E07 : The Beginning

"Stop thinking that you are so spe....AAAAaaaaa...aa!!!”

Something happened that shouldn’t have.

“Noooo...” Rudra screamed. He held out his right hand, but that did not help. He was a bit too late. Miraya’s foot slipped and she came dangerously rolling down the stairs. 

As soon as she was at the foot of the first floor staircase, crowd had already begun to gather around her. Rudra rushed and helped her up.

“I’m fine”, Miraya said dusting her shoulders and dress. She was not lying. Only her arms and back was aching, that too only a bit.

“Shit!”, Rudra exclaimed and without warning started pressing her elbow very harshly with his hands. “Ouch!!” Miraya cried. Only then she saw Rudra’s bloodied hands. Her left elbow was cut deep by the stair’s edge. “Stop it...! It’s paining!” she winced.

“The cut is deep Miraya. Blood has to stop, right?” Rudra said calmly and continued to press her wound tight with his palms. “Somebody, lend her a handkerchief please.” he pleaded.

“Here”, a guy standing in the front row of the crowd gave his kerchief.

Next, Rudra wrapped the wound very carefully and tightly, hoping that the blood would clot soon. He then called Ishaani, and they both took her to the Medical Room of SCOE. But as usual, it was locked. So they spoke with the doctor in-charge of it and asked her to come as soon as possible.

More than 15 minutes had passed and there was no sign of Doc-in-charge. They called her again, but she said it would take her 10 more minutes to reach. In India, 10 minutes are mounted too easily to 20 minutes. Keeping this fact in mind, Rudra called Aryan and made a quick arrangement.

Aryan took off for the nearest hospital with Miraya on his bike. Rudra and Ishaani followed them in an auto rickshaw. The bike reached 15 minutes earlier trespassing the traffic. By the time Rudra and Ishaani reached Wadia Hospital, Miraya had already seen the doctor.

“What did the doc say Mira?”, Ishaani asked anxiously.

“Same.”, she said looking at Rudra, “The cut is too deep. It has to be stitched”

“I am so sorry Miraya!” Rudra’s face looked too small, the perfect cuts and planes of his cheeks seemed sunken.

“Hey...” Miraya spoke melodiously, smiling, “why are you sorry when it was never your fault?” Rudra nodded, but his eyes showed no signs that he was convinced. Miraya explained him again, “Listen Rudra, falling is...something that comes naturally to me. I trip atleast once a day. It’s normal for me, seriously. I mean call and tell my parents and they won’t be surprised that I’ve fallen and am badly hurt.” Miraya laughed unnaturally, others stared at this girl’s ‘funny’ statement.

In the next half hour, her 6 stitches got done. She did not either scream or allowed tears to her eyes once, but crushed Ishaani’s hand with her steel tight grip. Everytime, she apologised first and then continued crushing Ishaani’s hand. Miraya was happy that Aryan and especially Rudra did not have to see her this way.

After it was done, Rudra and Ishaani convinced a stubborn Miraya that she should not take train to home. It would be the killer office hour rush, she might get more hurt. After a lot of drama, Miraya finally agreed to call her dad to ask him if he could pick her up in his car while returning from office. But when the call was received on the other side, his receptionist said that he was in a meeting that wouldn't end before 9pm.

Of Rudra, Ishaani and Aryan, only Rudra stayed a bit closer to Panvel. So he agreed to drop her home anyhow. They took a cab to Panvel, and Miraya was anything but sleepy. The doctor had tried to be gentle on stitches, but after all pain is pain, the degree of it doesn’t quaver its essence.

“Thank You”, Miraya was grateful to him.

“For coming to drop you?” Rudra questioned.

“No, for clamping my elbow and holding it tight. You know, Doc said if that hadn’t been done immediately, the blood wouldn’t have stopped so easily.”

Rudra smiled and explained, “My mother is a doctor; she taught me this first aid. When I was a kid, I used to play many sports and dance a lot. So this remedy of hers helped me temporarily before I could reach her for further help.”

Rest of the time, due to medicines, Miraya had fallen asleep. She did not call anyone, especially her mom. It would put her mother to the self assigned task of endless worrying and keep her away from pinging for updates.

The evening had almost reached its dusk when they reached. Miraya’s brother Sanjeet was waiting for her near the building gate. She got down from cab and ran to him, showed her wound. She could not hold back her slow tears after seeing her brother. Sanjeet pulled her away and his tall wide frame walked heavily and stood before Rudra. His eyes were throwing the flames of anger, fists clenched. In the next moment, Sanjeet added Rudra’s collar to his clenched fists.

“I did nothing!” Rudra said defensively.

“Bhai! Wait! Stop! He is the one who helped me.”

“Why are you crying then?” Still unsure of Miraya’s claim, Sanjeet did not leave Rudra’s collar.

“I cried because I hadn’t cried since I fell. Not even when that unkind heartless fat nurse was pulling and making stitches brutally. You know me, I don’t cry before everyone. It’s okay bhai leave him. Rudra, I’m sorry.”

He pushed Rudra away holding open his tight grip on collar, still not cooling the flames of anger in his eyes.

“Genuinely thanks Miraya.” Rudra sighed.

 “Come up, mom would like to thank you”, Miraya said sincerely.

“No, no, I’m fine, it’s already late. Bhai, from where will I get an auto to Panvel station?” Sanjeet bhai then narrated directions.

“See ya Miraya, Take rest. Goodbye Bhai!” Rudra very much meant the ‘goodbye’ part.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________________________________________________

The next day, Miraya did not show up in the college. Doctor had ordered her rest for 3 days. Hari was broken to hear the news, and innocently worried too. Now who will be there to back me for two days when they trouble me? And exactly the same happened.

That day was a Thursday. They did not have practicals in the morning session from 9 to 12.  So mostly, everyone was in the class. As the clock struck 12, and just when the professor left, the tall seniors entered the class. The EXTC A division recognised that they were not the PRO’s who came regularly for announcement.

“Girls! Girls! We request you to please leave the room! Just for 10 minutes, please.” one of the three gentlemen said politely with a smile. The girls in the class did as they were asked.

Once they were out, one of the gentlemen closed the door and stood near it. The one who sort of looked like their head unfastened his shirt’s first button and pulled his collar up in attitude. His name was Vishal.

“Idhar aur koi baila hai to ladkiyo ke saath nikal sakta hai bahar(Gays too can leave the room like the girls).” He said and waited, but nobody left. “So guys, we are from the all boys’ council- INFRA.”

The other ‘gentleman’ named Harsh continued, “Dekho Bhailog! Funda simple hai ! If you are a man, you join Infra, orelse be ******* the rest of your days in engineering!” Again nobody responded anything.

“Hatt! Saala..! Are you all surely males?”Harsh spitted.

“Shout yes if you are.”Vishal raised his voice.

Out of fear and truth everybody shouted a big YES!

 “Say ******** YES!!!!” Harsh said in Jai Ho style.

“******** Yes!” The class echoed back. Well Boys are boys, they had started enjoying this.

“Good, I want each one of you in break tomorrow... Old Building Room no. 201.” Harsh declared.

But Hari had kept quiet this time and Vishal had spotted him. “Kya re Mote! (You fat guy!) Gaali bolna nai aata?? You dunno how to swear??”

“Nai”, Hari’s round face replied.

“Mard ki aulad hai ki nai tu?”, Harsh asked mockingly.

“Leave me please bhaiji.”Hari pleaded.

“Why did’nt you leave first huh? Chal cut le yaha se!”Vishal ordered.

“Aisa hi hai ye saala... Malum iska naam kya hai? Hari Sadu!”one of Hari’s classmates Shekhar laughed. Everyone joined.

“****!!!” The ‘gentleman’ guarding the door couldn’t stop his fits of laughter.

“Kya re Hari Sadu” Harsh stamped his hand on Hari’s shoulder.

Suddenly the door thrust open, the ‘gentleman’ at the door got hit on his bum by that thrust. “Ahh!,” he grimaced. He tried to stop that person from coming inside but failed.

“Gaali nai bolta... idhar aa mai sikhata hoon...chal bachu..chal..” Harsh teased him in a devilish way and most of the guys were having a great time enjoying the show.

In a trice someone took on Harsh’s upright collar from behind and pulled him, “You Bast***, Son of a Bit**, Leave him alone.” It was Ishaani, “Don't make me start my swearing marathon, b'coz I SWEAR I'll win." She jerked him back and started walking towards the opposite end of the blackboard.

“You were not supposed to come in here girl.” Vishal shouted.

“Had just come to pick this up, I had left it here by chance.” Ishaani pointed her mobile phone with her left eyebrow. She had forgotten it under her desk. While walking back towards the door she directed a sharp killer gesture with her eyes and fingers at Harsh: I-will-definitely-be-watching-you.

“Maa kasam, we should ask her to join Infra”, Harsh smiled devilishly and saw 

Ishaani leaving the room.

In the next lectures Rudra was getting bored, unusually not himself. Maybe he was just feeling sad about Miraya. Somewhere he considered himself responsible for her fall. Somewhere maybe he was missing her light in the class. Even though they did not talk much, but somewhere he was missing her arrogance. He knew that she wasn’t going to come tomorrow.

“I don’t think I’ll attend lectures after break tomorrow.” He said to Aryan.

“Why?”

“Because, I haven’t played any sport in a while. There’s a football match in my colony at 4. The ground is a standard one, you know, too sexy. I’ll convince my friends to allow me to play forward.” Rudra convinced himself too.

“Amazing.” Aryan replied too coolly.

“You don’t play football.. do you?”

“Never tried.” Aryan shrugged.

“Man, are you serious? Then you should come with me!”

“But..”

“But what? Anyways you know more than the professors, so sitting lectures is not something that is meant for you. Infact, professors will be spared for one day from embarrassment you cause to them with your high level questions. Let them enjoy their time. And dude, my colony is too beautiful, mind you! We’ll have fun. Let us take Hari too.” Rudra was excited now.

“Umm, okay!” Aryan agreed smiling his half curled smile.

Miraya was at home, drowned in sleep and a dream. It was not a dream exactly. It was one of the strands of her memory that she had suppressed and buried deep inside her mind.  But she hadn’t forgotten it yet. In consciousness, she never let those strands loose and surface before her eyes; but sleep was not conscious, neither were the dreams. They had a mind of their own.

She saw his eyes again, the eyes that could never lie to anyone, it was unbelievable that a person’s eyes could reflect so much of truth. Her eyes shifted to lips, she had never seen them curled down, not even when they were meant to be. She felt sorry for him sometimes, that he hadn’t known sadness. Because even in pain, his lips were always curled up, like always. Or maybe, she hadn’t known him at all. But that couldn’t be true, or could it? She heard his laugh again, so well to the ears; it could make literally anyone smile back. But suddenly that laugh stopped. Even then, his lips were curled up. His smile was not fake. It was his eyes that had become intense. ‘Tomorrow is just another day’  he voice said. And then his face and her dream turned into evanescence.

(To Be Continued...)