
I wrote a letter to her that night.
Tum mujhse jitna door ja rahi ho,
main tumhare utna karib aa rha hu
abhi to main ja rha hoon but main laut ke aaunga
intezaar karna…
Always your’s
Ambar
9305810568
I wrote my cell number first, but, removed it later, to avoid her parents calling me instead.
I made 3 copies of the letter and put them in her cycle. One under the seat, one on the carrier, and one in the brakes. I had a locket that I tied to the bicycle’s lock as a gift J.
I boarded the train at 08:00 AM in the morning. I had no idea about what was going to happen. Though, I was mentally prepared for it. Suddenly, my phone rang. It flashed the number of Animesh’s uncle PCO. May be, he had called to know where I am. I thought.
I received the call.
“Hello bhaiya,” the girl on the other said.
OMG! Who the hell she is? I was shocked.
“ Ye kya kiye hain aap?”
I disconnected the phone immediately. I felt so sorry for her. Bhaiya and I everything began to haunt me. I was broke.
I called after 30 minutes to speak to Animesh’s Uncle. He started hurling abuses on me as soon as he picked up the call. “Cool down uncle” I said.
“I have the letter you gave to that girl. Why did you do that to her?” he shouted.
“Because I loved her,” I replied.
“She was crying when Sunny’s cousin called you.”
I disconnected the phone. I was both happy and sad. Happy because she did not call me Bhaiya and Sad because she was crying. But my friend Rajvijay had once said, “ladkiyaan khushi aur gam dono me roti hain.”
I arrived in Kanpur next day at 2 am. And the following day, while I was going to attend my chemistry classes, my cell phone began to ring endlessly.
“Hello,” I said. It was a voice of a girl on the other side.
“Hi, Vanshika. How are you?” I said not realizing that it could have been somebody else.
“I am not Vanshika.“,
“No. I know you are.” I said. “Gussa to nahi hui na maine jo kal kiya? I am sorry for that.”
“It’s okay, “She said. She said she would call me tomorrow and disconnected the phone.
That was the most beautiful day of my life. I could recall its every moment, and, still, be fascinated with its charm and innocence.
The sun shone bright, cold air blew over my face, pounded my heart, and dreams came to reality.
I had fallen in love with her.
Next day, she called again. We talked for only five minutes. We didn’t have much to talk. I was clung to her voice throughout the coversation.
I could feel her innocence. She was a girl with a heart of a child. I was falling in love with her every day, more and more, and, even, more. As we started talking more frequently, I was running out of topics to keep her talking to me. So, at nights, I would makes notes of topics, I could bring in the conversation.
Our bond was growing firm.
2 months had passed.
One fateful day, I demanded something from her as a gift.
“What do you want?” she asked curiously.
“I love you and I want your reply if you love me too.”
She refused to answer but, upon insisting, she replied in my favor.
I arrived in Ballia again on 8th January. Ballia was looking more beautiful with time. And after spending time with my family, I called Vanshika to inform her that I was in Ballia. She was surprised.
I took a bike and rode to her home. I was seeing her for the first time after our relationship had started. That evening, we talked about our hobbies, goals, and, obviously, future.
She brought me a gift that still adds to the beauty of my drawing room in Ballia.
We met almost daily. We, in a few days, had developed a great bonding. I could now talk at lengths without making notes of the topics the previous nights.
Before leaving, on the last day, I told her about my father’s belief on me.
“Your father is great and you must never break his faith and mine. “
After a long pause, she said again, as if to test me, “Its 15th January today and, hopefully, your exams will be held on 13th April.”
“Yes.”
“Okay then. To meet me again, you will have to fulfill my one condition.”
“What ?”
“You will have to clear JEE.”
Is it fair? What if I can’t clear JEE? I thought silently. She looked at me for an answer.
“Okay,” I made a stupid face.
“I want to see confidence on your face.”
“Yes. We will surely meet.”
Her eyes were gleaming when she planted a quick kiss on my cheek.
I was on top of the world.
I returned to Kanpur the following day. Since that kiss, I was dreaming a beautiful world with open eyes, but the thought of JEE was coming back to haunt me at the end every night.
I decided to work harder. She would call and encourage me daily. Despite a very tough competition, I managed to stay among the top-5 students at the coaching center.
Just, exactly when one month was left for JEE exams, she called me from a PCO somewhere in Ballia.
“Hello.”
“Give me your address.”
“Why? Ghar se bhag rahi ho kya?”
“Dimag mat kharab kijiye. Just give me your address.”
“Okay,” she disconnected the phone. I wanted to say something. But all I could hear was the dial tone.
She called me again next day. She had sent me something. I love surprises.