Chapter 52

48. Hickory Dickory Dock - III

[PAST]

She had met Nishit after four years in SVN Arts and Commerce College. She would have never met him had Sandy aunty not insisted her to go and attend the classes conducted by the Open School. 

‘If you’re getting the facility of classes and teachers, a good library, why not make use of it?’

‘Who said I am not going? I am going!’ Shruti had answered. Her motivation had been P.Sreyash who was her boyfriend since Polytechnic College days. Sneaking out from the house gave her time to spend with him.

‘Oh well, guess I will go then too.’ Kirti had said.

Even though it was a distance education program, the university had study centers throughout the nation where guidance classes were provided every week. Kirti after she had received her admit card and books, she had also received a class schedule which she had carelessly glanced through and then kept away for she had no intention of attending classes.

Her motive to enroll herself in the BA program had been straight and simple - to get a graduation degree so that she could apply for more jobs. 

Shruti had also taken up a distance course but since she had taken up B.Sc Physics, she had gotten SVN Science College as her study center. It was only a few kilometres away from the Arts and Commerce College.

On a bright Saturday afternoon that was quite languid in its approach towards evening, Kirti was trying hard not to doze off as the Professor listlessly read out about Firm and Industry’s Equilibrium from an ebook loaded on his laptop. It was as if after having spent all his energy on regular students, he had none left for them.

While stifling a yawn, her gaze had landed outside the window where she spotted a group of boys. One of them, she thought, was Nishit. She had not come across him for the last four years and yet could identify him even in a crowd, such was his imposing figure. So many minutes she had spent noticing his eccentricities while she was his partner that the years did nothing to erase his image. It was as if only yesterday she had seen him.

Surprised that he was still in the same city - Tejas and most others had left either for different states or overseas - she had quickly looked away. 

He must have come to know about her Polytechnic course through Tejas. Now, she didn’t want to be ridiculed by him when he was expecting her to be in a job. 

She had breathed a sigh of relief only when the group of boys had moved on to somewhere else.

Later after the class, hurrying down the steps, she wanted to quickly leave the college lest she came face to face with her past. But the past had jumped into her path out of nowhere as if he had been waiting for her class to finish.

‘Kirti'

‘Ohh!... Hi!’ Thank God for her sense of balance or she would have slipped and broken her disc.

‘How have you been?’ He had asked.

He hadn’t grown his hair. In school,  because of his hair, she always thought he had wanted to join NDA; maybe he did and for some reason he couldn’t. She knew of a Bhaiyya who had been rejected in the army exam and was so passionate about Defence that he had an Army sticker on his bike just for the feels of it.

The softness of his face had given way to a firm jawline, and a proud chin. He had taken after his mother when it came to eyes and the slope of his nose. He still was the master of that lean, athletic body. Did he still play Volleyball?

‘I’m good, thank you. What about you?’

‘I am fine as well.’ 

What were they doing? It was like they were reading out an elementary level conversation from an English book. She had Communicative English as an Elective course in her Polytechnic years. It had convos like these. Hey Bob. There’s nip in the air tonight. Hey John. Seems like winter is not far behind.

‘You took Eco?’ He asked next.

‘How do you know?’

‘Saw Sawant Sir taking your class.’ 

So he had seen her earlier.

‘First year?’ He inquired further.

She nodded her head. ‘And you must be in your third year.’

‘5th semester.’

She didn't like how they were the same age but he was ahead of her. Then consoled herself thinking everyone had a different path of life.

‘Ok Nishit. Gotta go now. It was nice meeting you.’

‘Same here. Later then.’ That nod of his head! Had she not forgotten anything?

After that encounter, she had seen him every time she had come to attend the classes. Either their schedules matched strangely or he was the kind of guy who liked to hang out in the college the entire time. 

Even when she very much wanted to avoid him, he would seek her out with questions like. ‘Is your syllabus any different from ours? Do you mind if I take a look at your booklet? On many sites, they were recommending IGNOU books for preparation of IES.’

‘Are you preparing for Economic Services?’ She couldn’t help but let out the question.

‘Not sure. Dad wants me to try once. We’ll see. Your book is systematically prepared but it can be only treated as supplementary material. One will have to read the core books for thorough understanding. Which books are you following?’

‘Nothing. I am going to read this book. The notes provided by Sir and the previous year question papers.’

‘Oh.’ His ‘oh’ had been very judgmental. Well, she didn’t care.

He had offered her a binder next time. 

‘This has all the important stuff with diagrams, graphs. It could help you. That is if you want. Should suffice. Like if you don’t read the core books...obviously one should read but if you don't have time, this has everything.’ She had never seen him mumbling like this before. He must have changed during the years.

Even though he didn’t say anything, she knew his handwriting and knew it was his book.

‘Umm...you don’t need it? Thanks, I guess.’ He was offering himself. She would be saved from making notes so accepted it.

‘If you don’t understand anything - I hope my handwriting is legible - if you don’t understand anything, you can ask me. Call me?’

‘Okay,’ she was leaving.

‘Kirti,’ he had called back. ‘We will need to exchange numbers for that.’ 

‘Umm...my number?’

‘Don’t want to give?’

‘I share it with my brother so there are times I will not be available.’

‘Oh. Here’s my number. If you want to ever…’

There were times when she would miss her class, and the next class he would seek her out.

‘You didn’t come last time.’

‘Hmm. Didn’t feel like it.’ In reality she was usually busy with interviews or part time jobs.

‘Once in a week you have classes and you don’t feel like attending that too?’

‘Huh?’ Who was he? Her guardian?

‘I mean you may miss important points discussed in the class.You should not miss classes. Don’t you have an attendance system?’

She had clicked her tongue.

She had found his interest in her, unnerving. But she also liked his changed persona. He had changed for good.He had turned out to be forthright and helpful. 

He had helped her not only with the notes but also with exam form. She had come on the last day of the form submission. Standing in a long queue, her turn was about to come. She had realized they needed to stick a Rupees Twenty stamp and she had stuck a five rupees stamp going by what had been given in the prospectus. The rule had changed over the years.

She had borrowed two more five rupees stamps but one more she still needed. He had missed his class to arrange one for her. Had run the entire campus to find one for her.

Heaving, when he had come to her, she hadn’t been able to express her gratitude in words.

Then there were moments that gave her mixed feelings.

Like, one afternoon, she had reached college earlier and had been sitting and waiting for other students to arrive when a paper plane had landed on her.

Startled, she had turned around and found his group. The guys had whispered something to him and guffawed. Some of them waved hello to her. She had smiled consciously, too aware of her braided ponytail and Kurti and jeans.

Looking sheepish, he had come to her. ‘I’m sorry. They are a crazy lot.’

What she had read in his friend’s teasing, she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge to herself. They must have misunderstood his attention, she had argued.

She had made use of his notes before the examination. Had called up him as well.

On the examination days, he would always come to wish her luck.

On the last day of her paper, after the exam, her head bent, she was counting how much  she could get in each question and whether she was getting a pass mark or not when she had collided with a hard body.

‘How was your paper?’ He asked.

‘Huh? Oh Hi, Nishit. Paper was bad.’

‘Kyun? Dikhao?’ He was taking the question paper from her hand when she had quickly folded it away and shoved it into her jeans pocket. She didn’t want him to see her MCQs marked answers, what if he would see a wrong answer, even worse tell her, you didn’t know this?!

'Okkkayy,' his speech dragged.

'So your exam is over. How do you plan to celebrate?'

'Celebrate? I have no plans.'

'Wanna go out this Sunday?' He asked.

'With you?'

'Umm yes…' He had scratched the back of his neck. 

'I don't know,' she had replied.

'You can bring Biplab if that makes you comfortable.'

'Fine, I will come. Text me the place.'

XxxX

'Kirti let's meet,' Tejas was back in town.

They met at a restaurant. He had lots of anecdotes and incidents from his college to share with her.

When they were leaving, he had asked if she wanted to go for a Sunday movie. 

'No, I have other plans.'

'What plans?' He asked.

Kirti who had been in a dilemma about invitation revealed her confusion.

'I don't know. He's changed, Kirti. He had girlfriends in Junior College as well. He wasn't faithful to any of them. Here also, I am sure he must have a string of girls. I don't know what to make of his interest in you. Does he think you are an easy target? Or maybe he's sincere. You decide.'

Was she easy? He thought she was a non achiever that he could woo with notes? 

It hurt once again. 

When he called on Saturday night, she was quick to cancel the plan.

'Oh, yeah! I was about to say the same thing. Let's cancel the plan.' He echoed her sentiments.

She was more hurt than before. 

After that she did not see him much. 

Even when she saw him looking right at her, he would turn away when their eyes would meet.

She did not know why it irked. 

That was the time when Shruti and Kirti had been together, eating Kach Aaloo outside the college, and they had sighted him; Shruti had called out for him, he had not turned.

A few months more of his ignoring her, his course over, he left the college then she hadn't seen him again.

Two weeks later Ujjwal, a friend from Polytechnic College, had asked her out. Over a text.

She had said, Yes.

Everyone was dating. Tejas was with Sana. Shruti was with Shreyas. Nishit was dating a family friend Ahaana. Tejas liked her first but Nishit had cheated.

Ujjwal had been a mistake from the beginning. 

A humdrum affair. 

She listened to his talks on the phone. He complained how she should have a personal phone. That she had no privacy.

She used to go out with him. They used to talk about preparations, and together used to appear for interviews.

Then he started wanting more. 

Hand holding. Kissing. 

When she stood frozen under his lips, wanting to know what a kiss was all about and also not feeling anything. He had backed out in frustration. 

He hadn't tried to kiss her again. He had said he would wait for her.

They continued to go out, talk on the phone for three long years. Kirti had thought all was well, that not every relationship had sparks, that she would be ready someday until Mayank  had seen him with someone else.

Ujjwal hadn’t even tried to hide. 

‘You weren’t there,’ he had accused.

‘Yes, I wasn’t. But I wasn’t cheating either.’

Although Ujjwal was correct in his assessment, she had been hurt to be used like this. It hurt that he had been two timing.

She couldn’t share it with Shruti because Shruti was herself coping with a betrayal, Kirti did not want to add more bitterness to it.

Tejas was the one to support her. 

Her self esteem had taken a hit. But Tejas had pulled her up.

‘You are very beautiful, Kirti. You are any guy’s dream. That he cheated on you was his loss.’ He had said some more uplifting things, and that is when Kirti had realized that she liked him more than as a friend.

 [MEMBERSONLY]