One and a half years after they finished their school:
“Where are you?” Khanak winces at the loud voice coming from other side of phone call. Her college friend Neha doesn’t have patience and basic manners in her dictionary. Very much different from Khanak and maybe that’s why they have got it off on their first day of college, one and a half years ago.
“Hello to you too Neha! What a good morning this is!” Khanak replies sarcastically, knowing that her sarcasm is bound to irritate her friend more.
“F*yuck your hello! Why aren’t you here yet?” See the lack of patience and manners?
“Why will I be ….” Khanak recalls her schedule for today to check that is there something that skipped out of her mind. No …. Nothing! It’s still 8 and their first class is at 11 today “wherever you are? I don’t even know where you are right now!” Khanak says incredulously.
“You are telling me, that I have been waiting in this cold December morning at the entry gate of this soon to be crowded place that you know as our college for my friend for last five minutes and that said friend doesn’t even know where I am!”
“well now she does!” Khanak murmurs to herself but doesn’t speak out loud. She wants her ears functioning and sarcasm isn’t really the best way to calm her friend.
“That’s not what I am telling you! That’s the fact!” Khanak rolls her eyes whole replying to her friend dramatics. “And its not my fault that you believe so strongly telepathy!,” Khanak teases.
“first of all telepathy totally works and second of all this time I used technology developed by you mere mortals called mobile phone. I texted you!” yeah Neha was a literature student all right! And her favorite genre was mythical epics.
Khanak doesn’t know whether her ears will give in first from all that shouting or her eyes from all the eye rolling she does while talking to Neha. “you know I don’t check them regularly and why are you even at the entry gate of our college? Our first class isn’t till 11 today”
“I have to submit the assignment of Sunita Ma’am”
“why couldn’t you have submitted it later?” Khanak asks looking at her bed longingly. She has been sleeping when Neha called. She rarely gets to sleep after 6 and today has been one of those days! She could have slept atleast for one hour more if Neha hasn’t called.
“Yesterday was the last day!” Khanak can just see the sheepish smile on Neha’s face.
“So you thought of sneaking into her office and putting your file with others before Sunita Ma’am comes, didn’t you?” Khanak doesn’t even needed Neha to answer. She already knows that’s what Neha is planning to do. “you know you can’t do that. Her gatekeeper won’t let you” Sunita Ma’am was their Head of Department and her protégé, also an assistant professor is very strict and doesn’t really like anybody …. well anybody except Khanak!
“Exactly!” The Triumph in Neha’s voice let Khanak know that she has acted in just the way Neha has expected her to.
“You need me to distract the gatekeeper!” Khanak can just imagine the look of victory on Neha’s face. And evil laugh of her friend’s from the other side tells Khanak, she is right.
Khanak gets ready whole time grumbling and a!So recalling a similar situation like this few years ago but at that time she has been the one to throw a tantrum on the phone.
Khanak’s 17th birthday:
“Rishav, where are you!” Khanak has asked, tinge of anger in her voice. It was her 17th birthday and she has expected her bestfriend to atleast not be late today. He hasn’t wished her at 12 and she hasn’t minded but it was her 17th birthday and she has expected her bestfriend to atleast not be late today.
Since it was time of Navaratri and all of them have 10 days holiday, she has asked her bestfriends to spend their day with her but unfortunately or fortunately, looking at the plan she has made for today and for Rishav, Ankan is on a 2 days trip with his whole family so that only leaves Rishav. And Khanak couldn’t be more happier. She has given extra time in getting ready today, wearing the red and blue anarkali Kirti her mother had made specially for her with blue leggings, her hair left loose with exception of a mini butterfly hair pin to keep her hair from coming onto her face, and a strawberry lip gloss on her lips. She looked beautiful, at least according to her mother who has had tears in her eyes w hen Khanak touched her feet.
Now all she had to do was confesses to Rishav about her crush on him. She has decided to do the same on his birthday that year but all her planning was ruined because of Ankan’s sudden interruption. Khanak felt a time of guilt hitting her gut at the thought of excluding Ankan from her planning for her birthday but she refused to let the guilt ruin her day. It was her birthday and she needed to confess to Rishav.
“I am coming, geez!” Rishav’s voice from the other side of phone was enough to tell her that he wasn’t in great mood, she wanted to tell him off but with the thought of not letting anything ruin today for her she let it slide.
After waiting for another one hour she heard the knock on her door letting her know that her always late best friend has finally decided to come, one and a half hour late than the scheduled time.
“Hi!” Khanak greeted Rishav cheerfully as soon as she opened the door.
“Hi,,,” Rishav replied with much less enthusiasm and Khanak had to remind herself to not let anything ruin the day for her.
Khanak noticed the haggard look on his face as if something big and bad has happened.
“What happened?” Khanak asks even though she knows what’s the problem, his grand parents are visiting, and somehow their visit always manage to irritate Rishav.
“usual! Anyways you tell me why are we meeting in noon. Generally you help your mother on holidays at this time ” How do you tell someone that it is your birthday especially when the person in question is behaving so dismissive.
“Nothing much! Just Mumma didn’t need my help today and I was getting bored” Rishav’s forced smile told her that he is irritated she has called him in this much hurry when she didn’t even had something important but he is too polite to say so on her face.
“Have you talked to Ankan?” Khanak asked in the hope that he is doing a prank, still unable to believe that he forgot her birthday, considering how much she had done for his birthday, though it failed still she made effort. Atleast Ankan remembered and texted her at exact 12’ o clock with a happy birthday and a sorry that he couldn’t call as his family is with him in the car.
“No” Rishav replied, deep anger hidden in his tone.
“Would you like to watch movie”
“No “.
“Do you want to go to terrace”
“No”
and thus began the cycle of her awkward and unreasonable questions and his monosyllabic answers. After half an hour she has had enough. She doesn’t know why they are behaving awkwardly, they never behave like this.
“what’s wrong with you?” Khanak asked frustrated.
“what’s wrong with me? You are the one who called me, asked me to meet you at your house and has been asking nonsense questions for what feels like an eternity” Rishav replied with anger. He has never talked to her like this no matter how much she frustrated him. His tone expressed that he really didn’t want to be here with her. She turned away from him, her eyes filled with tears. It was her birthday for God sake! Everyone should try to make her happy not cry!
Remember what she was saying about not letting anything ruin this day for her, well it was officially ruined.