That innocent face
- I was hiding this. Not just hiding them from you, but also hiding you from them. They don’t know anything yet… except my temporary truths. Do they think their innocent faces or curious questions are ready to listen the answers? Not yet
Of course, I’m starting with the initial experiences of my last plan, the ITI. That doesn’t mean that the other plans failed, it’s just what I say to everyone… - “I had free time, so I’m here”
- And now another line added to script,
- “I have no interest in Steno”
- Steno? Yep, either you say it stenography or shorthand, is what I am learning right now in ITI.
- Why did I choose steno? The answer would seem similar to above, “because I have never chosen it”
- The people who met me in past may not believe but those in present… I mean right now… these people don’t exist. Anyway the idea and motivation for ITI goes to Swati, my 1 semester senior friend in MCA, who have already experienced ITI. I realised that I could have started ITI a year ago, but relax. I’m not the only one. There are a mixture of ages, from 10th pass out to graduated people like me. Also from innocent faces to habitual smokers.
Ok. Now let’s get to the class… where I am never punctual, yet my attendance 100%. Why? Because I’m a topper, again…
***
“Is Sanyam your friend?” - “How can you even link me with him?”
- “So who is your friend?”
- “Friend? Uh… friend… uh… nobody yet”
- “So you talk to them just like normal?”
- “Yes, they talk to me, I reply”
- “At home?”
- “Uh… nobody…”
- “Are you single?”
- “Yes…” (PoV : wtf is going on?)
- “Did you have any girlfriends?”
- “Yes, I had but… !”
- “Who??”
- “…wait! It’s enough for today, I may tell you the details some other days, not now!”
- Somewhere her friend interrupted,
- “Brother, her talkings will feel good initially…”
- …and a pause for some moments…
- “Are you preparing my biodata? As you are continuously querying about me”
- “No. Just for no reason”
- …break…
- I tried then I broke out.
- “Actually it was a one week relationship. I even can’t say it like relationship. It was like situation-ship. Lastly I broke up”
- I was facing difficulties to explain as she isn’t genZ. I asked her opinion and she replied
- “Yes, you did right”
- “And what if she apologies, once a week.”
- “Then…, did she do this?”
- “No, I’m just giving an example”
- “Ok. Don’t value them if they don’t value you, even you like them too much”
- …again a break for few moments and now it’s my turn…
- “What about you?”
- “Hm.. what?”
- “I mean, you asked me directly, so same am asking like if you…”
- “Oh, me? No, there is nobody from the beginning”
- “Huh… lying. You are a girl”
- “No, I am not lying!”
- “Any crush?”
- “No…”
- “At least, there must be boys who proposed you!”
- “Ravi, now you are asking too many… are you making my biodata?”
- “Anyway, let me assume you were not lying”
- “Assume? Don’t you believe?”
- And she moved her face closer. I looked strangely, then she came even closer.
- “Look at my face, do you think I am lying?”
- Here, I got stuck…
***
She truly is an innocent face of my class. She is not dumb but she rarely talks. A plus point of course, to her innocence. She talks only to her bench mate, Bhawna. Her face? I didn’t notice as she is a first bencher who rarely turned to backbenchers like us. Oh… back to the question - I got stuck, in that question while looking in her eyes, because she was wearing a mask.
- “Why aren’t you saying? Say…”
- “Uh… Ok”
- She also asked me about my carrier and I denied saying that it would be too complicated for her to understand.
- I got to know, my sister, for whom I was waiting already reached home and I was here with this girl, at the bus stand in the rain. Then her bus came, and it was mine too.
- Happy ending? No!
- For so many days the same question roaming in my mind. Can’t there be a simple love story without villains or tragedies??
A boy with his friend, asked me about her. Her? Oh I forgot to share. She is Aradhna. Hm.. I did not give much info, as I, myself don’t know much about her. Ok.., but…
Next day, they asked me again. - “She is just a classmate! Nothing between us”
- I just ended to get rid of them. Not just ended but also transferred my irritation to Aditya, one of the bad guys of the class who liked Aradhna. At least, I was relieved by connecting two bad guys to each other as my plan. But… as I already gave hint. It isn’t a simple story. There got another twist.
- When these two guys met, they were friends.
- And then?
- I just passed by her
- And this line is the same everyday…
PoV : This story is not about me or the villains, it is about that innocent face, on which I don’t believe