15th December 2007.
I’m going home. The 1st semester is o’er & so all the tensions(at least till the results are not out). It’s been five months when i left my place and everything i ever knew… MY PARENTS, friends, relatives…everything; to adopt a new culture and to start a different life.
Today was our last paper n quite obviously the hostel is restless. It’s farewell time. A month long vacation awaits us. Yea the word HOME itself brings smile to everyone’s face. No, I wont say i m different… who woudn’t love to be back home, but i would sincerely admit that some part of me want to stay back.
I was in my room, busy packing. The door was open as someone or the other dropped in to say “Goodbye” every now n then.
“Kyu be, you gonna leave without even informing”, screamed Rahul as he entered my room. He was boiling.
His anger was justified as i didn’t tell most of the people when was i leaving, coz i hated this whole bye-bye thing.
“Do u think i would do so?” i replied. We shook hands. Wished each other all d best. Hugged. He left. Oh yea i was in hurry! Only 2 hours were left and still i wasn’t done with my packing stuff.
“What the fuck…”, I hollered as I turned back; I had not charged my cell n it was switched off.
As soon as i switched it on… I heard my sms tone ringing. I opened the sms.
“Hey! We won’t b meeting for over a month now. Just wanted to meet you. Would you mind coming to canteen rite now?
Sender: Ankita”, it read.
By ‘rite now’ she meant 2 o’clock and i was already an hour late.
“What the fuck”, i cried again as I tried to call her. My late reply would have made things worse any other day but today… everyone was very senti types; thank god my ass was saved.
After hanging up i realised that i wont b able to reach canteen in 10 minutes as i had promised. Most of the packing was still left. But i didnt want to annoy her anymore. I jus dumped my clothes into the bag.
whew!! The job was done in jus seven mins, which meant i had to run all the way to the canteen in three mins. Though now i wonder how, but sumhow i made it in time.
She was there.
“My god, these girls… they don’t have any other work or what… how can anyone be always on time?!?” i thought.
As i said i hated this senti stuff n i didnt know what to say so i stood waitin her to speak.
“So, u gonna miss me?”.
Shit it was my turn to answer. Should i say yes…. or no?!? Saying Yes was injurious to my principles and saying no was injurious to my health. Ultimately I nodded hesitantly.
She exclaimed, “Really?”
‘Not again. Why the hell girls r so dumb? Can’t they understand nethin at first go?’,i thought.
Though unwillingly, still I nodded again.
She realised i wasnt in mood to do much of talking so she started.
“Hey Ishan! I’m really gonna miss you. It was fun. This whole sem was fun. isn’t it?”
By this time i had realised n learnt wat was i supposed to do. I kept on nodding to watever she said.
She continously jabbered for 15 mins recalling each n every incident that happened in the sem
. I didn’t dare to yawn. I was feeling pity on aunty ‘coz i knew this was just the trailor, movie wud be released at home.
She would remind me of small small incidents n then started laughing herself. Then suddenly she stopped speaking.
Both of us were lookin into each other’s eyes. As usual i didn’t know how to react. I wasn’t used to such extreme conditions.
‘Here she goes…Now she is talking something of my interest…Is she thinking of kissing… does she want to say something…?!?!?’.. damn, my mind explored each n every option.
“U know what?” she whispered.
‘How would i know?’ i thought. Why the hell girls are so dumb!
“I just couldn’t have left without saying this” she continued.
Yea, girls know exactly how to scare anyone to death. I was gettin kinda despo to hear more but my principles wouldn’t allow me to show my emotions. I stood there calmly.
“Yes, what is it?”, i said as casually as possible.
“It sounds silly n I also feel embarrassed to say this, but…”.
To add to my miseries she paused again.
‘Is she gonna propose? Come on… say. Faster please. I can’t take this anymore.’,i thought.
“Last week…”, damn, again a pause.
I scrolled through each day of the week. I hardly met her in that week. We just went for dinner once and that too wid other frnds. I couldn’t recollect anything, n anything romantic, not at all. I surrendered.
“Last week… when we all were in the canteen, you went to the counter to order something, u left ur cell on the table itself. One sms came that time, i dunno why, but i read it…”
“So?” i replied.
” So, I m sorry”.
It was a perfect KLPD.
I felt like banging my head on the table. I didnt know how to react.
“Thats it? Its not a big deal!”, i assured her. I said goodbye to her and yea this time i did say i m gonna miss her.
I think i saw tears in her eyes. We hugged n then left.
I rushed back to the hostel as I had to catch the train n it was almost time. I realised that it was in my own interest that she didn’t propose coz I know had it been the case I would have surely missed the train. I smiled thinking about this whole incident as i jogged back to my room.
Yes, finally I’m on way back home. It has been only couple of hours since I left Manipal n ever since i have got into the train I’m engaged in such memories; Memories which brought smile to my face. Truly, God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December.
A month long vacation awaits us. Yea the word HOME itself brings smile to everyone’s face. No, I wont say i m different… who woudn’t love to be back home, but i would sincerely admit that some part of me want to stay back. As i m saying all this,i m realising more n more how much i have started lovin this place and my new life.
